Mike Adams was born to own this car.
His mother drove a 1966 Coronet convertible when he was a kid and that car left a deep impression on him.
An impression so deep that the same ’66 Coronet convertible was his first car when he turned 16.
This self-described “Mopar guy since Day One“ knew that he’d own another B-body from Chrysler but he had no idea that he’d end up with this incredibly rare, low mileage 426 Hemi 1966 Plymouth Satellite.
He’d seen a mint ‘66 Hemi Satellite featured in a few Mopar magazines and a hardcover book and he vowed that this Plymouth was a car that he’d love to own someday.
Mike had followed this Ohio based Hemi Satellite for a few years but he thought it would be perpetually out of his range. That changed when the car showed up on Ebay in the spring of 2011 and it started at a reasonable price. Eventually Mike was the new owner of this “25,000 documented miles” 4-speed Hemi Plymouth Satellite.
The Plymouth was stored properly and never felt the wrath of Ohio winters since it was brand new and the miles were kept to far less than 1000 per year. In fact this car is only halfway through the 50,000-mile factory warranty but a decade or two over the 5-year part of the equation.
This car is incredible to see in person because the paint looks so good that most spectators assumed it was redone in the last year. Mike actually had to debate one guy on the authenticity of the factory paint but this car is exactly as advertised – a true survivor.
The interior is no less spectacular. This car is so factory fresh looking that you expect to turn on the radio and only hear music from 1966.
The engine looks like it just came out of the factory and everything under the hood is a time capsule back to the LBJ era.
Mike respects the low mileage on the car and he intends to keep the trips to a minimum but this car will never be a trailer queen. He expects to hit a few local shows in the car and every mile will be on the road behind the wheel of this understated Plymouth. Mike’s area had a terrible summer last year so nearly every foray into the real world ended up in a race home to beat the weather.
His first long trip (180 mile round trip) in the Satellite nearly ended in disaster when Mike had to outrun a hailstorm en route to the show. That’s the kind of scenario car guys file under nightmare and the fear goes up exponentially with a documented survivor car.
Mike likes the 3:54 rear end because it’s “more civilized” on the highway and he has made one concession to non-originality with the addition of non-stock wheels and radial tires. He knows that “people expect these cars to stop on a dime” so he wants any advantage he can get in today’s world of distracted drivers.
The stock non-spinner wheel covers are safely tucked away in his shop for local shows because he knows that purists will attack the integrity of a 100% stock claim.
Mike is comfortable with his role as a caretaker of this rare Mopar but his term in that job will extend for years. He admits, “I have no plans to sell it, in fact I never sell anything so getting rid of it isn’t even a question worth asking”.
So far he has total buy-in from his wife although he admits ” I kind of sprung the Satellite on her a few weeks after I bought it because she’d probably notice it in the garage”.
Rare Mopars like this Plymouth are always a welcome sight at any car show and car guys within a few hundred miles of Mike’s home are going to see one of the most pristine survivor Mopars on the planet.
Weather permitting…
Jerry Sutherland
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