Plymouth [2] – Speedster

The Plymouth Speedster was a concept vehicle developed by Chrysler's Plymouth division as a two-seat barchetta-style open sports car. It was designed to appeal to buyers aged 18 to 25, described as a primary target group for the Plymouth brand. The concept combined the character of a high-performance motorcycle with that of an open sports car, a theme carried through nearly every aspect of its design.

Rather than a conventional windshield, the Speedster used a low racing-style screen that wrapped around the two-seat cockpit, evoking both a motorcycle air deflector and a cut-down roadster windshield. A roll-over structure was integrated into the bodywork behind the headrests. The lower edge of the body was formed by a front spoiler and widened side sills. Up front, the fenders and hood merged into a motorcycle-type fairing that wrapped around to the doors, housing pop-up upper headlights combined with additional fixed lower light bars mounted beneath the front fairing.

The interior continued the motorcycle-inspired approach. Seating was formed by a molded plastic tub fitted with removable foam pads covered in a water-resistant, wetsuit-type material, allowing the entire cabin to be cleaned out with a hose. Instead of adjustable seats, the Speedster used a movable steering column and adjustable pedals to set the driving position, with all major controls and instruments mounted to the sliding steering assembly, described as a steering control fork. The wheel design was also sculpted to echo motorcycle styling themes.

Mechanically, the Speedster was powered by a normally aspirated, Mitsubishi-built 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine paired with a three-speed automatic transmission. It featured independent four-wheel suspension, four-wheel ventilated disc brakes, and power-assisted steering with a high-response turning ratio. Its wheels and tires were specially made with three-spoke vented fins intended to aid cooling.

The Speedster measured 3307 mm in length, 1555 mm in width, and 1148 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2075 mm and a track of 1360 mm. As a concept vehicle, it was built to showcase design and engineering ideas for Plymouth rather than for production, and it remained a one-off show car.