Photos by Terry Dodge, Jeff Fisk, and Tyler Hoodenpyle.
During the 1972 model year, the economy struggled and people were holding off on buying those big ticket items. As a result, production numbers were down a bit from the 1971 model year. Early power sunroof cars are a bit of a rarity, but compound that with tighter wallets, and sunroof sales were tight for the 1972 Plymouth B-bodies. Out of the approximately 6,800 Road Runners that were shipped to U.S. dealerships, only 34 were outfitted with the power slider. I haven’t found good sunroof production numbers for the 1972 Satellites yet, but best guesstimates put that number around 160 units.
So what are the chances of seeing a 1972 sunroof Satellite out in the wild these days? Pretty slim pickings at best. But in a city in southern Washington, their lives two very similarly optioned 1972 sunroof Satellite Sebring Pluses (SSPs). Both are loaded with options, and both were ordered with the highest power plant you could put in a Satellite – the 400-4bbl HP engine.
The first car is a stunning GY9 Tawny Gold car with a fender tag full of options. Power disc brakes, front and rear sway bars, center buddy seat, dual chrome racing mirrors, A/C, inside hood release, electronic ignition, and the uber expensive AM/FM cassette radio. This car racked up over 400,000 miles before the owners put it through a thorough restoration.
The second car is outfitted in gorgeous GB5 Blue with a white canopy top and blue interior. It also has a full fender tag, with many of the same options as the gold car. Differences include painted racing mirrors, center console, bright exhaust tips, and power windows!
So if you are ever at a car show in the Pacific Northwest, keep an eye out for these uber rare sunroof cars. Wouldn’t it be great to see these beauties at a show side by side?
Mopar Sunroof Registry 