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They both have a four point stance; they both come in sizes from toy to extra large; they both come in a variety of colors; they both require regular care and periodic checkups; they both require a license and both have the ability to do great bodily harm if not kept under control.

Okay, so maybe comparing a car to a dog is a stretch, but if there are any comparisons to be made, one might call the Plymouth Scamp a designer breed, for this dapper little compact from Plymouth was bred by mating the nose of a Valiant with the hind quarters of a Dodge Dart. Maybe the Mopar marketing team should have named it the ‘Validart’? On second thought, ‘Scamp’ has a much better ring to it.

The Valiant ‘group’ of cars consisted of three sub series, Valiant, Duster and Scamp. All three shared the Valiant front end, but each wore its own distinctive sheet metal from the cowl back. Plymouth’s sales brochure for ‘71 touted Scamp as "The new look of value", calling it "A new hardtop model, with a look all its own". Valiants were offered only as four door sedans while Dusters and the Scamp came only as two-door coupes. Scamp was priced at $2,561.00 with a slant six and $2,685.00 with the 318 V-8, slightly above the standard Valiant and Duster lines... out priced only by the Duster 340. Scamps for 1971 numbered just over 48,000... about six thousand more than Valiants. Duster won the blue ribbon for sales, however, at 173,592.

Scamp sales for the six year production run from 1971 through 1976 was 48,253; 49,470; 53,792; 51,699; 23,581 and 10,926 respectively. Scamp held its own with remarkably consistent sales figures from 1971 through 1974. Sales plummeted in ‘75 and ‘76, due in great part to the introduction of the new Volare series which debuted in 1976 and which replaced the Valiant and Scamp models in 1977.

Plymouth offered a generous palette for ‘71 with a total of 27 exterior colors. (Find a car in 2009 with that kind of selection!) The Scamp shown in the illustration above is dressed out in ‘Curious Yellow’. (Don’t you just love names like that?) Other colors included:

• Winchester Gray
• Slate Gray
• Glacial Blue
• True Blue
• Evening Blue
• In-Violet
• Mood Indigo
• Rallye Red
• Burnished Red
• Amber Sherwood
• Sherwood Green
• April Green
• Sassy-Grass Green
• Autumn Bronze
• Sandalwood Beige
• Bahama Yellow
• Coral Turquoise
• Tunisian Tan
• Tahitian Walnut
• Tor-Red
• Spinnaker White
• Sno-White
• Light Gold
• Gold Leaf
• Tawny Gold
• Formal Black

By my count that’s two grays; six shades of blue; three reds; two yellows; three golds; four greens; four browns; two whites and a black. Special ordering a Scamp might have meant an afternoon of decision-making when it came to the color choice! Here’s a FIN MAN PREDICTION for you. I believe that, at some time in the distant future, long after the FIN MAN has gone to that giant swap meet in the sky, painting technology will have advanced to the point where you will be able to order any of a million or more custom mixed colors for your new car. It seems likely to me that technology will eventually allow specialized paint mixing, much like an ink-jet can produce millions of colors from just four color ink cartridges. Purchasers could match their car to the color of their house, a favorite recliner or the russet tone of an autumn leaf.

Our feature car of the week has a black, vinyl roof covering... a very popular option of the day which cost buyers an extra seventy-five bucks. It is also fitted with full wire wheel covers. Other popular Valiant/Scamp options included air conditioning ($384.00); heavy duty front and rear brakes ($21.00); front disc brakes ($32.00); front and rear bumper guards ($25.00); racing style hood pin locks ($15.00); color-keyed, racing style outside rearview mirrors with driver side remote control ($26.00); power steering ($111.00); automatic transmission ([a three-speed manual with column-mounted shifter was standard] $183.00 with slant-six– $191.00 with V-8).

Webster defines ‘scamp’ as a "mischievous fellow" or "rascal", terms which might readily apply to this fit little car as it had the ability to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing when equipped with the 318 V-8 engine. Although it may not have been the fastest at the drag strip, when equipped with that V-8, this fun little package had the mass of a Maltese, the energy of a Jack Russel and the muscle of a pit bull all wrapped up in one neat yet affordable package. Mopar upped the ante for model year 1974 offering a 245 horsepower, 340 cubic inch V-8! Now we’re talkin’! The Scamp weighed in anywhere from two to four hundred pounds lighter (depending on model) than the Chevrolet Nova of the same period, rode the same 111" wheelbase but out powered the Nova by sixty ponies. At 245 bhp, the Scamp (for 1974) had the same horsepower rating as the Camaro Z-28 of the same year. Take that to your nearest red light! Ford’s nearest competitor that year was the Torino which was larger, riding a three inch longer wheelbase and weighed in at nearly 700 pounds more. The highest output V-8 offered in the Torino was as gas-guzzling, 460 cubic inch V-8 (that’s a whopping seven and a half liters for all you gen-Xers in the audience) which produced 25 horsepower LESS than the Plymouth Scamp.

One enticing thing about these up scaled compacts from the early seventies, is that they all could be fitted with nearly any V-8 engine a person wanted to drop into the engine bay, and that made for some pretty awesome modified street machines back ‘in the day’. Come 1976, however, the police had Plymouth on their side as the ‘Code A38’ police package was introduced. Available in Valiant sedans as well as Scamp coupes, this potent pursuit package, at top end options, included a 360 cubic inch V-8 with four-barrel carburetor and dual exhaust. The stated horsepower of 220 was misleading as a new federal standard for rating ‘net’ horsepower as opposed to ‘brake’ horsepower had gone into effect. When so equipped, the Valiant/Scamp patrol cars were capable of overtaking nearly any ‘performance car’ of the day. According to a Motor Trend police survey, the A38 Valiant had much better evasive capabilities, better overall visibility, and was generally easier to drive than the full-size squad cars. But, remember, that was the mid seventies and the gas crisis of ‘73 and insurance company’s growing disapproval of high powered automobiles was taking its toll on the performance market. There was a downside to the Valiant/Scamp police cars, however. Despite the glowing survey report by Motor Trend, the lightweight chassis of these cars didn’t hold up well under the punishing driving that police cars are generally subjected to on a daily basis. While the special handling package with front and rear anti-sway bars helped immensely in controlling the vehicle through demanding cornering situations, they didn’t do a thing for the lack of strength that plagued the structural components of the chassis. These cars were short lived under severe conditions and most found their way to an early grave in the local salvage yards.

If you’d like to adopt a Scamp for the summer 2009 cruise season, you can probably find one in Auto Trader’s Classic Cars & Parts magazine, Deals on Wheels or on line at any number of sites. But don’t expect to find a pristine example for anywhere near 1971 prices. A number one, show-quality, trophy getter will set you back somewhere just north of ten grand. Perusing a recent copy of Classic Cars & Parts, I turned up only one example... a second owner, 1973 model with a slant-six engine. According to the seller, it has "some body damage" but "runs great". You know what that means... buyer beware! He goes on to say that it was his "mom’s car" but she is "not driving it now"... which means it has probably been sitting for the past twenty years! With a description such as that, one can only expect to put a great deal of time and labor and $$$into restoration if a show-worthy vehicle is the intended outcome. That said, it was priced at $3,000.00 or best offer, which is close to the price of a number 4 car according to the Old Cars Price Guide definition which says, in part, "a deteriorated restoration or very poor amateur restoration, with all components needing to be restored". It sums it up by saying that even from 20 feet away, there is no doubt that this car needs a lot of help". So, if you’re the kind who has the ways and means to do the work and thinks a ground up restoration is ‘fun’ then check this car out at AutoTraderClassics.com.

My aunt Dorothy would have approved of the Scamp because of its conservative styling and the easy nature in which it manuevered through narrow lanes of the local shopping center parking lots. Large enough to be ‘reasonably comfortable’ for four adults on short hauls, the Scamp was nimble in daily driving chores. And, talk about fun... the Scamp was a loyal and obedient companion, ready to take on whatever its master had planned for the day. Chrysler called it "A zippy masterpiece of Chrysler engineering and styling".

‘Scamp’. It does have a nice ring to it. I think I’ll name my next dog Scamp!

1. What was the final year for the Plymouth Scamp?

This is somewhat of a trick question. The Plymouth Scamp automobile, as covered in this week’s story, ended with the 1976 model. The name Scamp, however, was picked up again in model year 1983 and used on a mini pickup truck built by Plymouth and based on the Horizon automobile platform. The same vehicle was marketed by Dodge under the name Rampage.

2. What product was banned from all radio and television advertising in the United States on January 2, 1971?

3. "(I never promised you a) Rose Garden" was a number one hit song in the U.S. in 1971, earning a Grammy for ‘Best Female Country Vocalist’. Who was the female vocalist who took this hit song to number one on the charts?

4. On December 4, 1971, the Montreaux Casino burned to the ground during a Frank Zappa concert. What Deep Purple song was inspired by the event?

5. Who was president of the United States in 1971?

6. Which of the following crops bring in the most revenue for Missouri farmers?

A. Corn

B. Wheat

C. Potatoes

D. Soybeans