Street Feature: A Fortified-Bunker Find, 1969 Satellite Convertible

The Plymouth Satellite was one of Chrysler’s best looking cars to come out of 1969. It was big, straight, and exemplified what it meant to be a muscle car. The dual headlights and wide face would intimidate by sight, and one of the legendary Mopar powerplants hiding under the hood would intimidate by sound.

It’s hard to beat the look of this car. The white top and white interior with the blue of the body make for one good-lookin’ color combo.

This particular Satellite is a rare unit because of its rarity. It is one of only a little more than 800 Sport Satellite convertibles made in 1969. We all know how convertibles tend to rust when left outside, so you can imagine that 800 number has dwindled significantly over the decades.

This car belongs to our old friend Dan Frazzini of Denver, Colorado. In case you don’t remember off the top of your head, we featured his ’68 Dodge Charger and ’70 ‘Cuda last year. He acquired this ’69 Satellite earlier this year and we think it’s another rockin’ car and definitely worth the spotlight as a Street Feature.

“I was really looking for a nice Mopar B Body convertible to cruise around in during the summer,” Dan explained. “I knew I could not afford a GTX and a nice Road Runner would be stretching my budget, but I continued to search nonetheless. One day I was cruising eBay when I saw this beautiful Plymouth Sport Satellite Convertible and noticed the phone number was in Southern Colorado. The auction still had a couple of days to go, but I thought I would give the owner a call.”

Wed love to see this thing follow us home for sure!

“He had owned the car for about 20 years and put less than 1000 miles on it, just keeping it as part of his collection,” Dan continued. Dan called and asked if he showed up with a trailer and some cash if he could buy it. The seller said yes. “I called a buddy and told him to load up the trailer, we’re going to get ourselves a Mopar convertible!”

The interior really sells this thing. Its clean as they come and that white is beautiful.

Dan was attracted to this car by its stock appearance. Every detail of the car matched the code printed on the fender tag. The fact that this car had survived so long and was still nearly completely original intrigued him.

The car still shows off its original B5 blue exterior with white interior and white power top with glass rear window. “Its rust free original sheet metal is laser straight with perfect gaps on the doors, hood, and trunk,” Dan said. “All of the trim, grill, bumpers, headlights and taillights, wheel well moldings, and glass are in exceptional condition.” It still has its original 2-barrel 318 cubic-inch engine and 904 automatic transmission. Dan describes it as the perfect top down cruiser.

It has dual exhaust, power steering, manual brakes, a factory AM/FM thumb-wheel radio, and stock dash.

Dan met the owner at a highly unusual place that speaks to the story of this car. “When I met the owner, he took me to an old WWII Army Munitions facility that heavily protected by armed guards and 24-hour surveillance,” Dan explained. “Going to this base was like stepping back in time to the 1940’s. The barracks, brick storage buildings, rail lines and all painted wooden signs are still there. Approximately 900 bunkers made out of 18″ thick concrete exist, with some open to public storage and others still contain munitions and mustard gas, thus the reason for all the armed security.”

There was zero dust on the car because the blast doors kept the storage unit completely sealed.

“We finally get to this guy’s bunker and open up the solid heavy blast doors. In the cold and dark of this bunker sits the outline of a B body convertible. The owner walks back and fires her up on the first try,” Dan continued. They pulled the car out into the sunlight and it was exactly as the owner described it. “After some quick negotiating I handed over the cash, he signed the title, and we loaded up for the drive back up I-25.”

“The bunkers were covered with dirt and native grass so you can not see them from the air,” Dan explained. You are greeted at the gate by armed guards that drive around the base and make sure you’re where you’re supposed to be.

“Since I bought it I’ve had to do very little to it, mostly just change gaskets, fluids, spark plugs, and reset the timing,” Dan said. “I took my kids to school in the car on their last day in May, and spent most of the summer enjoying the sunshine with top down.”

We love Dan’s convertible Satellite and we’d love to see more of what you folks are driving out there. If you love it, odds are good that we will too, so shoot us an email with a couple pictures and a little information on your ride, you might just see it here as one of our Street Features.

About the author

Kyler Lacey

A 2015 Graduate from Whitworth University, Kyler has always loved cars. He grew up with his dad's '67 Camaro in the garage and started turning wrenches at a young age. At seventeen, he bought his first classic, a '57 Chevy Bel Air four-door, and has since added a '66 Plymouth Valiant and '97 Cadillac Deville to his collection. When he isn't writing for Power Automedia, he's out shooting pictures at car shows, hiking in the forests of the beautiful Pacific Northwest, or working on something in the garage.
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