Define Scat Pack ....

From...http://www.allpar.com/cars/dodge/scat-pack.html



The Scat Pack and Rapid Transit System

With muscle car mania near its peak, Chrysler Corporation, presumably realizing that its powerful engines and racing success had not yet given it leadership in muscle sales, inaugurated the Scat Pack for Dodge, which was successful enough to be copied as the Rapid Transit System for Plymouth. The Scat Pack was a series of cars, the Charger R/T, Coronet R/T, Dart GTS, and Super Bee, each with bumblebee stripes (standard on the R/T) that were a delete option (they could be ordered without the stripes without any financial gain or less).

In 1970, the Scat Pack cars were listed as Dart Swinger 340, Coronet Super Bee, Challenger and Charger R/T, and Charger Daytona — a car that was not actually built.

When nearly 100,000 Chargers were sold, Plymouth realized that Dodge was onto something and did the same thing - gathering up a series of cars into a “club.” The Rapid Transit System was presumably based on the R/T (Road and Track) title, though perhaps it was simply a clever bit of wordplay.

In 1970, Dodge created a Scat Pack Club, complete with a newsletter. They also made the Direct Connection parts catalog available to members at no cost, and set up “Scat Packages” of Mopar parts. These included the Showboat (dressup kit), Read-Out (gauges), Kruncher (drag/strip), Bee-Liever (manifold, carb, cam, headers), and Top Eliminator (Six-Pack setup, electronic ignition - yes, in 1970 - electric fuel pump and cool can.) People joining the Club got the catalog, wallet card, jacket patch, bumper sticker, 40 page guide to auto racing, the monthly Dodge Performance News, and the quarterly Dodge Scat News. The total cost was a stunningly low $3 per year (which, translated into 2008 dollars, would be a still-inexpensive $17 or so.) Dodge no longer has this kind of a deal, though BMW enrolls its new owners in the BMW club, and sends them racing and product news.



Plymouth’s Rapid Transit Program was described by their marketing people using the following verbiage, which might have been believable had Plymouth not been involved in racing for so long before the RTS:

Those of us at Plymouth who design and build high-performance cars have been inspired to go beyond just offering cars with big engines, good suspensions, great brakes and fat tires.

We now have a system. An integrated program... It's a total concept in high-performance transportation which combines the lessons learned in competition, an information network, people who understand high-performance, trick parts and great products. The Rapid Transit System is years of racing experience at Daytona, Indianapolis, Riverside, Irwindale, Cecil County. It's the race cars themselves drag racing cars, Grand National stackers, rally and Championship cars. And it's the input (and output) gained from all this racing.

The Rapid Transit System is information — the straight scoop from us to you — on how to tune and modify your car, which equipment to use, and how to set the whole thing up for racing. (The subject matter covers everything from this high-performance car catalog, to Supercar Clinics, to Road Runner decals, to tips on full-race Hemis.) ... The System is high-performance parts -- special cams, manifolds, pistons, bearings, etc. -- which are now more readily available through parts centers strategically located across the country.

The System is even a piece of the action for beginners. Let's say you're still a few years away from a driver's license, but that hasn't dampened your enthusiasm for cars. Your favorite cartoon is Road Runner, your favorite car is Road Runner, and you only wish your driveway were a couple of miles long. Well, maybe you're not old enough to drive, but you sure can wear a Plymouth racing jacket. And you can also pick up or send for a handful of our decals, stickers, catalogs and brochures. ...

Above all, the Rapid Transit System is the product, Everything from a “sleeper” Duster with a 340 cubic inch V-8, to a giant 440 cubic inch Sport Fury GT, all the way up to a Hemi-'Cuda with a Quivering Exposed Cold Air Grabber.

And, in between, there are Road Runners and GTXs available with 6-barrel carburetion, and vacuum-controlled induction systems. And 'Cudas with light-weight, high-winding 340 V8s. Each one is a complete high-performance car. With suspension, brakes, driveline and tires to match. (The system doesn't allow for a car that won't corner or stop or stand up under the strain when you stand on it.)

In 1971, the Rapid Transit System included the Road Runner, 'Cuda, GTX, Duster 340, and Sport Fury GT. A 1971 brochure spoke tantalizingly of “technical advances like 16-plug Hemi heads for our professional drag cars,” and noted differences in the new cars. RTS brochures included substantial engine specifications, which we will be reproducing here at Allpar over the coming weeks in the relevant car pages.

This is the first page of an issue of the Scat Pack Club newsletter, courtesy of J.P. Joans; notable is the appearance of Rob Mancini. We’ll have more materials later, including a list of authorized Scat-Pack dealers.