I drive a 1973 Plymouth Scamp Brougham. Which I thought was a little strange because everywhere I read they say that the brougham didnt start until 1974.

this is fawkin wit me head mahn, anyone help wit dis?

I dunno how things work up with this up there, but down here the automotive year starts in june, and is like this: any car produced after 6/1 is considered next year model, but you can buy it and get the paperworks done that very year, so in theory you can have a '73 scamp brougham.

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Juan Ignacio Caino

Please use e-mail button istead of PM'ing. I do log in sometimes but I'll be answering quicker thru e-mail.

I believe my scamp was made in the later half of 73', id have to double check the vin.....

I'm confused by what you are saying. The Scamp and Brougham were 2 different models. The Scamp was Plymouth's low-optioned version of the Swinger, while the Brougham was the plush hardtop and 4-door sedan, equal to Dart SE models.

I bet it's a Valiant Bro-ham with either Scamp fenders (and emblems) or trunk panel with Scamp emblem from another car. I'm betting it's a 4-door, right?

D/W

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If it ain't broke, fix it!

Up here, the model year regulations are dizzyingly complex. An automaker can release "next year's model" whenever he wants, but the emissions certifications remain valid only for 15 months, so the automaker must recertifiy as the subsequent-year model.

Several possibilities exist for how this "1973 Valiant Scamp Brougham" came to be. It's possible somebody swapped-on some parts from a '74-'76 (Can't remember where the "Brougham" nameplates were...front fenders, I think, and those do interchange '73-'76), or maybe some previous owner liked the luxo interior of the Brougham and swapped it in.

What's the 6th digit of your VIN? If it's a 3, the car's a 1973 model. If it's a 4, the car's a 1974.

I know how you feel about your Brougham. I drive a 76 Valiant Brougham Coupe...very hard to find production figures for it because they're basically leftover 75's. I thought Scamps were just Valiants with Dart noses and front fenders on them? I didn't know they were a stripped down Valiant.

...actually, just the opposite. Vailiant front sheetmetal on a Dart-style 2-door hardtop body. Valiant Taillights, too.

D/W

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If it ain't broke, fix it!

my car is a 1973 Plymouth Valiant Scamp Brougham, it is a 2 door, with original fenders and trunk, no customizations, the previous owner knew the first owner. And the 6th number in my VIN is a 3. I was beginning to think my car is some kind of rare model, which I think i should still believe that.

unless the brougham emblem holes are in the same spot as a scamp, but when one of the emblems came off, it looks as if it has been on there for 30 years and not touched, but then again, I dont know what it would look like if I removed the emblem in 83' after 10 years of being there (assuming that it really is a brougham and that the any scamp emblems wer'nt switched)

one more note, I went to this site:

http://www.mymopar.com/decoder.htm

I typed in my Vin and got this:
Price class: High (Meaning it is a brougham???????)
Model year: 3=1973
Assembly Plant: B= Dodge Main, Hamtramck, MI, USA
Sequence number: 228933 = 128932th Vehicle

No, just meaning it's not a low-trim-line car. Presumably your VIN starts with VH23B3...

Hmmmm. You got me then. I've seen other "they never came that way" cars. For example, I owned a '65 Belvedere II four-door with a pot-belly (polyspherical) 318 2V, it had factory, never-been-off, never-been-changed "Commando V8" emblems on the front fenders, typically found on big-block cars only. Also an original owner, original paint car.

D/W

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If it ain't broke, fix it!

And the new "Mopar Action" has a feature on a '71 Fury III that came from the factory with a '69 front valence, '70 hood, and '69 fender emblems mounted on the C-pillars, plus a bunch of police equipment (suspension, brakes, speedometer, etc.) that the general public wasn't supposed to be allowed to have in their cars. And there were plenty of "Plodge Volaspéns" that came down the line with a mishmash of nameplates and trim. And that's without even getting into the phenomenon of "If it would physically fit the car, if the factory had access to it, if you were willing to pay for it and if you had a salesman who knew how to order it, they'd build your car with it".