Was the Plymouth GTX the shit back in the day? Also 340vs383

A lot of older guys i run into tell me they had a late 60's gtx and then go on to praise it as the great gospel for style and performance of the era??? LOL All of the articles and books point to the 69-71 cuda/camaro/Chevelle/GS/Superbird/Daytona as the definitive cars of the era. Was it a feared car back in the day how popular was it?...i must of had 4 guys in the past year brag on these cars......

Classic mopar bonus question:

Why is/was the 340 so much more respected than the 383? I have heard so many stories of built 340's being amazing motors, but whenever i mention the 383, they just say they don't remember it having as much potential......i would like your thoughts on this also.

GTX was a "gentleman's muscle car" depending on the engine it would bitch slap other cars like any 440 6 pak or Hemi car
340s were strictly performance specific small blocks. They never offered detained versions unlike a 383 you could get a 2 bbl option

To be honest, it depends on which car the engine was in as whether one ran better than the other. Like Carpy stated, the 340 was an outgrowth of the 318 "LA" small block Mopar that was never offered as a "detuned" version like the 273/318/360. It was a 3.31 stroke X 4.04 bore high-winding engine that was built with premium parts (shotpeened forged steel crank, connecting rods, push rods, and pistons). It also had 2.02/1.60 valves. Challenger TA and Cuda AAR blocks had extra webbing to facilitate adding 4 bolt mains.

The 383, OTOH, had a 4.250 bore with a 3.375 stroke which made it a high winding assembly also but the block was much heavier, being that the bottom of the block was 3" below the crank center line ("Y" block design like all Mopar "B" and "RB" engines). While a "B" or "RB" (RB means "Raised Block" as these had a raised deck similar to the Chevy big block truck engines) engine was used in the same vehicles as the 340 those engines made it nose heavy (just like all the other "pony" cars). They even put a 440 into the 69 Cuda (1st time that name was used - all others were called Barracuda's) to homologate it for drag racing. Talk about a tight fit....

I've had a 67 383 Baracuda. Ran like a raped ape in a straight line. My friend had a 68 with a 318 in it. Not so fast but it sure handled and braked much better.

I had a 383 in my 66 Charger that I built up. From 3500 to 6500 rpm it ran really good. I put 3.91 gears in it and used a 3,000 stall so it could get out of the hole. It was still nose heavy because of the engine weight but I didn't care as that top end charge put a smile on my face. It also didn't hurt that a car that big (unibody design) weighed in at only a tad bit over 3500 lbs.

So, are you doing the 1/4 mile or going around a road course?

I'll reply on the GTX (my cousin had a 69 with a 440) later as I'm at work right now...