Plymouth was on its muscle car game in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, offering stylish cars with eye-catching graphics and potent powerplants at prices that made it easy to rationalize opting for the bigger engine. If the factory offerings weren’t enough, there were plenty of performance parts at dealerships as well as Supercar Clinics to help owners get the most out of their Mopar muscle. As the ‘60s were coming to a close, however, there was one glaring omission from Plymouth’s performance lineup: a compact, affordable fastback. Plymouth’s Valiant line, introduced in 1967, offered clean lines and once again served as the structural basis for its sleek second-generation Barracuda. By 1969, however, the Valiant lineup needed some help. The Chevrolet Nova, introduced for 1968, was a showroom hit. Plymouth’s solution was to restyle the Valiant, keeping the front sheet metal and sculpting a curvier fastback roof and quarter panels, laying the windshield back, and giving the greenhouse more noticeable tumblehome in the process. Thus, the 1970 Valiant Duster was born.
The new Duster carried the Valiant badge for its first year on the market. It was “Big enough but small enough,” according to Plymouth, which marketed the Duster as “the super-sleek, extra-roomy, lots-more-of-everything sporty compact car. All for a super-compact price.” Despite being heralded as an economy car, Plymouth couldn’t stop being Plymouth, and a 340-cid V-8 option was ready from the start, in addition to the more common 318 V-8, which was also optional. Thanks to its lightweight platform and high-output V-8 options, Duster has earned a reputation as a great performance platform, and buyers are noticing. Our valuation experts found that the median #2 (“excellent”) value on Dusters is up 72 percent over the past five years. While prices have been rising since 2019, the majority of that growth took place this year. What gives?
Could the TV series Duster, which premiered on HBO Max on May 15, 2025 (you can check out our story on the cars in the series here), be responsible for some of the renewed popularity of the mini muscle car? The show is set in 1972 and features a cast of 250 or so cars from Ted Moser’s Picture Car Warehouse, including the eponymous red Duster equipped with traction bars that’s driven by series star Josh Holloway. From the first episode, the car is involved in all sorts of dirt-road shenanigans in the American Southwest setting of the show. It’s also depicted in the miniature car chase that serves as the intro to each episode, one of the least skippable intros on TV lately.
The series has gotten off to a good start, but we’re no longer living in a monoculture where every household in the nation would turn in to watch the same shows at the same time each week. The first few episodes have garnered more than a million streams apiece in the first weeks after their debut, so unless a lot of those viewers were inspired to pull the trigger on a Duster thanks to some subliminal messaging, we’re not going to give the show too much credit. I’ve watched a few episodes and want to buy a Duster, sure, but I also did before watching the show. The demographics of recent Duster insurance quotes skew just a bit younger than average, with millennials making up 24% of quotes despite making up 22% of the market. Quotes from Gen X are a perfect match for their representation in the market, however, suggesting that there aren’t a whole lot of buyers finding out about Dusters because of the show.
Poker Face, another recent TV series hit featuring classic Mopar muscle, seems to be getting even more views on Peacock, and we haven’t seen values of second-gen Plymouth fish pony cars skyrocket despite the fastback Barracuda getting plenty of screen time and several mentions in the show.
The most desirable and most valuable Dusters, like those equipped with the high-performance 340 V-8, have seen values increase around 25% this year, while the more common 318 V-8 models have increased by 30-42% over the same time, closing the gap a bit. As for where values sit after this recent spike, the most valuable Duster in the Hagerty Price Guide is the ’71 Duster 340 (340cid/275hp) with a condition #2 value of $62,200, followed closely by the ’70 Duster 340 with the same engine at $56,200. Generally, prices get lower as the model year gets later and the engine output goes down.
Even after the big value bump this year, many versions of the Duster, including some special editions, remain relatively affordable. The cheapest model, for example, is the ’76 “Feather Duster”, which featured multiple aluminum components for light weight but a 225cid/100hp Slant Six for efficiency. It’s worth just $17,400 in #2 condition. Other special versions include the “Twister” appearance package (318cid, $34K-$35,500), “Gold Duster” appearance package (318cid, $29K), and “Space Duster” with fold-down rear bench for extra room ($24,700). Dusters with a four-speed can also expect to command a 10% premium over automatics.
Despite the new Duster TV series, we chalk a lot of this increase in interest and value to buyers widening their search, as many traditional mid-size muscle cars remain out of reach. We saw the same thing happen in the SUV market as Broncos’ skyrocketing popularity brought other two-door 4x4s along for the ride. A 340 Six Pack AAR Cuda is a gorgeous performance machine, but the four-barrel version of that engine in a Duster is nearly half the cost. Is it only half as much fun? Not even close!
