Plymouth Road Runner

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1970 Plymouth Road Runner with Hemi engine and "Air Grabber" retractable hood scoop

Plymouth dealers gave away this promotional windbreaker in 1970. The "heart with an arrowhead at bottom" design was part of Plymouth's ad campaign that year. The Road Runner is holding a helmet with the same symbol on it.

The Plymouth Road Runner was a car built by the Plymouth division of the Chrysler Corporation in the United States between 1968 and 1980. In 1968, the original batch of muscle cars were in the opinion of many moving away from their roots as relatively cheap fast cars as they gained more and more options. Although Plymouth already had a performance car in the GTX, they decided to go back to the drawing board and reincarnate the original muscle car concept. Plymouth wanted to create a car that would run 14 second times in the quarter mile and would sell for less than US $3,000. They met both of their goals and the idea of the low-buck musclecar hit the street.

Paying $50,000 to Warner Brothers to use the name and cartoon likeness of their Road Runner cartoon character (as well as a "beep-beep" horn), and using the Chrysler B platform as a base (the same base as the Belvedere, Satellite and GTX), Plymouth set out to build a back-to-basics muscle car. Everything essential to performance and handling was beefed-up and improved; everything nonessential was left out. The interior was spartan, lacking even carpets, and few options were available. The standard engine was a 383 in³ (6.3 L) V8 rated at 335 bhp and 425 ft·lbf of torque. For an extra US $714, Plymouth would install a 426 in³ Hemi rated at 425 bhp and 490 ft·lbf of torque. Combined with low weight, the 6-passenger Road Runner could run the 1/4 mile in 13.4 s @ 105 mph. It would prove to be one of the best engines of the muscle car era and the Road Runner - one of the best platforms to utilize it. Plymouth expected to sell about 2,000 units in 1968; actual sales numbered around 45,000. (It should also be noted that Dodge debuted the Road Runner's cousin, the Super Bee, that same year.)

The 1969 model kept the same basic look and was slightly changed cosmetically. While the 383 engine remained the standard powerplant, a 440 in³ engine, known as the "440 Six Barrel", was added to the lineup at mid-year. The 440-optioned Road Runner had 390 hp, no wheel covers or hubcaps, three 2-barrel carburetors, and a lift-off fiberglass hood. This 440 engine had 490 ft·lbf @ 3200 rpm, very similar numbers to the hemi and at a lower engine speed, meaning the cheaper 440 was nearly as fast as the 426 Hemi, at least up to highway speeds. This option, along with the economical, yet fast 383 and the outrageously fast 426 helped propel Dodge and Plymouth to the top of the dragstrip echelon.

1969 also saw the Road Runner named Motor Trend magazine's Car of the Year for 1969. Sales almost doubled to 82,109.

1970 brought new front and rear end looks to the basic 1968 body, and it would prove to be another success. The 1970 Road Runner and GTX continued to be attractive and popular cars. The engine lineup was left unchanged.

1971

In 1971, the bodywork was completely changed to a more rounded "fuselage" design in keeping with then-current Chrysler styling trends, including a steeply raked windshield, hidden cowl, and deeply inset grille and headlights. That year saw the writing on the wall for the Road Runner, as it wasn't quite the performer the others were and it wouldn't be long until new emission regulations would drive power down and 1/4 mile times up. The 1972 model was nearly identical to the 1971. The big difference came in the engines, the 383 being replaced by a larger-bore 400 in³ version, with a small-block (the 340) now optional for the first time. Also, for the first time, a 440 in³ engine with a 4-barrel carburetor was available and was part of the "GTX" package(the GTX was no longer available as a separate model)from 1972 to 1974. Power ratings on all engines looked much lower on paper due to the new SAE net measurement system. The famed 426 Hemi was gone for 1972, and less than five 440 Six Barrels were produced. The 1973-74 models had more conventional squared-up styling with the front fenders slightly raised above and jutted forward of the hood. 1/4 mile times were getting close to the 16s and further away from "musclecar" status. The base engine for the 1973-74 models had dropped down to Chrysler's workaday 318 in³ V8; however, dual exhaust was still standard. After 1972 no 440 four speed cars were built; the 400 was the biggest engine Plymouth offered with the four speed. Other four speed-equipped engines included the 340(1973)and 360(1974). One could still get a 440 from 1973-74 but only was equipped with the 727 TorqueFlite automatic.

The 1975 model was based on the newly restyled B-body which was now called Fury(the former Fury being called "Gran Fury"), and in 1976 the Road Runner name was switched to the 2-door model of the replacement for the Valiant/Duster series. This car, based on the new F platform, would be known as the "Volaré". The new Road Runner was little more than a trim and graphics package; however, many suspension parts were borrowed from the police packages. A 360 in³ engine was eventually offered as an option, but only paired with the 3-speed automatic transmission. Rated at 190 hp, the F platform's best 1/4 mile times would be just inside 16 seconds at 88 mph. Although no comparison to the earlier stormers, the 360 powered models were respectable performers in their time. The Road Runner continued as part of the Volaré line until its discontinuation in 1980.

External links

• [Plymouth Road Runner]
• [Road Runner]
• [Plymouth Road Runner @ Muscle Car Facts] — A year-by-year account of Plymouth Road Runner history

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