1970 Plymouth Road Runner 4 Barrel 440 / Photos, Specs

The Plymouth Road Runner was produced from 1968 – 1980. The Road Runner, which was a B-Body Mopar, was based on the same platform as the Belvedere, Satellite, and GTX. Mopar Muscle cars are icons that changed the automotive industry.

1970 Plymouth Road Runner

Plymouth Road Runner Model History

Although Plymouth already had a performance car in the GTX which competed against the Pontiac GTO, Chrysler Corporation designers decided to go back to the drawing board and reincarnate the original muscle car concept. The concept for the Road Runner was born.

The Road Runner was based on the cartoon, and came complete with a horn that went beep beep! and an ad campaign featuring Wiley Coyote. It cost Plymouth $50,000 for the rights from Warner Brothers to use the Road Runner name. Depending on the model and year, the steering wheel had a little Road Runner, and the air cleaner had a cartoon with the logo "Coyote Duster." The Superbird put a huge, helmeted Roadrunner onto its massive rear spoiler.

During the first model year for the Road Runner about 44,600 models were produced. The story is that more could have been built in 1968 but parts were in short supply due to overly conservative sales projections. Chrysler executives surprisingly predicted sales of only a few thousand.

For the following year the model line was increased adding a convertible model and a several additional options. Motor Trend magazine named the Road Runner its 1969 "Car of the Year". The Plymouth Road Runner returned for one more go-around in its original body shell in 1970, although sales fell to 41,484, a victim of skyrocketing insurance premiums for performance cars.

The 1970 Road Runners gained a new grille.  The same year, the Road Runner added the Air Grabber hood, which was remote controlled from the passenger compartment. Press a button, and you have a scoop. Press it again, and you have a normal hood.

Plymouth Road Runner Performance

The success of the Road Runner, unexpected by Chrysler, would far outpace the upscale and lower volume GTX. The Road Runner was targeted to a young performance minded buyer. Top speed on these cars, equipped with either a 440 or 426 Hemi engine, was reputed to be over 150 mph as they arrived at the dealer, and over 180 mph with relatively minor modifications; Chrysler itself set a record of over 200 mph.

440 cubic inch 4 barrel engine

1970 Plymouth Road Runner Specifications 

Three engines were available for the 1968 through 1970 model years. These were the 383  (standard), 426 and 440 cubic inch V-8. Horsepower ranged from 335 to 390.  The race version of these cars were powered with a 426 cubic inch hemi. 

Our featured 1970 Road Runner is equipped with a 440 cubic inch V-8 with a four barrel carburetor and a four speed manual gearbox. 

The race version of these cars were powered with a 426 hemi.

Standard transmission was a three speed automatic. 

Front brakes were disc and rear drum.

Front suspension were double wishbones with telescopic shocks. Rear suspension live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs and telescopic shocks.

Dimensions included a wheelbase of 116.0 inches, overall length of 202.7 inches, height of 53.0 inches, and an average weight of about 3,700 lbs.

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1970 Plymouth Road Runner Valuations 

The Plymouth Road Runner is a popular collector car particularly among performance enthusiasts. The Road Runner continued as a Plymouth model and eventually ended up as an option package for the 1978 Volare.

As of this writing the 1970 Plymouth Road Runner is showing a valuation range of about $30,000 to $45,000 for fully restored models with high originality. Convertibles will be priced about $10,000 to $12,000 more.

The highest valued is the 1970 Superbird. This was a highly modified version of the 1970 Road Runner. These models were equipped with a 426 cubic inch Hemi delivering 425 HP. Zero-60 MPH was rated at 5.5 seconds. Current top values from several sources on the Superbird model range from about $90,000 to $130,000 +.

Good books regarding the Plymouth Road Runner models include...1968 Plymouth Road Runner : A History in Photos by Richard Truesdell. Also, Charger, Road Runner and Super Bee by Paul A. Herd and Mike Mueller.

(Article and photos copyright 2016 Muscle Car Journal )

Big Oly / The Iconic Off-Road Racer

The car featured in this article is named "Big Oly". Big Oly gained it's fame for it's performance during the 1970 Baja 1000 along with it's influence on this annual race as well as the Ford Bronco line of SUVs. The Ford Bronco was an SUV produced from 1966 through 1996 and won many off-road accolades. 

Big Oly of course while resembling the Bronco had plenty of differences as described later in this article. Big Oly became an icon for off-road racing and gave the Ford Bronco line plenty of good advertising.  

Big Oly

 The Baja 1000

What would become a famous racing and endurance run down Mexico's Baja Peninsula began with American Honda. In 1962, Honda developed it's CL72 Scrambler motorcycle and needed a way to prove it's durability.  American Honda approached Hollywood stuntman Bud Ekins for ideas. Ekins’s mentioned a  run down Mexico’s rugged Baja Peninsula, all the way from Tijuana to La Paz.

This run would consist of 950 miles of some very rugged terrain. Everything from pavement, gravel, dry lake beds, rocks, sand and mountains offered every conceivable challenge to test the durability of a motorcycle. This is how a publicity stunt from Honda became the catalyst of perhaps the best-known race in all of off-roading: the Baja 1000. The race generally is held the third week of November.



Today, the Baja 1000 is part of the SCORE Championship Desert Racing Series. Also included in this series is the Baja 500, the San Felipe 250 and the San Felipe Challenge of Champions.


Big Oly in the Baja 1000 

The car called "Big Oly" was designed by Parnelli Jones and Bob Stroppe. Jones jumped into off-road racing after being urged by Bob Stroppe. At the time Jones had made a great name for himself as an Indy car racer. The car's name, Big Oly, was derived from it's sponsor's name, Olympia Beer".

Big Oly first hit the off-road arena during the 1970 Baja 1000. The car went on to win the race both in 1971 and 1972. This specialty built vehicle, based loosley on the Ford Bronco, was tube framed and was driven in that Baja competition by Parnelli Jones. The actual vehicle that ran in the Baja 1000 in 1971 was, by Jones' recommendation, scrapped and fitted with a custom tube frame which as both lighter and stronger. Even so, the vehicle did retain it's Ford Bronco look.

The car is really amazing when you consider that CAD was not used in the frame construction. Nevertheless, the frame construction for that time was considered high tech. 

The Big Oly races for four years and the original is said to be owned by Parnelli Jones. As it turned out Ford Motor Company received a good deal of publicity for their Bronco line. Customizer Bob Stroppe is said to have built 650 of the Baja Ford Broncos with the company had a limited production run between 1971 and 1974. These limited production Broncos sold for about $5,600 compared to the standard V-8's $3,600.

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Excellent reading material regarding the Baja 1000 include...1000 Miles to Glory : The History of the Baja 1000 by author Marty Fiolka. 

Big Oly Specifications

Big Oly was built with a 351 cubic inch Ford V-8 with a four-barrel carburetor. Horsepower was rated at 723. Transmission was a C-6 Ford automatic and the vehicle has four wheel disc brakes.

The front clip hood and doors are fiberglass and the car was rear wheel drive. Surrounding the cabin is a roll cage.

Big Oly featured in this article was on display at the time in the San Diego Automobile Museum in the city's Balboa Park.. If your travels take you to the San Diego, CA area you  may want to consider a stop at this museum to explore it's very rare collection.

(Article and photos copyright Muscle Car Journal) 

See This 1973 Dino GTS Built by Ferrari

Enzo Ferrari was a race car driver and in 1920 was driving a Isotta Fraschini 100/110 IM Corsa and an Alfa Romeo. Enzo performed quite well on the racing circuit. His final race would take place in 1931 at the Circuito Tre Province. After that his career was that of the head of the Scuderia-Ferrari Team. which was formed back in 1929.

1973 Ferrari Dino GTS

The Ferrari Dino was a milestone automobile. The big news was that Ferrari was building a car with less than 12 cylinders.

 The engine was placed mid-body. Ferrari produced the Dino model between 1968 and 1976. Beginning in 1977 the model used the Ferrari name and logo only. Thus, the Dino badge was used for four years and the Ferrari the remainder. Until 1977, the Ferrari logo of the prancing horse was not used on these sports cars..

Ferrari's First Race Car

Ferrari built a twelve cylinder racer in 1947 that used his name. A Formula 1 car would be built the next year. This was the recognized start of the Ferrari company. Automakers began in business from a variety of backgrounds. Some from designers, some from engineers, some from promoters and of course some from racers. The Ferrari company began literally from a racing team headed by Enzo Ferrari.

The automobile featured in this article is a 1973 Ferrari Dino GTS.

The Dino's Performance Record

Ferrari's Dino had an impressive record during competition. It earned top five finished at Targo Florio and Nurburgringt . A sixth place finished was earned at Spa. In another event, a 1,000 km race at Nurburgringt, the Dino came in 1st in class.

The Ferrari Dino Engines

The Ferrari Dino had a series of six and eight cylinder engines from the 1960's.

Models

The Ferrari Dino hit the market as a lower priced sports car. The company wanted a separate model designation so as not to be confused with it's higher priced and better performing twelve cylinder Ferrari cars. Aside from the performance differences with the higher priced Ferrari, the Dino was one of the most affordable and stylish of the Ferrari line. They are very high priced collector cars. The Dino's did perform quite well on the road and track.

Ferrari is not a mass produced vehicle. The Ferrari Dino 246 however was the first Ferrari model produced in high numbers and having a mid body engine placement was not considered the best for a production automobile. To aid in higher production which was needed to comply with Formula 2 racing rules, the body was built by Fiat.

The Dino's had removable roof panels that would be somewhat similar to the Porsche 911. 

Dino models produced were the 206 GT, 246 GT and GTS, and the Dino 308 GT4.

The 206 GT had wheel disc brakes and independent suspension. The car was designed by Pininfarina's Leonardo Fioravanti.

The 246 GT and GTS had more power than the 206 and it had a longer wheelbase. The engine was a 2.4 liter V-6. The car had a rated top speed of 148 MPH and was approaching Porsche's numbers.The car was equipped with a 5 speed manual gearbox.

The Ferrari Dino 308 GT4, built between 1973 and 1980. The car was designed by Bertoni and had a wheelbase of 100.4 inches. The design was not similar to the older 206 and 246. This model represented Ferrari's first V-8 production car.

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Reference material and an excellent book regarding the Dino include...Ferrari Dino: The Complete Story by author Anthony Curtisn Henry.

1973 Dino GTS Specifications

The Dino featured in this article has a 147 cubic inch V-6 engine delivering 195 HP.

Gearbox is a 5 speed manual. Vehicle weight is 2,394 lbs. 

Suspension is independent and brakes are four wheel disc.

Ferrari Dino Values as of Today

As of this writing, a 1969 Dino 246 has an asking price of $467,000. We also see a 1972 246 Dino with an asking price of $179,000. Also, a 1974 Ferrari 246 GTS Dino with a price tag of $160,000. 

(Article and photos copyright Muscle Car Journal)

A 1970 Muscle Car / Pontiac GTO

The Pontiac GTO is a special automobile.It is recognized by most as being America's first muscle car in 1964. This was a time when muscle cars were full size vehicles. In fact, GM at the time had a rule in place that barred any intermediate car from having an engine larger than 330 cubic inches.

One way around this difficulty as far as GM engineers and sales were concerned was make their 389 engine an option on the midsize Tempest. They called that option package GTO.

Our understanding is that the letters GTO reportedly stand for  “Gran Turismo Omologato“. This means that with the GTO designation the car is eligible to be entered in races like the LeMans and stock car races.

The GTO distinction is important because it refers to the automobile's eligibility to run in such events. This translation leaves little doubt that the Pontiac GTO was meant to be a racing machine. At the same time of course the stock GTO needed to be a street car as well.

While the Pontiac GTO was considered a muscle car with a lot of muscle, the automobile was also considered one of the best looking mid-size cars of the late 60's and early 70's.

The 1970 Pontiac GTO was among the third generation of this model. 

The 1970 GTO was restyled in many aspects. The 1970 model received a new front end with four exposed headlights wrapped in an Endura rubber bumper. Also put in were new body creases and a redesigned rear end.

Why GTO?

Why did Pontiac decide to use the already used GTO designation? It seems that the use of the GTO lettering was the idea of a GM advertising agency executive along with John DeLorean, one time Pontiac chief engineer and later an automaker himself with his DeLorean sports car. It has been said that DeLorean came up with the GTO designation straight from the popular Ferrari 250 GTO which didn’t sit too well at the time with GT Class enthusiasts.

70 GTO dashboard

1970 GTO Stock Engines 

The Pontiac GTO was of course meant to have plenty of power and it did. 

The 1970 Pontiac GTO came equipped with a choice of two excellent engines. There was the 400 cubic inch V-8 that put out 365 horsepower. There was also the powerful 455 cubic inch V-8. The 455 delivered 350 horsepower. Soon after the 455 came out horsepower began to decline because of emission regulations. With this being said, all GTO's prior to 1971 hold the greatest appeal.

Pontiac came out in 1969 with a GTO model called "The Judge". It was named "The Judge" as in “Here Come Da Judge,” was essentially a sort of spoof. Pontiac Motor Division wanted to attract the youth who predominately sought high performance vehicles. During that time the TV show "Laugh In" was pretty popular and attracted a lot of young viewers. The feeling from Pontiac was that the name The Judge would be considered "cool" by the younger buyers. The optional engine on The Judge was the Ram Air IV featuring a ram air system

Lots of power and smooth styling

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Up, Up and Away

The Pontiac GTO hit a sales peak of 96,946 in 1966. By 1970  that figure declined to 40,149. Dropping significantly further, and obviously due to the new emission controls, 1971 sales were just 10,532 vehicles. As an indication that the GTO was probably on it's way out, sales for the 1972 model year were a small 5,807 vehicles. Eventually, the GTO, which held the title of America's first muscle car, was no longer a standalone series but an option package on the Le Mans.

The Pontiac GTO's of the muscle car era are prized collector cars. The automobiles were produced with powerful engines and good styling. Today's restored models command some pretty high prices and they look great on the street.

(Article and photos copyright Muscle Car Journal)