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.
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.
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.
You may enjoy the Muscle Car Journal articles on the links below...
1995 Mazda Miata V-8 Conversion
1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302
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 )
 |
| 1970 Plymouth Road Runner |
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.
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 |
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.
You may enjoy the Muscle Car Journal articles on the links below...
1995 Mazda Miata V-8 Conversion
1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302
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.
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 )
