Plymouth Road Runner
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Image:1969OrangeRoadRunner.jpg
The Plymouth Road Runner was the no-frills muscle car version of intermediate Belvedere, Sebring, and later Volare sedans 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. The success of the Road Runner would far outpace the upscale and lower volume GTX, with which it was often confused.
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[edit] 1968 to 1970
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) Roadrunner 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. The Road Runner added a convertible option for 1969, although fewer than 2000 droptop models were produced for the year. Only nine of these convertibles were built with the 426 Hemi.
While the 383 engine remained the standard powerplant, a 440 in³ engine with three two-barrel carburetors, known as the "440 Six Barrel", was added to the lineup at mid-year. The Six Barrel Road Runners had no wheel covers or hubcaps and a lift-off fiberglass hood. Its 440 engine produced 390 hp and 490 ft·lbf of torque @ 3200 rpm, very similar numbers to the hemi and at a lower engine speed. This meant 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 Plymouth, and corporate sibling Dodge, to the top of the dragstrip echelon.
The Road Runner was 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.
[edit] 1970 Superbird
Main article: Plymouth Superbird
With success of the aero-warrior NASCAR Dodge Daytona against fastback Ford Torinos and Mercury Cyclones, Plymouth would get its own version of this winged wonder. This model added a goalpost spoiler to catch wind well above the body, and a shark shaped nose cap. It would also lure Richard Petty back to Plymouth after defecting to Ford for a year. While spectacular on the track, consumers did not purchase Superbirds that were produced, one for each dealer, leading to some dealers converting them back to normal Road Runners. In the 2000s, these would fetch among the highest prices of any muscle car at auctions.
[edit] 1971 and later
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 previous models had been, 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 with a few changes to the trim. The grille trim was made to look much like a jet engine intake, and the tail lights were rounded and made taller to match the new aerodynamic look of the grille. Some had a heavy rubber strip accenting the tail lights with a matching strip below the grille. The big difference came in the engines, with the big-block 383 being replaced by a larger-bore 400 in³ version and 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. This motor was the basis for the "GTX" package, as the GTX was no longer available as a separate model, which was available on Road Runners 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 Packs 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, which could also be had with the 340(1973)and 360(1974) motors. The 440 was still available for 1973 and 1974, but only mated to the 727 TorqueFlite automatic.
The 1975 model was based on the newly restyled B-body which was now called the Fury (the former full-sized Fury being called "Gran Fury"), and in 1976 the Road Runner name was switched to the 2-door model of the replacement for the compact A-body 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.
[edit] In fiction
- During the first two seasons of the Dukes of Hazzard, Daisy Duke drove a yellow and black 1972 Road Runner, although sometimes a 1974 Dodge Charger was used as a stand-in.<ref>Daisy Duke's Jeep: tvacres.com</ref>
- In Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, the titular character drives a 1972 Road Runner colored similarly to Daisy's, with the addition of Birdman's crest on the hood. The car is seen during the show's intro and is sometimes seen breifly during scene transitions.<ref>Intro to Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law at youtube.com</ref>
- The Road Runner serves as the Lagoon Company's transport when they are in Thai soil in the Black Lagoon series.
[edit] See also
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Plymouth Road Runner
- Road Runner
- Decode This! Plymouth VIN Decoder
- Plymouth Road Runner @ Muscle Car Facts — A year-by-year account of Plymouth Road Runner history
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