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1970 Plymouth Road Runner

Chrysler was very successful in NASCAR competition during the late 1960s with its Hemi-powered cars, but the competition was beginning to catch up with their new generation of big-bore engines, such as the Chevrolet Mark IV 427 and Ford's 427 SOHC and Boss 429. Seeking a new advantage, Chrysler began exploring aerodynamic improvements, first with the Charger 500 and then the winged Daytona.

1970 Plymouth Road Runner photo
Superbird Coupe
Chassis #: RM23U0A177565
View info and history
Auction entries : 2
1969 was the first year that Chrysler Products wore wings, first on the Dodge Charger Daytona and quickly followed with products by Plymouth. The winged Dodge won the first NASCAR race it competed in, at the inaugural Talladega 500, convincing Plymouth that the aerodynamic addition could vastly improve performance. Thus, for a brief period in late 1969, Plymouth built the code-A13 Superbird, representing one of the most complex and memorable packages to emerge from the muscle-car era.

Plymouth had actually begun work on the aerodynamic Superbird even before Talladega, beginning in July of 1969 as the Daytona's design was being finalized and prototypes were undergoing track testing. Early wind tunnel testing displayed that the Belvedere-based Road Runner's front fenders increased drag, and the roof design and rear window were also problematic. Since a new fastback design would be too cost-prohibitive and would require all-new rear sheet metal, new glass, and a new roof trailing edge profile, another solution was required.

To resolve the aerodynamic issues, Plymouth engineers sourced the front fenders from the Dodge Coronet and welded a sheet metal window surround 'plug' to smooth the transition from the roof to the rear deck. The welded seam was finished with a one-step Plastisol filler and the entire area was covered with Black vinyl. Using the data from the Daytona test sessions, the profile of the nose was raised and the air inlet system was redesigned to eliminate overheating. In the back was the towering wing mounted on tall vertical struts and designed to maximize downforce. It was positioned in less disturbed air, thus increasing the efficiency of the downdraft that it placed upon the car's rear axle. Many believed that its exact height was a highly-guarded Chrysler mathematical formula, but in fact, was designed to allow the trunk lid to open freely. The rear-facing fender scoops were used to hide cutouts that accommodated wheel clearance due to the taller, wider wheels and lowered the height of the vehicle for NASCAR competition.

1970 Plymouth Road Runner photo
Superbird Coupe
Chassis #: RM23U0A175667
View info and history
Auction entries : 1
With the new code-A13 Superbird, Chrysler hoped to lure Richard Petty back from Ford, and although it was not as slippery as the Daytona, it succeeded in this goal and achieved one of the most dominant seasons in NASCAR history.

Before it was allowed to compete, it had to satisfy homologation requirements which stated that one example would need to be built for every two manufacturer's dealers in the United States. For Plymouth, this meant they would need to build approximately 1,950 examples. Unlike the Daytonas, the Superbirds were not completed at Creative Industries due to time constraints that made it more efficient to construct the Superbirds, albeit devoid of the rear wing assemblies and nose section, at the Lynch Road assembly plant and complete the cars at the Clairpointe Pre-Production facility. Creative Industries supplied the wings and nose section to Clairpointe, where they were added to the cars delivered from Lynch Road. The additional work on the Superbirds included welding in the rear window plug, special hood latch tray, trunk floor brace brackets, and wing support plates under the quarter panels. When equipped with the Hemi engine option, a specially reinforced trunk pan was added. The time it took to add these modifications to the Superbird took about two days from Lynch Road Metal Shop to the transporter.

Three engine options were available with the special aero-design body pieces, with most receiving the 440 Super Commando engine. The standard package was the 440 Magnum and automatic, with power steering, disc brakes, and a Performance Axle Package. The 440 was available with four-barrel or triple (Six-Pack) carburetion. All engine options were offered with either a TorqueFlite automatic or A-833 four-speed. 135 examples were fitted with the 426 cubic-inch Hemi V8 with 425 horsepower (code E74). 58 examples were Hemi-equipped cars with the 4-speed which incorporated a Hurst Pistol Grip shifter (buyers could now select the D21-code Pistol Grip 4-speed), Superbird-standard power steering and power front disc brakes, heavy-duty suspension and A33 Track Pack Dana 60 rear end. Among the color options were Lemon Twist Yellow, Petty Blue, Tor-Red, and Vitamin C Orange, and exterior decals along the quarter panels and the outside edges of the spoiler vertical struts featuring a picture of the Road Runner cartoon character holding a racing helmet.

1970 Plymouth Road Runner photo
Superbird Coupe
View info and history
Perhaps due to the styling extremes of the code-A13 Superbird Package, many of the 1,950 examples built remained unsold into as late as 1972. Due to increasing emissions regulations, combined with insurance spike for high-performance cars and NASCAR's effective ban on the aero cars, 1970 was its only production year for the highly modified, short-lived, code-A13 Superbird package.

The Superbird won its first race at the 1970 Daytona 500 with Petty Enterprise driver Pete Hamilton at the wheel. Richard Petty did not win the 1970 Grand National championship but he did win 18 of Plymouth's 21 victories in NASCAR's 48-race season in 1970. Bobby Isaac in the K&K Insurance Racing #71 Daytona finished first, albeit with 11 wins (with a consistent 32 finishes in the top five position). Sox & Martin drag racing team campaigned a Hemi-powered Superbird in C / Modified Production competition as well, with Herb McCandless at the wheel.

The 'Winged Warrior' stock cars were so dominant during their 1970 campaign that NASCAR banned engines over 305 cubic inches in wing cars. Thus, the Superbird program came to an abrupt end following the 1970 season.

The 1970 Plymouth Road Runner
The Road Runner was part of the Intermediate line which included the Belvedere, Satellite, Sport Satellite, and Satellite GTX. Body styles included a sedan, coupe, station wagon, and convertible, with the Road Runner offered as a coupe, hardtop coupe, Superbird, and Convertible. The coupe was priced at nearly $2,900, the hardtop coupe at $3,034, the convertible at $3,290, and the Superbird at $4,300. The most popular Road Runner body style was the hardtop coupe with 24,944 examples built, followed by 15,716 of the coupe and 824 of the convertible.

1970 Plymouth Road Runner photo
Superbird Coupe
Chassis #: RM23UOA167140
View info and history
Auction entries : 1
The Road Runner came standard with heavy-duty suspension and brakes, a three-on-the-floor transmission, 'Beep-Beep' horn, cartoon emblems, a 150 mph speedometer, F70-14 wide tires, safety wheel rims, dual exhaust, performance hood, and front bumper guards. The interiors were done in all-vinyl trim with front and rear armrests, high-back bucket seats with built-in headrests, cigar lighter, and glovebox light.

The 383 cubic-inch V8 engine had overhead valves, a cast-iron block, five main bearings, hydraulic valve lifters, 9.5:1 compression ratio, four-barrel carburetion, and delivered 335 horsepower at 5,200 RPM. The 440 CID V8 had 9.7:1 compression, four-barrel carburetors, overhead valves, and offered 375 horsepower at 4,400 RPM.

Plymouth had produced over 84,400 examples of its Road Runner in 1969, falling to 43,404 for 1970 (albeit, fairly consistent with the 44,599 examples produced in 1968). Part of the decrease in interest for the 1970 Road Runners was due to the new surcharges added by insurance companies to vehicles that qualified as 'muscle cars.' This meant insurance premiums for high-performance automobiles increased significantly. Plymouth had also introduced the compact Duster 340 for 1970, equipped with a 340 cubic-inch, four-barrel V8 with 275 horsepower. The lightweight, compact A-body had similar (if not better) performance than a 383 Road Runner, qualified for the lower insurance rates, and was priced below the Road Runner.


by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2018

1970 Plymouth Road Runner Vehicle Profiles

Recent Vehicle Additions

Performance and Specification Comparison

Price Comparison

1970 Road Runner
$4,300-$28,120
1970 Plymouth Road Runner Price Range: $2,900 - $4,300

Compare: Lower | Higher | Similar

Other 1970 Plymouth Models
$2,170 - $2,550
$2,790 - $4,215

Road Runner

Specification Comparison by Year

Year
Production
Wheelbase
Engine
Prices
44,599
116.00 in.
8 cyl., 383.00 CID., 330.00hp
8 cyl., 426.00 CID., 425.00hp
$2,875 - $3,030
84,420
116.00 in.
8 cyl., 383.00 CID., 335.00hp
8 cyl., 440.00 CID., 375.00hp
8 cyl., 426.00 CID., 425.00hp
$2,946 - $3,310
43,404
116.00 in.
8 cyl., 383.00 CID., 335.00hp
8 cyl., 440.00 CID., 375.00hp
8 cyl., 440.00 CID., 390.00hp
8 cyl., 426.00 CID., 425.00hp
$2,900 - $4,300

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