1969 Plymouth Road Runner

As the 1960s were coming to a close, the performance figures continued to rise and one of the serious players on cruise night was the Hemi-powered Road Runner. Chrysler may have been one of the last automakers to enter the intermediate-bodied muscle car market when they introduced the 1967 Belvedere GTX but was among the select few to offer a low-price performance car with the mid-year B-body 1968 Plymouth Road Runner. It was stripped of all the amenities and frills of its brother, the top-of-the-line and well-equipped GTX. The concept was simple, an affordable and powerful vehicle capable of running the quarter-mile at 100-mph.

The Road Runner was awarded the Car of the Year and gained popularity and publicity thanks to a deal with Warner Brothers that included cartoon character's name and image decals, and a horn that went 'beep-beep!' The Road Runner was a lightweight car fitted with powerful engines and reasonably priced. They did not come standard with many convenience options but had a long list of optional performance features. Body styles included a coupe, hardtop coupe, and convertible with prices that ranged from $2,945 to $3,300. 33,743 examples of the coupe were built, 48,549 of the hardtop coupe, and 2,128 of the convertible. The front and rear wore updated styling and standard equipment included a four-speed with Hurst shifter, heavy-duty suspension and shocks, brakes, chrome engine parts, Deluxe steering wheel, fake walnut shift knob, and unsilenced air cleaner.

The overhead-valve V8 displaced 383 cubic inches and came with a Carter four-barrel carburetor helping to develop 335 horsepower at 5200 RPM. Packages included the Track Pack (a $143 option) and the Super Track Package ($256) which had a four-speed and either a 440 CID (Superbird) or 426 CID V8 ('Street Hemi' - an $813.45 option). 440 CID choices included a four-barrel version rated at 375 hp and a triple two-barrel 440-CID V-8 known as the '440 + 6'. Additional options included Grabber hood scoop, performance hood paint, performance gauges, power brakes, and a solid-state AM radio.

For 1969, the Road Runner decals were now in color. Standard was a 383-CID, 335-hp V-8, heavy-duty suspension, GTX-like subtle hood bulges, and a spartan interior.

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2019