Plymouth Road Runner

Plymouth Road Runner
Overview
Manufacturer	Plymouth (Chrysler)
Production	1968–1980
Assembly	Detroit, Michigan (Lynch Road Assembly) St. Louis, Missouri
Body and chassis
Class	Mid-size
Layout	FR layout
Related	Plymouth Satellite

First generation
1969 Plymouth Road Runner hardtop
Overview
Production	1968–1970
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door coupe 2-door hardtop 2-door convertible
Platform	B-body
Powertrain
Engine	383 cu in (6.3 L) 335 hp (250 kW) V8 426 cu in (7.0 L) Hemi V8 440 cu in (7.2 L) V8
Transmission	3-speed automatic 4-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	116.0 in (2,946 mm)
Length	202.7 in (5,149 mm)
Width	76.4 in (1,941 mm)
Height	54.7 in (1,389 mm) (loaded with 5-passengers)

Second generation
Overview
Production	1971–1974
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door coupe
Platform	B-body
Related	Plymouth Belvedere Plymouth Satellite Dodge Coronet Dodge Charger Plymouth GTX Plymouth Fury Chrysler Cordoba
Powertrain
Engine	318 cu in (5.2 L) V8 400 cu in (6.6 L) V8 340 cu in (5.6 L) V8 440 cu in (7.2 L) V8 426 cu in (7.0 L) Hemi V8 383 cu in (6.3 L) V8
Transmission	4-speed manual 3-speed Torqueflite automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	115 in (2,921 mm)
Length	203.2 in (5,161 mm)
Width	79.1 in (2,009 mm)
Height	52.9 in (1,344 mm)
Curb weight	3,640 lb (1,651 kg)

Third generation
Overview
Production	1975
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door coupe
Platform	B-body
Related	Plymouth Fury Dodge Coronet Dodge Charger Chrysler Cordoba
Powertrain
Engine	318 cu in (5.2 L) V8 360 cu in (5.9 L) V8 400 cu in (6.6 L) V8 440 cu in (7.2 L) V8
Transmission	3-speed manual 3-speed Torqueflite automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	115 in (2,921 mm)
Length	213.8 in (5,431 mm)
Width	77.4 in (1,966 mm)
Height	52.6 in (1,336 mm)
Curb weight	3,500 lb (1,588 kg)

The Plymouth Road Runner is a mid-size car with a focus on performance built by Plymouth in the United States between 1968 and 1980. By 1968, some of the original muscle cars were moving away from their roots as relatively cheap, fast cars as they gained features and increased in price. Plymouth developed the Road Runner to market a lower priced, basic trim model to its upscale GTX.

Plymouth paid $50,000 to Warner Bros.-Seven Arts to use the Road Runner name and likeness from their Wile E. Coyote and The Road Runner cartoons (as well as a "beep, beep" horn, which Plymouth paid $10,000 to develop). The Road Runner was based on the Chrysler B platform (the same as the Belvedere and Satellite), as a back-to-basics mid-size performance car.

The earliest of the 1968 models were available only as 2-door pillared coupes (with a B-pillar between the front and rear windows), but later in the model year a 2-door "hardtop" model (sans pillar) was offered. The Road Runner of 1968-1970 was based on the Belvedere, while the GTX was based on the Sport Satellite, a car with higher level trim and slight differences in the grilles and taillights.

The interior was spartan with a basic vinyl bench seat, lacking even carpets in early models, and few options were available - such as power steering and front disc brakes, AM radio, air conditioning (except with the 426 Hemi) and automatic transmission. A floor-mounted shifter (for the four-speed) featured only a rubber boot and no console so that a bench seat could be used.

The standard engine was an exclusive 383 cu in (6.3 L) "Roadrunner" V8 engine rated at 335 bhp (250 kW) and 425 lb·ft (576 N·m) of torque. Its extra 5 hp (4 kW) rating was the result of using the radical cam from the 440 Super Commando and a .25 raise in compression to 10.5:1 (vs. 10.25:1 with the 330 hp (246 kW) 383). When air conditioning was ordered, the cars received the 330 hp (246 kW) version, as the radical cam specs of the 335 bhp (250 kW) version did not create enough vacuum to accommodate air conditioning. A $714 option was the 426 CID Hemi rated at 425 bhp (317 kW) and 490 lb·ft (664 N·m) of torque.