1968-1970 Plymouth Road Runner 426 Hemi

Plymouth set out to build a back to basics Muscle Car. Plymouth came up with the name Roadrunner after the Warner Brothers cartoon character, it cost them $50,000 to use the name. The Chrysler B platform was used as the base (just like the Belvedere, Satellite, and GTX). Everything was beefed up in regards to performance and handling; all other nonessentials were left out. The interior was basic in early models and very few options were available. There was no console for the floor mounted shifter so that a bench seat could be used. The early models only available as 2-door coupes. Making this a very basic Muscle Car.

A standard 383cid Roadrunner V8 with 335hp and 425 ft-lbs of torque. Plymouth installed a 426cid Hemi with 425hp and 490 ft-lbs torque for an additional cost of $714. Along with the low weight of the 6-passenger Road Runner Muscle car it could turn 13.4 seconds at 105 mph in the ¼ mile. It proved to be one best engines of the Muscle Car era and the Road Runner the best to use it. Plymouth only expecting to sell about 2,000 cars in 1968 was surprised at the staggering 45,000 models of Road Runner’s that were sold. This appears to be one of Plymouth’s better Muscle Cars (noted; the cousin to the Road Runner, the Super Bee came out at about the same time).