1969 Plymouth Roadrunner

1969 Plymouth Road Runner Hardtop The muscle car era was in full swing in 1969 and Plymouth was all over it like white on rice. Thumbing through the 1969 sales brochure today we find an illustrated version of the dream garage. GTX, Road Runner, Barracuda, Sport Satellite. Loop in the B-bodies from Dodge and you have a list of some of the hottest collectible cars on the market today. The Road Runner was offered as the base trim alternative to the GTX making for an affordable entry into the muscle car world.   For consignment, a 1969 Plymouth Road Runner with a title verified 36,023 actual miles, a garage kept, family owned piece of muscle car history. As legend has it, Plymouth paid Warner Bros. $50,000 for the rights to use the Road Runner cartoon and the famous beep beep sound, which was used on the horn. Because the bird was always victorious, no other manufacturer dared to call their car Coyote until Ford code named their 5.0 liter power plants in 2011.  Exterior Keeping in mind this was the late 60's, avocado green and similar shades were all the rage and not only filled garages, but kitchens and bathrooms as well. Here, Frost Green Metallic is augmented by black highlights, starting with the wide, painted satin stripes on the hood that cross the gap and bleed onto the fender while also clinging to the twin bulges under faux vents wrapped in green. A black vinyl top sandwiches the green body with a black rocker panel stripe that continues onto the fenders creating a continuous black band. 14-inch Mopar Road wheels carry 215/75R14's and are the exact wheels depicted in the 1969 print ad for the Road Runner. Then, of course, there is the Road Runner cartoon decal next to the nameplate on the door, a well spent $50,000 in 1969 when a partnership deal like this today would be worth millions. The purple bird appears on the decklid as well and barely softens the muscular masculine tail of one of the baddest cars to come out of Detroit. Paint, metal, and vinyl top are in good overall condition. Imperfections noted include peeling of that lower black stripe and some invasive rust on the front edge of the hood.  Interior Several shades of green adorn the door panels with painted top and bottom bordering a light green vinyl insert with polished trim and simple hardware, and both doors are in great shape. Inside, dualling greens reappear on the split bench seat with ribbed inserts surrounded by darker green, all in fantastic condition and mirrored on the back bench. Our green plastic steering wheel shows some cracking, but we've seen worse, and it frames the horizontal speedometer, unabashedly reaching 120 mph and flanked by monitoring gauges and a clock. Aftermarket gauges have been added as well including a tachometer, and a triple pod under the dash while an AM/FM/Cassette radio replaces the original. We note a crack in the dash pad but the dash overall is in good condition. Green loop carpet covers the floor, showing some age in the appropriate spots and some looseness, but completely presentable and the headliner is in similar shape with a few holes. Gray flannel lines the trunk and shows usage, easily remedied if your goal is to win trophies!  Drivetrain Under the hood, a clean and correct driver quality 383ci rated at 330 horsepower and topped by an Edelbrock Torker intake and Holley 4-barrel carburetor. The A727 Torqueflite 3-speed automatic dates from 1970 and sends power to the 8¾ inch rear with 3.23 gears. Chrome valve covers hover over headers and braided hoses snake their way around the bay. Drum brakes are supplied on front and rear wheels.  Undercarriage Driver quality underneath as well where surface rust and just general patina is all around this original looking underside. The dual exhaust finds Flowmaster mufflers before exiting via square tips and suspension consists of torsion bars in front and leaf springs in the back. There's some oil on the rear differential, possibly from the pini