PLYMOUTH

Road Runner

The Plymouth Road Runner was a stroke of marketing genius launched for the 1968 model year. As rival muscle cars like the Pontiac GTO grew more luxurious and expensive, Plymouth went the other way, taking the basic mid-size Belvedere and stripping it back to create a cheap, brutally fast performance bargain. To give the car personality, Plymouth paid Warner Bros. 50,000 dollars to license the name and likeness of the Road Runner cartoon character, and another 10,000 dollars to develop a horn that mimicked the cartoon's famous beep beep. Built on the Chrysler B-body platform, the standard Plymouth Road Runner came with an exclusive 383 cubic inch V8 rated at 335 horsepower, while the legendary 426 Hemi was offered as a fearsome and rare option. The formula was a runaway hit: Plymouth expected around 20,000 sales in 1968 but built roughly 45,000, and 1969 marked the peak with about 84,000 cars and a Motor Trend Car of the Year award. For 1969 a wild A12 package added a 440 Six-Barrel V8, and the restyled 1970 Plymouth Road Runner brought the optional Air Grabber hood. The model even spawned the aerodynamic, winged Superbird homologation special. As insurance costs and emissions rules tightened, the Plymouth Road Runner softened through the 1970s, but the early 1968-1970 cars remain among the most beloved and collectible muscle cars ever made.