Simplicity Perfected - 1968-1970 Plymouth Road Runner
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- Опубліковано 12 гру 2021
- The Plymouth Road Runner is a very special muscle car and subjectively its best series was the 1968-1970 Road Runner which perfectly filled a particular muscle car market niche. Find out how the Plymouth Road Runner changed muscle car history and why it is truly simplicity perfected.
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![Brooklyn, New York 1940s in color [60fps,Remastered] w/sound design added](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/N_KRd74kLDA/mqdefault.jpg)
When I was in college, a first cousin allowed me to take his brand new 68 on a date. What fun I had. It was dark green.
Always wanted one
Back in the 1980's, I pulled in to a gas station in Riverside California to gas up my motorcycle. A car pulled in behind me It Was a Blue SUPERBIRD! The paint was shot,but the body was complete and dent free. I looked in in the interior I was pretty rough but complete. I remember is had a for sale sign on it.....$2,200! I knew about these cars, but a few yrs later, I wish I would have bought it.
My brother bought one while on leave nov 69..his 70 was burnt orange..3 weeks later he was in Vietnam ..it had the pistol grip 4 speed shifter..man that car was fast..70 chevelle's couldn't touch it..he made it home safe..USMC 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
@DFV Louderilk yeah..he did it still had the sticker on the window...all he saw was roadrunner tail lights...
And the Lee Iacocca came in...
I am the current care taker of a 68 Roadrunner (RM21 383 Four speed). My Old Man purchased it in 78 and held on to it for dear life and I am glad he did because there would be no way I could touch a Mopar from that era now. She is not pretty but does drive and I can attest to the AWESOMENESS of the Roadrunner. I love the down and dirty simplicity of the car. I would always talk about taking it to the Strip and my Dad always said "It doesn't belong on the strip because it is a Street fighter built for stop light to stop light action." Super fun to drive and gets looks, thumbs ups, and respect every where I go even though she lacks in the looks department.
“Which was, subjectively, the best looking charger series ever built.” I agree with that 110%.
The 1971-72 was the most aerodynamic body of any Chrysler belt cars. I had a 72 GTX 440 only 255 were built. VERY rare car.
I agree to a point, the '68-'70 are very nice Chargers. But the '71-'74 Charger is the best looking series ever, in my opinion. I would say the same about the AMC Javelin, the '71-'74 Javelin's are much cooler looking to me rather than the '68-'70 model years.
@@thunderray1987 Now i am older i like the 71 Charger more than i used to but no way is it better looking than my 70 Charger and you are in a minority that thinks so but who cares taste is personal and know one likes the same thing.
Objectively*
Not only that, I personally think the *1968* model was the very best looking of the three. I preferred the round taillights.
Today, you cannot touch these on the Barrett Jackson auction they bring crazy money. But they sure are cool❗
5:00 5th grade memories: "If you're on a highway and Road Runner goes "beep beep"....
About time you made a video on the true king of muscle cars.
I came back from Nam in Oct of 68 and went looking for a car.
I ended up with a 69 Road runner. It was slightly dressed up, vinyl roof, light package AM FM radio and light package. It also had sure grip, not sure if that was standard but without that it would have been impossible to launch. The axle was 3:23, and it had the awesome four speed trans.
After a few times hearing it pop through the carb when I mashed the throttle, I took it to a guy who tuned race cars. He took the distributor out and put it on a SUN machine. He changed the weights and springs, put it back in and timed it. He told me I was lucky guy, it had dual points. He ran it up and down the street and pulled a spark plug out. Didn't like what he saw. Took the carb apart and changed the jets. He told me, "Take it for a ride, if you don't like it, you don't owe me a penny". It felt like it had another 35-40 horsepower!
I went back paid what he was asking and I gave him a big tip.
That runner was wicked. If I mashed the throttle and speed shifted to second with foot on the gas pedal, slip foot off the clutch, there was a big BANG that sounded like I got hit from behind, it would squat down in the rear and rip off about ten feet of rubber with both tires. I had a blast drag racing cars I knew I could beat. In first gear I would only step on it hard enough to stay beside them. Then when it was time to hit second at about 45, I would do the power shift thing. It would squeal the tires and leap forward like it came out of a cannon and start walking away. It was demoralizing to the other guys. It wasn't long no one would race me. I had to go to another town, LOL
The guy who tuned it told me I was one lucky guy after I told him what the car could do. Every once in awhile one car will have an identical engine to thousands but it really cranks a lot stronger than the others.
I put Mickey Thompson sticky tires on it and wow, it would launch so strong it was hard to believe. Hold the tach at 3000, let the clutch up fast and mash the gas. A guy could get whiplash if he wasn't ready. It ran away from all the other road runners and even beat the GTX 440 cars to the 1/4 mile mark we had laid out on a country road south of town. A GTX would be gaining on me by then but couldn't beat me to the 1/4 mile mark. The 390 Mustangs and 396 chevelles all got put down by my screaming bird. I never raced a 396 camaro so I don't know how that would have gone. There was one guy with a Ford that had a 427 I think it was a Fairlane big body car. He never offered to race me, guess he was playing it cool.
That Road Runner would push the speedometer needle down below the 120 mark where I couldn't see the needle. The tach was still climbing so I don't know how fast it could actually go. I flew under an overpass on the interstate one night when I was being crazy. It whoosed by so fast it made me realize how fast I was going. It spooked me. Good thing I slowed down, a few miles ahead there was a state cop on the other side. Just to be safe, I took the next exit. I saw him cross over and come my way. I zipped around behind the gas station where the guy tuned the runner and hid for awhile. After that no more speeding on the interstate. LOL
After I put the Mickey Thompson tires on it wouldn't rip the tires in second, too sticky. So I added an old fashioned horn that made that AOOGAH sound. Just before I hit second I would push the Beep beep horn, then hit the AOOGAH and blast off. Oh grief I'm laughing myself silly here remembering how that pissed some of the other guys off. I had to stop typing for a moment.
The guy who tuned it for me ran a regular gas station and tuned cars that ran in stock class or on the circuits. One time it wouldn't start. I opened the hood and the distributor was GONE! Somebody figured out Road Runners came with dual points. I got a new one and took it back to Genes for the Sun machine treatment and then I put hood locks on it.
That car was a blast. I ended up trading it because the wife couldn't push the clutch in. It was stout for sure.
That's a sweet story friend , that was a good time period, I remember the guys in my old neighborhood working on their muscle cars during the week to get them ready for Friday & Saturday night .,.......
I always wanted a Roadrunner but ended up with a 70 Charger 500 it had same drive train as a Roadrunner but insurance was 1/2 the cost because they said the Charger was a family car! I never did figure that one out but I didn't complain.
Same thing with my 68 Dart. It had a 340, dual feed Holly 4 brl and race cam. But hey, it's just a lil ole Dart so insurance was low. 😎🇺🇸
Screw insurance bastards. They ruined, among other gems, Oldsmobile 442
I have always loved the roadrunners. Any Mopar from the '60s but the roadrunner has always held a special place in my heart.
Thankful for that notification! Keep the awesome content coming. Mopar did make the most beautiful muscle cars in my opinion
As a teen, I had a Dart GTX 340 w/ Holly dual feed and other race options. That was one beautiful beast. Had OEM tires that I burnt off in a week. 😎🇺🇸
Super bird is crazy looking mad cool
I bought my 1970 Roadrunner in Aug 1973. It was a lime light green hardtop, 383 CI with auto trans and bucket seats. Due to the high gas prices I traded it off in Jan 1975. To this day I regret that I let it go. It was without question the most fun vehicle I ever owned. A joy to drive. I will never forget how I felt each time I hit the road in my bird and just like the cartoon character it would fly.
Well done, I am the caretaker of a restored Vitamin C Orange/Black Int. 4 spd. '69 RR for over 25 yrs. Great video, keep them going.
A neighbor brought home a 69’ Road Runner, equipped with the 383 cu and manual in a nice medium blue. The car was stunning to look at, just loved the front and rear facias. The car is still today one of my favorite muscle cars ever produced. Meep Meep 😎
The carnof my dreams, in any year, color or equipment package. So beautiful it brings tears to my eyes.
A 69 RR,I believe,turned me into, a muscle head. At the age of 5,my Mom's best friend,Helga,pulled up in front of our house in a brand new bright orange 1969 Road Runner. It had the two wide black stripes on the hood and fatter,factory tires in the rear. She seemed proud when she said she loved the car and had just recieved a speeding ticket for doin 90. She was from Germany, wanted to take it to the Autobahn. I've owned a muscle car ever since I turned 17.
After he returned from Vietnam, my uncle bought a '69 Roadrunner with the 383 and a manual tranny. It was a beautiful Vitamin C orange. The car had a pretty spartan interior with bench seats. What I remember about it the most was the sound it made. My uncle put Cherry Bomb glasspacks on it and you could hear it coming a mile away. It had a ferocious snarl that has stuck with me all these years. Unfortunately, my uncle totaled the car but it made an impression on me while he had it.
Thank you for sharing your story, Robert. I could almost hear the engine roaring down the road with your vivid description. You paint an cool image in my mind.
Ohh the Memories... Big Thumbs Up. The sound of true American Mussel, nothing like it, except maybe the sound of a Harley off in the distance.
I actually have a 1969 Vitamin C Road Runner 383 4-Spd. One of my favorite things about the car is the sound.
Hey Robert.. my first car was a 1970 roadrunner 383 4 bar. 4 speed pistol grip , orange with the black hood strips and yes had to have the cherry bomb mufflers on it. I blew a many so called fast cars off the road with it , although I could not bury the needle on it, a few times it was bouncing between 145 and 150 mph. But like your uncle I too totaled it on a late rainy night on a corner with 50's on all 4 rims.. gosh wish I still had that car today, I loved it and so did the girls :-)
No one was seriously hurt in the totalling of those two cars either. That's because they were a very safe and sturdy design like most other old American cars with steel bumpers. I've been daily driving a 68 Satellite/Roadrunner clone for about 12-13 years now and I've killed three deer and a 2015 VW Passat with it. Two of the three deer did no damage at all and totalling the VW only bent my bumper a little bit. A new bumper from AMD was only 400 bucks!
I had a 1969 Dodge Coronet R/T with a 440 in it back when I was in my last year of high school in 1991. I sold it after restoring it in 1997 for $7,300. One of my biggest mistakes I've ever made was selling that car.
We hear that all the time, right. "I wish I'd never sold it." 🙂
So buy a new one.....$30K.......
just curious how good of shape it was in in 91? and price paid?
My Dad was a clay modeler for Plymouth back in that day and helped the engineers put their designs into clay models. He quit in about 1969 and went to GM to work in sales for Detroit Deisel, Allison division. He was extremely good sculptor and loved the creativity involved in working with clay modeling of autos back in the mussel era.
I always admired those guys who could model a complete car out of clay. Takes a special talent to do that.
Wow! That's way cool!!!
Cool.
My Dad was the GM of the Chrysler plant that mfg all the chemicals/adhesives for Mopar in Detriot back in the 60's. He once told me they spent the lions share of the money on engine/drive train over body compared to GM. Back in the day, the engineering staff would procure cars from other divisions and tear them apart.
I've never seen the word muscle spelled that way.
@@zephead4835 Isn't that a crustacean in the ocean?
Ahh yes the best bedtime story teller on youtube. We’ll all sleep good tonight fam.
A friend of mine bought a 68' Sport Satellite, green vinyl roof, white bucket interior (no console), 4spd with a 383HP engine. It had the Magnum rims to set it off. It was super clean considering it was in New Jersey. Body was straight with the usual small dings and the interior was immaculate. The car was for sale right before I got my license in 1975 for $800. My dad wouldn't help me get it, so my friend grabbed it. I actually ended up getting a 65' Pontiac 2+2 with a 421/4bbl and an automatic. His car was stolen and I wrecked mine. I am 63 now and the memories of those cars, along with a Burnt Orange (I always called it a root beer color) 69' Charger R/T with a 383 and a TorqueFlite that roamed our town, are some of the best I have of my youth. There are a few others, but I'd be here all day reminiscing.
Yep exactly right. MOPAR from the mid 60s on had some of the best body styles made, great big honkin motors too. They were kinda cheaply built, tended to rust out a lot and the paint faded quickly. If ya wanted to go fast and didn't have much money, and they looked good...they were the hot setup. The interior was pretty cheap stuff, but bench seats were a good thing especially if you had a hot girlfriend...and a 4 speed...and I'll say no more. They were good times.
The Belvederes were used as police and cabs...the Roadrunners were cheap hotrods...a blanksheet to option out or build your own setup. $2900 was a deal even back then.
I thought bench seats were better with a girlfriend..
In 1970 I bought a new, left over 69 Roadrunner for just under $3000. It was a steel wheel, dog dish hubcaps, bench seat 4 speed with a 440. It was certainly plain Jane but a great car.
I love a bench seat.
Thank you !! I’ve been waiting for this 😼
Thanks for doing this video.. my dad had a 68 RE with the 383...
68 RR..
My big brother had a '69 RR with the 383 Magnum and 4 spd. He and a buddy put headers on it one afternoon and I was riding my bike past the shop when they backed out for a test ride, uncanned (no mufflers). I asked if I could go along and got in the backseat. My brother pulled out on the highway (next to a little league game) dumped the clutch and away we went! It was the loudest effing ride I've ever had in an auto. The car was all beast. Almost fifty years ago but I remember it like yesterday.
I had a 69 Roadrunner from 74 to 79. It had the 383 with a Hurst 4spd. I added Cragar mags, Hooker headers, Thrush mufflers, bucket seats and had it painted Black. So much fun in that car.
That superbird logo is maybe one of the most cute and at the same time frightening ones ever. What on earth would make the road runner feel the need to use a recing helmet?
Amazing car!
So I am a lucky guy... I have one of 76 1970 Hemi GTX's made. 43 of them were 4 speed cars & 33 of them were automatics. Mine is an automatic... The car is pretty close to flawless. It is burnt orange with a black bucket interior with center console. The 426 Hemi is complete. From carbs to oil pan, including exhaust manifolds. The diff is a Dana 60. Until recently, it sat on rally wheels with Goodyear polyglas tires. To preserve the tires, I removed the wheels & tires and installed some new Cragars with BFG's...
I love this channel .
My favorite car channel with another great video!
My first car at age 18 was a 1970 Roadrunner 383 4psd. I drove it from 1973-76. I had to sell it when I was reassigned to the ROK. You never forget your first. 😉
People either never knew or forgot the basis for the original Road Runner that debuted in the fall of 1967. Chrysler put the 440 super commando top end on their 383 cube V8....put it in a 2 door post coupe and stripped out everything possible to keep the price under $3000 and the weight low. Flipper rear windows...no rear arm rests...rubber floor mat...no radio or heater only optional...no exterior trim or chrome other than the 2 bumpers. And these things sold like wild fire.
A 5th grade teacher bought a new ‘68 Roadrunner in Avocado green color with a black vinyl top. I believe it was a 383 automatic with a front bench seat. As kids, we really liked that “beep, beep” horn.
I remember seeing a Superbird parked on the street in '73 or '74. Those were the days.
My old man in ‘70-71 bought a new Plymouth Sport Suburban wagon, what a beast. Gold tone paint, fake wood sticker sides, roof rack and 2 way rear door (first year I think). But the kicker for me, even at 12-13 years old, was the twin fake hood scoops with “383 Magnum” in chrome. Had hidden headlights as well, wish I still had it, what a cruiser. 👍🇨🇦
I had the 69 Road runner in 71. Had a friend with a 71 RR in 72. We put them on I 65 Northbound. My speedo hit 120 m.p.h.s and his speedo showed 150 m.p.h. We were side by side for about 5 minutes he said at 150 m.p.h. on our way to Birmingham, Alabama. We were almost airborne, could hardly feel the road. GODSPEED !!!!!!!!
It was fun just driving around back then. I miss it.
Even with the 383 my '69 is still plenty fast and a lot of fun to drive. The RR has always been my favorite Mopar.
Fun? yes...FAST?? no...LOL
@@chadhaire1711 383's were made to be modified, which I've done extensively along with everything that makes the car move from bumper to bumper. So yah, it's fast... on the highway, on the street and even through the canyons.
@@brocksamson4250 Well if you did your work under the hood yes it can jump off the line, but if you are running through the canyons with that shabby stock steering box and death trap single cylinder brakes made worse with rear drums, you have more nerve than me.
Great car for the price.... True muscle car!!!!
When I was a little boy, my family had a 1969 Road Runner, a blue hardtop with blue bench seat interior. It ran with the standard RR383 and four-on-the floor. My father bought it new in January 1969...without consulting with my mother first! He invited her to our local Chrysler-Plymouth dealership to come and check it out and asked her, "So, what do you think?", and she replied, "There's a CARTOON on the door!". Then he fessed up about having already bought it and her reaction was, "I'm supposed to go the grocery store in THIS?!" If you think that was funny, we had a VW Beetle before this, so you can imagine how much of an adjustment THAT was for her! LOL! Well, thankfully it began to grow on her and she learned how to harness all that horsepower, and everybody thought we had the coolest car in the neighborhood. Of course, I, being a little boy, got a big kick out of that "Beep Beep" horn, and I remember how fast it was on takeoff whenever my dad merged onto the highway. I had to grab onto the back of the front seat pretty tightly! Yep, we sure had a lot of fun with that ol' bird! Great memories!
I can't even imagine what it would feel like getting behind the wheel of a Roadrunner with a 426 hemi and a four speed manual transmission. What an adrenaline rush what would be. I'd pay money to do that today. It is one of those cars that would be amazing to drive.
all noise...only 350 net horsepower and 13.6 1/4 mile.......the first Toyota Supra would blow you off the road.
@@chadhaire1711the first toyata supra was a 1978. With barely 100 horsepower a quarter mile in just under 20 seconds, you'd never blow a hemi off the road with that car
@@kylekoncyk7654 you no speakie English...by "first Supra" I meant the first one that rolls up to a stop light...and the first 2021 6 would blow it away. In fact even the 2021 4 banger would
@@chadhaire1711The roadrunner is over half a century older than anything from 2021 dude, duh! Of course brand new technology is faster and better lol. It took how many decades before auto makers made cars fast enough to beat it? You don't think a 13 second 1/4 mile in a 50 year old, mid size car over 4,000 lbs is impressive? I can only dream of affording and owning something that fast
@@kylekoncyk7654 You can afford something that fast...any V-6 Camry can do that....LOL....and it wasnt 13 seconds or anywhere near
Great video and cars! 😃
I love your channel! ❤
I remember seeing the Superbird in late 1970 and asking my dad what was it. As a nine year old car nut I was blown away.
I can only imagine how cool was to see Superbird on the street in the 70. ❤️
I grew up in a town of just over 5,000 people and there was one Superbird. It was something to see it out and about. Another guy had a white 455 SD Trans Am.
@@V8AmericanMuscleCar I remember at the time being awestruck when I saw one on the streets of Huntsville.
I asked my dad to but he didn't know either
It certainly was simplicity perfected
Mine was a 69' with a 383. My neighbor 3 doors up had a 70' RR back then in my old hood. A neighbor down the street had a 70 Monte Carlo SS, and a brand new 73 Chevelle SS 4 speed. This was 1973 with reduced power. Once a bunch of us went on a fishing trip for the day, we took two cars. I road with him in his 73' Chevelle, it must have been 5 or 6 people packed in. Once on the highway he stepped on it to pass someone and it slammed us in the back of the seat. Needless to say I was impressed even with the car loaded down and it being a 73' smog controlled model. I always had respect for Chevys too, in fact my current car is a 17' Camaro SuperSport 6 speed manual.
Owned a 70 roadrunner, 383,4speed.. What a FUN CAR SHE WAS..,.
Friend lived His 68 383 4 Spd.Road Runner. He was very animated every time reminiscing banging second gear.
Honest to goodness I was just watching the video Why the Pontiac Trans Am Was The Last Golden Era Muscle Car when I had to look up what Stellantis was. Kinda weird this video popped up.
I'm still alive, my first new car was a 69 383. what a perfect car it was for superb low-key styling and a bit of grunt. "How I wish I still had it today"
Always loved the '68 RR...there's just something about it.
Not only was it a great musclecar, it could also serve double-duty as a family car. The Road Runner was fairly large, and the back seat area was quite spacious compared to many of it's competitors. What a bargain.
Best channel that I'm subscribe to. Remember watching old Incredible Hulk reruns and Wonder Woman? It's that kind of magic. The only place you can get that in 2021-22
My Uncle had a '69 Roadrunner in B5 blue when I was a child. It was a very exciting car to me. Today, at 56yrs of age, I am blessed to have acquired a '69 Roadrunner convertible (blue and white). It has a 383, column shifter, and bench seat. It gets a lot of compliments. 👍
A friend of mine owned a 1970 Road Runner. Bare bones car. It had front disc brakes. No power steering or brakes. 383 magnum, 750 dbl pump holly, 4 speed Hurst pistol grip shifter, canary yellow, power air grabber. Beautiful car.
We had soo much fun in it. It would do 145 easy.
Makes me motivated to work on my 68 RR 383 column
I love this channel it's the best, like giving you all the correct history on all the classic best that were ever made.
Of the four sixties & early seventies Plymouths I owned, it was the 69 Satellite that I most adored. Fast, fantastic, & even a little funky.
Every time I think of the Roadrunner, I think of a boy that went to H.S. with me. His dad was a Dr. and he bought his son a 69 Roadrunner with the 383 c.i. and Hurst 4 speed shift. That boy thought his was the best and hottest car around and he took it to a town that had a small airport that they closed down on Sundays and held drag races on the runway. When it came to his turn to race, he pulled up but went a little over the starting line and had to back up a bit. Since it was a local thing in a small town, they did not have light. All they had was a man that held flags and when he brought them down, that started the race. The two cars were revving up their engines and he brought the flags down. However, Ben (in the Roadrunner) was still in reverse. He popped the clutch and ended up with massive damage to his car and totaled out the next car to race which was behind him. In some respects, it was not funny at all, but I had to laugh anyway because he was one of those guys that, if asked, most that knew him would say it couldn't have happened to a more deserving person. However, his dad replaced the Roadrunner with a Chevy Chevelle S.S. 454. That's the car Bed died in within a year of getting it and even he did not deserve that.
That 383 was no slouch. My father had a Newport with that engine, around this time. Don't know what got into me, but I decided to see what it could do on a long 2-lane straight stretch. When it hit 115, I glanced at out the side window, saw how fast things were moving, and basically freaked out. Glad I had the sense to just let it slow down, without braking. I went right home, shaken, and I've never drive that fast since.
In h.s. I drove two Dodge Polara wagons, a '66 (sporty mid-size) and a '68 (ugly beast, bright red!), with the 383 auto...stupid fast, thirsty, fun. Both were used cars my dad bought from the nuns at our Catholic church...honest to God!
Back in the '70's I had a '68 GTX, a '69 Road Runner, a '70 Road Runner, and a '71 Charger SE. If I could only go back in time and keep them all.......
I am not much of a Mopar guy, but yes, the B-Body chargers and Road runners are definitely head turners. I learn something new with every video. Thanks for making them!
I would love to see you do a video about the new muscle cars that were made at Mr. Norm's Grand Spalding Dodge in Chicago. In the 60's to I believe mid 80's..
he did 340-six pack Demon's.....gas guzzlers!
My dream car in the thumbnail.
Nissan must have been spying on MOPAR design studios in this era. Skylines, Laurels and 510s from this era look like mini-MOPARs.
I'd forgotten how gorgeous that second generation Charger was.
One of my best friends had a base 1968 Road Runner back in the mid to late ‘70s. It was a forest green, bench seat, 383 4 speed. What a great car and great memories of it!
I had 2 69's both Forrest green
I love the Plymouth and Dodge muscle cars. Wish I had 1. I can't believe for as cheap as Roadrunner's were made they carry prices from 60K to over 100K. Other Plymouth and Dodge muscle cars even way over 100K. None of them could ever come close to my 1970 Olds 442w30
@DFV Louderilk To me in every respect. Speed, handling, quality of design, equipment, build. Of course I paid a lot more money for those things.
Except in looks.
You can barely touch a 1968-1970 Road Runner unless you're lucky to be rich or held onto them back when they were reasonable price
Well done, one of the best muscle car videos. Thanks
Old car memories? My first Hot Rod was the 69 Roadrunner oh, it's not a memory, it's right here bought that car in 1971
The 70 road runner is one of the best looking and powerful engine cars. I ought to know. I own one.
440-6 is only 325 net horsepower, the 426 350 net hp--any 2021 Dodge with 5.7 is 375 net.....no contest...newer is quicker.
@@chadhaire1711 Chad, there is a internet video of a engine shop in eastern Canada that built a 426 hemi to original factory specs. It dynoed at an incredible 492 horsepower. Put that engine in a much classier old muscle car, and you can see why car collectors will pay big money. Newer is not better.
I was 12 yrs. old, reading Hot Rod etc. My older neighbor two doors up was twentyish, had a 60's bugeye sprite that he put a 327/4spd. into. I'd hang around and watch, one day it was time for a test drive, so I went. Cobra buckets fit perfect except for my head, when he shifted, my prepubescent skull banged off of the british coachwork of that overpowered tin can. I LOVED IT. Not really a Mopar story yet - one day his brother who was in the Canadian navy came home. He arrived in a new 1970 Superbee, Crazy Purple, white vinyl top, white buckets, 440 six pack, 4 Spd., air grabber. Whoop de doo, I thought, I've just been in the coolest car on earth. Older now - hopefully brighter.
What a Icon !! 💪👍
I loved this body style and it still looks good today. There was a limited run of these cars that was called The Rebel and it had light gray with maroon top with white interior ....just a beautiful car. My uncle had one and I remember drooling over it as a shirttail kid.
the Only Rebel Machine was AMC.
Maybe it wasn't a Mopar at all.
Or that wasn't the call sign for the car, just a nick name from the owner.
You've bee Mandela effected!
@@mysteriesoftherealm Nah, it could be something a dealer put on, but know it wasn't an AMC .It was a road runner.
@@captinbeyond
possible a dealer thing but, I been looking because I am curious to find this car.
the dealer would not have made just one.
there is a paper trail on every single dealer car ever.
I loved the roadrunner
I was 18 years old and bought a 1968 Plymouth Roadrunner 2 door coupe for $300 with a 383hp and 727 torqueflight trans it had a posi-trac rear end. Not sure the gear. It was a basket case. I slowly fixed it up and got it running. It was by far my favorite car I ever owned. Unfortunately I sold it.
What a awesome video of a legendary Muscle car. As a kid I'd see these beauties and just stare as they went by. Fifty years later I'm still staring with my jaw wide open the same way I did as a kid.
mine was the 1970 440 six pack with Cragar wheels and mickey Thompson tires 60's in the rear and 70's in the front ..blue and black vinyl top awesome i m looking for one right now
One of these has been my daily driver/main project going on 12-13 years now and I don't want to drive anything else! One 1969 commercial referred to the Roadrunner as a "supercar" and honestly this was an accurate claim at the time. With modern tires they handle better than most modern cars and a stock 68-70 Roadrunner will dogwalk any stock naturally aspirated modern Hemi vehicle through sheer power to weight ratio. I only have a junkyard 360 I pulled out of a van but I'm running 8.60s in the eighth mile dead even with my friends factory supercharged Camaro and I'm trying to shave a couple tenths off to get it down to 8.20 or 8 flat which is what a stock 650 HP supercharged 2018 Z06 usually runs.
The light weight, excellent traction, excellent torque/throttle response and effective gearing all make the Roadrunner a much more potent performer than it appears to be on paper.
"handle better than most modern cars".....LOL......not even close....so its been 40 years since you drove a "modern" car......
@@chadhaire1711 I see you missed out on any sort of historical racing education otherwise you would know Mopar had drastically more advanced suspension geometry than most other cars of the time. That's one of the reasons the Plymouth Roadrunner Superbird absolutely devastated the competition before it was banned from Nascar for winning too much. All I had to do was put some $35 a pair KYB shocks and some wide sticky tires on the car and it instantly handled better than my friends auto cross built convertible Fox body with a roll cage, frame connectors and coil overs. It makes sense when you realize my car weighed 3400 pounds before I stripped a bunch of dead weight out of it and the Mustang weighed over 3300 pounds stock before adding a couple hundred pounds of roll cage and frame connectors. I know for a fact it handles better than a modern Charger too because those weigh over 4200 pounds with no driver. That's almost a 1000 pound difference in the old cars favor. Mopar worked backwards BADLY with their full/mid size muscle cars considering 50+ years of "technological advancements" made them so heavy that the only way to make them go faster than the old ones was to supercharge them straight from the factory.
I had a 1973 Road Runner, when I was senior in HS. 440 auto. black with red stripes, just like the picture @ 8:24. It got about 8 MPG. but it was ungodly fast, if I floored it on the highway, I could watch the gas gauge go down.
Being old enough to have lived through those “ Glory” days I fully remember the short comings of those Cars. I don’t view them through the fog of nostalgia and wouldn’t trade my C6 Convertible .
The two things that put the cars of that era into the “ Special” category are the affordability of ownership and ease of repair/maintenance.
I didn’t have to hand over my first borne to buy my ‘68 427 GTE Cougar for instance.
A 2022 Challenger 5.7 V-8 would destroy this 440-6 on the street, and at $30K is affordable....and far more reliable.
Somebody: what's your dream car a lamborghini, ferrari, porsche?
Me: '70 Roadrunner
Them: what, why?
Me: 😎
Proud owner of a ‘69 Plymouth GTX resto - mod….what a beast !
Love the 1968 roadrunner
In my junior year in high school one of the kids had a '68 Road runner with the 383 4bbl and an automatic, and it was FAST
Not is wasn't--it just sounded fast....Most V-6 cars today would destroy it on the street.
Bought my 70 roadrunner in 1979 for 800 dollars. I had it for 42 years. Kept it up and upgraded as necessary . Drove it all the time and loved it. Age got to it and it needed a full restoration even tho it looked and drove amazing. I had promised it to my little boy when he was a toddler, he loved it. I lost him in 2017 and watched it sit and rot in my garage for 3 years, Tore me up. I put a for sale sign in the window knowing it would cost me 25k to restore it and couldn't afford it. It went quick ( with original 383 HP) for 22k. I miss it and him but I had to move on. I hope it's getting restored altho I know I'll never see it again. probably just as well.
My father owner a 69 roadrunner. I love looking at the pictures when he was a young man with that car. He had no clue. But he did.
I really enjoy the video I'm a Ford fan but I like all cars and trucks from all years I hope you keep this up
Another great video - thanks!
My fastest street car ride was in a roadrunner....long winded son of a gun.
Having a disorder of some type when I was younger, I couldn't decide what car I wanted. This caused me to buy and sell a car 3, 4, 5, and more in a year to a point where DMV started to follow me thinking I was a dealer. From the age of 18 til 22+ I owned just about every muscle car on the road, and even a few old customs, like 49 merc, 50 chevy club coop, 50 ford, 54 merc, ........
If I only knew. This channel takes me back for sure.
These cars were great for running moonshine down south.
The Roadrunner was what dreams were made of for wannabe gearheads back then. A perfect tie in between childhood and adolescence combining the most popular cartoon set from the Saturday morning cartoon, Bugs Bunny and Friends, with the adolescents male dream of the perfect car.
Had a 68 RR 383, put headers on it straight pipes with GTO resonators at the end of the exhaust, Installed 430 gears and a short Hurst shifter. Rebuilt carb, Installed a Mallory distributor and all associated parts. Installed 12" ripple Walls in the rear. Had it dynoed and was putting out 410 hp at the wheels. There wasn't a 440 around that could touch me and I beat most auto hemi's! Track times were in the low 12's.
My boyfriend found a 1969 Road Runner four years ago that had been abandoned in a body shop, complete with many light layers of overspray. It is Scorch Red with the 383, column shift 727, bench seat and is rust free.
"Road Runner Road Runner, Going faster miles an hour"
I live in England and I actually saw one of these in a vivid shade of green. It really was a treat to one over the Mustangs which are not hard to miss.
I thought that the Plymouth Duster was the more budget oriented muscle car from the Chrysler umbrella. 🤔 Correct me if I'm wrong. 🙂
I think Plymouth may have had a muscle version of the Duster. But I remember my uncle owning a Gold Duster when I was a kid. To my recollection it was either a 4 or 6 cyl economy car.