NM Drivetrain/Always Rust Free/1 of 7,138 Built/Well Cared For/Salt Flat Wheels

This is the first time one of the 7,138 Fury based Plymouth Road Runners have graced our Hallowed Halls and what a treat it is to have it here. While all the things we know and love about muscle cars are essentially gone from this neutered performer the basics are still there. Eye-catching paint, out of this world graphics, long nose and a short deck, and the all important V8. Wearing its consignor stated original yellow paint, original black vinyl interior and having some recent service completed, it's time to get back out on the desert highway and keep on running from that tenacious coyote. Speaking of which, stuffed versions of Wile E. and his ever escaping partner Beep Beep are included with the purchase.

Exterior
Bathed in its consignor stated original Yellow Blaze and with straight panels and well minded gaps, but some color fade on the front and rear bumper inserts, this rare bird presents very well. Chrome and black bezel headlights flank marker lights as well as the grille with its pronounced rectangle divider sections. A large chrome bumper hangs below this and shows in very good condition. A long hood with black pinstriping sits between the fenders and leads back to the clean raked back windshield. Black stripes run down the length of the car at the belt line and follow the up the B-pillar before looping over the roof. The iconic Warner Brothers cartoon Roadrunner is just under the stripe on each door and is ready to fly off in a cloud of dust. Combination tail and reverse lights float outboard of the huge trunk lid and with its black decal stripe and Road Runner decal harken back to the early muscle car days. 17" American Racing Salt Flat wheels wrapped in like new staggered width blackwall rubber adorn all 4 corners.

Interior
A swing of the heavy well balanced door and we see an all black vinyl door panel with well padded tuck and roll vinyl mixed with smooth black vinyl and a chrome surround in the center to give it some wow. A black armrest floats in the sea of black and is fronted by a chrome door release, window cranks, and mirror joystick. Down below is a full length ribbed panel for some extra pizazz. Shiny black vinyl high back bucket seats with a tuck and roll pattern are floating in a sea of black carpet and are in splendid condition. The rear bench seat mimics the buckets in material, design and condition. A well padded 3 spoke sport steering wheel proudly sits in front of the very basic instrument cluster in black with an applique surround. Switches and dials in chrome are to the left of the main cluster along with the heater controls and to the right we see the factory AM/FM/8 track player. A small Road Runner logo is in front of the passenger within a black and applique panel lest your passenger forget what he/she is riding in. Racing between the 2 front buckets is a black console with its padded armrest/storage bin, a forward storage bin, chrome handled shifter and aftermarket tachometer. Black carpeting floods the floors and is believed to be factory original.

Drivetrain
Resting in the unrestored and patinaed engine bay is the numbers matching 318ci V8 in a nice blue hue. Chrome Moroso valve covers break up the sea of blue and a 2bbl carburetor sits atop the intake manifold providing the proper air/fuel mixture. A numbers matching A904 3-speed automatic transmission sends power back to an 8 1/4" rear axle. The very strong and reliable combo here!

Undercarriage
A fine mix of patina, road dirt, and factory undercoating is noted below. No invasive rust is seen, just surface rust on the usual suspects. An independent torsion bar front suspension is on with new adjusters and blocks and for the rear we see new leaf springs along with a new rear sway bar. Newly installed shocks are noted all around. Power disc brakes and power drums front and rear provide the stopping power and headers send spent fossils through the newer dual exhaust system with Flowmaster mufflers.

Drivability
Since it was a glorious sunny day I took my crack decoder, partner in crime and all around good guy along for my drive, (I do let him out of his hole occasionally). With a twist of the key the 318ci V8 instantly came to life and settled into a smooth idle. Shifting was smooth, braking was bias free, and handling was well above average. I did notice that the dash lights and the passenger wiper were non functional during my drive, the latter being the result of needing a new bushing on the wiper linkage. The engineers at Plymouth hit the nail on the head with this one, a sporty body and a luxury, and we returned with an ear to ear grin on our faces.

If you are into the unusual, overlooked, and rare then you should stop at the Classic Auto Mall and give this 1 of 7,183 built Road Runner a look. Is it a Hemi, nope. A Superbird, nope. But it's almost certainly guaranteed you won't see another one at a local car show. A numbers matching drivetrain, original paint, great body lines, and a touch of class you can have your muscle and luxury too.