1970 Plymouth Road Runner

By 1969, the muscle car war among Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler had reached a fevered pitch. Plymouth's Road Runner, Mopar's intermediate entry, was leading the charge. For 1970, the Road Runner had its strongest year yet as it housed the best street V-8s Chrysler had to offer. Author Scott Ross retraces the history of the Road Runner and brings the 1970 model year into full focus. The stripped-down Road Runner exemplified the essence of a purpose-built muscle car: brute power and stunning acceleration. A new aggressive grille and Air Grabber hood provided an audacious yet tasteful performance statement. The back-to-basics 'Bird had a unique character with its iconic cartoon Road Runner graphics and beep-beep horn.

Underneath the skin, the Road Runner lived up to its persona. The 335-hp 383 was one of fastest 383s Chrysler built because it was fitted with the 440 camshaft, heads, and manifolds for even more performance. The 440 Six Pack car generated 390 hp and gained a reputation as a stout street performer. And at the top, the conservatively rated 425-hp 426 Hemi set the standard for performance. The Road Runner was lighter than the Cuda and somewhat overbuilt as it was one of the toughest and most consistent muscle cars. To transfer all this power to the ground, the Road Runner was equipped with the A-833 4-speed or TorqueFlite 727 automatic. With a torsion-bar suspension and heavy-duty rear end, the Road Runner handled well. However, these are just a few of the highlights of this complete story. Each volume in the In Detail Series provides an introduction and historical overview, an explanation of the design and concepts involved in creating the car, a look at marketing and promotion, an in-depth study of all hardware and available options, as well as an examination of where the car is on the market today. Also included are paint and option codes, VIN and build tag decoders, as well as production numbers.

The late 1960s was an interesting time in the automotive world. Muscle cars, as we now know them, were well established, with all manufacturers joining the horsepower race. You could walk into the showroom for any brand from any manufacturer and find a variety of performance models. Competition being what it is, the manufacturers were looking for ways other than winning races to lure buyers into the showrooms and entice them to buy their products. Some tried to accomplish this with fancy marketing schemes and graphic paint packages and decals, and for the first time, some tried to win over buyers with price. Volume No. 5 of CarTech's In Detail series covers the 1969 Plymouth Road Runner. It was an interesting marriage of a car that attempted to appeal to potential buyers with a low cost, light weight, and potent bare-bones package. It also added a brilliant marketing strategy of partnering with a famous studio and a popular cartoon character. The end result was a wildly popular, big-block, affordable muscle car with great graphics and a cool beep-beep horn. The public loved it. All In Detail Series books include an introduction and historical overview, an explanation of the design and concepts involved in creating the car, a look at marketing and promotion, and an in-depth study of all hardware and available options, as well as an examination of where the car is on the market today. Also included is an appendix of paint and option codes, VIN and build-tag decoders, as well as production numbers.

"Petty signs with Ford!" Those four words tore through the racing world like a hot knife through butter while loyalists threw their hands up in disbelief. King Richard's defection was in part because Plymouth hadn't built a Dodge Daytona counterpart for the NASCAR circuit, in addition to the fact that Petty Enterprises wanted to be the sole racing parts distributor for Plymouth at the time. Plymouth weathered the backlash publically while privately scurrying to create a car to lure Richard back to Plymouth. That car? The 1970 Plymouth Superbird. Production models languished on salesroom floors due in part to NASCAR having increased the homologation requirement from 500 units to 2,000. These cars were highly specialized, seen as being in excess in proportion to the hottest street cars of the period. Fast-forward to today, Superbirds are highly collectible and are the star attractions at car shows and auctions, pulling top dollar and generating real excitement. What a difference a few decades makes! Each volume in the In Detail Series provides an introduction and historical overview, an explanation of the design and concepts involved in creating the car, a look at marketing and promotion, an in-depth study of all hardware and available options, and an examination of where the car is on the market today. Also included are paint and option codes, VIN and build tag decoders, as well as production numbers.

With a combination of low price and high performance, Plymouth's Road Runner helped define the budget muscle car category when it was introduced for the 1968 model year, spawning several imitators. While Road Runners equipped with the 426 Hemi and the 440 Six-Pack get most of the attention, they represented just a small portion of overall production. The vast majority of Road Runners came equipped with the 383 V8.This story, which first appeared in Musclecar Enthusiast magazine, documents a reference-quality restoration that literally went from "Rats to Riches" with photos that illustrate one owner's perseverance.

New from the Nostalgic Treasures series: a comprehensive guide for modelers or would-be modelers. Discover histories and descriptions of some of the more significant collectible groups of kits including AMT's Trophy Series double kits, 1953-62 Corvette kits, Mopar B-body kits, Classic kits, and more. Find out how to get started collecting model cars, what to look for, and the pros and cons of collecting versus building vintage kits. A superb addition to your modeling library.

Design, production, and service histories of our most popular subjects combined with top-notch color photograph.

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