1975 Plymouth Road Runner Hardtop

Plymouth threw down the gauntlet when it created the instant sensation that was the original Road Runner. Properly equipped, it and the redesigned editions that followed subsequently was the bane of many a competing drag racer. Its glory days were short-lived, however: Forces were gathering to quell factory performance, and Speedius Maximus suffered along with the other iconic nameplates. Yet while most of its competition was dead and gone by the mid-'70s, the Road Runner lived on. Plymouth's decision to produce a Satellite coupe that had a completely unique body--sharing no sheet metal with the four-door--was unusual in the industry in 1971; after the '74 model year, both Plymouth and Dodge dropped their respective coupes and introduced new ones for 1975 that shared styling with the existing sedans. At the same time, the Satellite name was dropped and replaced with the Fury badge. Through all of this, the Road Runner persevered, landing on the new B-body coupe for what would turn out to be a one-year-only Fury-based Road Runner. Period literature exclaimed that despite the then modern-day consumer's appetite for personal luxury, the Road Runner "...makes you forget that mistaken notion that cars can't be fun anymore." An attempt to back up this claim was substantiated by its availability only as a coupe sprinkled with special exterior appearance items and access to a big-block engine.

This is only the second 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 including a rebuild at 46,920 miles on the odometer transmission, 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 Star Wars deck lid decal stripe and Road Runner decal harken back to the early muscle car days. 14-inch Mopar Rally wheels are wrapped in like new outlined white letter 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 and rebuilt 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, new helper springs and air shocks along with a new rear sway bar and . Fairly new front shocks are noted as well. A new master cylinder controls the front power disc brakes and rear power drums with new shoes and drums for 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.

RM21G5G166555

R-Plymouth B Body
M-Medium Price Class
21-2 Door Hardtop Coupe
G-318ci V8 2bbl
5-1975
G-St. Louis, MO Assy Plant
166555-Sequential Unit Number

FENDER TAG

E44 318ci V8 2bbl 150hp
D34 T904 TorqueFlite Automatic
RM21
R = Plymouth Road Runner
M = Medium
21 = 2 Door Coupe
G4G
G = 318ci V8 2bbl 150hp
5 = 1975
G = St. Louis, MO, USA
166555 Sequence Number '166555'
KY5-Yellow Blaze
B6X9
Trim Grade/Style/Color
B = B Class
6 = Vinyl Bucket Seats
X9 = Black
000 Upper Door Frame: Full Door Panel
C20-Date Built: 12 / 20 / 1973
117465-Order Number: 117465
KY5-Roof Type/Color Yellow Blaze
U-Built to Specifications for USA Order
B41-Front Disc Brakes Some Yrs. Power
C16-Console w/ Buckets
C56-Bucket Seats 1972 up
F17-114 Amp Alternator
G55-Unknown At This Time
G57-Unknown At This Time
G77-Ene mirrors
J52-Inside Hood Release
M21-Roof Drip Rail Moldings
N37-Unknown At This Time
N42-Chrome Dual Exhaust Tips
R22-AM w/ 8-Track
K6X-Unknown At This Time
K8X-Unknown At This Time
28-28" Radiator
B2-Unknown At This Time
END-End of Codes

Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 850 vehicles for sale with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle barn find collection is on display. This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.