1969 Plymouth A12 Road Runner - Agent M From OKC

As most readers know, the 440 in these cars was not your father's Imperial mill. The factory had deliberately beefed this thing up with heavy-duty connecting rods, a special cam, and a new 3x2 Holley setup that Dodge famously called a Six Pack, and a rating of a fat 390 ponies. The crowning touch was a lift-off hood in that only came in black, and five chrome lug nuts in place of hubcaps. Despite a standard 4.10 rear gear, this was not just a drag car; all the best possible suspension pieces and wide (for the time) tires on all four corners were used to create a two-ton supercar that could corner as well.

Produced in two short batches, very few of them ended up being raced in competition by specific racing personalities. The well-known Chevy guy, Wally Booth, had a one-year Dodge deal in 1969 but chose to campaign a Hemi powered version of the Super Bee. The bigger known Mopar teams were mainly busy with the '68 Hurst-built A-bombs, though some factory racers also had B-Bodies that were running in Street and Modified classes. With Challenger and 'Cuda E-Bodies on the near horizon, the few summer months would not have made a big difference in marketing, and besides, the factory production run suffered from parts shortages and quickly sold out with less than 5,000 units released between the two divisions.

There was one other problem due to that. In a letter addressed April 24, 1969, factory engineer Tom Hoover tersely needed to explain to "Farmer" Bill Dismuke, Jack Hart, and the other powers-that-be at NHRA headquarters that these were not package-built race cars; they had been built for street use and were being sold to the public. There would be no owner lists forthcoming. Once legal for class racing, NHRA quickly squeezed them into the higher divisions, rendering them virtually uncompetitive until Ted Struse and the crew from Super Stock & Drag Illustrated began playing the field seriously in the early 1970s with the Project Six Pack entry.

OK, so that's the history. What about this car? Owner Don Grotheer was a prolific Chrysler-backed driver, covering the broad sway of the Great Plains states in a series of entries he nicknamed "Cable Car," after his sponsor Cable Chrysler/Plymouth. Grotheer was actually having an excellent year in 1969, winning the Winternationals in Pomona with his Barracuda (which is now owned by collector Chuck Smith). The Cable dealership got the new A12 car from the factory in April for Don as a demonstrator.

Like his contemporaries, Don would not race this A12 machine in sanctioned racing, but he did need one as part of the performance clinics he did. Everyone remembers those factory-sponsored events at dealerships used to promote the product line. For that purpose, Don did competition modifications to the car and would even throw it down the quarter-mile as a demonstration vehicle on occasion.

Changes included a fresh block with full blueprinting, including forged 13.0:1 pistons, an Isky 1012B cam, chromed hooker headers, a Prestolite ignition, and careful assembly. The four-speed was modified for "slick shifting" and stirred with a Hurst Competition Plus shifter with Reverse Loc-Out and Roll Control, and a 4.89 ring was in the Dana centersection. On the panels, Imperial Customs laid down a colorful graphics scheme using Don's special colors.

The car was used for clinic and occasional driving demonstrations until Don sold it in August 1970, since he no longer was promoting that body style. It was then accidentally "preserved" by two other owners who had limited chances to race it. In 2003, Fred Engelhart latched onto the original masterpiece. Fred in turn sold it to a collector in Las Vegas, and after a few years out there, it ended up with collectors Clark and Collene Rand, who proudly added it to their collection of authentic Chrysler drag cars. What is most important is that this car is a survivor; while it has been cleaned up and detailed, the Road Runner still has the original paint, interior, and race motor with speed parts Don himself had built. The numbers-matching factory 440 Six-barrel engine was also with the car.

"We wanted an original unrestored car," says Clark, "one that had a solid trail of ownership and documentation. This one was perfect in those respects. But for us, we've also gotten to know Don and Joan Grotheer very well, and that made this car really special for us to own and display."

There are other A12s out there in more perfect shape, and there are other drag cars with more notoriety, but for the Rands and Grotheers, this example could never be improved upon. A special agent, indeed...

Special thanks to the Midwest Mopar Club and the Mopars in the Park show; www.midwestmopars.com, for arranging this location onsite in Farmington, MN.

Fast Facts

Mopar Power

• Engine: The original numbers-matching 440 was replaced by Don Grotheer back in 1969, by a fresh block with full blueprinting. It was then outfitted with forged 13.0:1 pistons, an Isky 1012B cam, chromed hooker headers, a Prestolite ignition, and careful assembly. The four-speed was modified for "slick shifting" and stirred with a Hurst Competition Plus shifter with Reverse Loc-Out and Roll Control, and a 4.89 ring was in the Dana

Sure Grip

• Suspension: There weren't a lot of modifications done to the stock suspension, as this car was not intended to be competitively raced.
• Wheels and Tires: Keystone mags installed by Don back in 1969. Bias-ply fronts and slicks out back are replacements.

High Impact

• Body: Original in every way.
• Paint: The Don Grotheer specific colors are the same paint that Don had applied back in 1969.
• Interior: Bone stock original with Don's additions from 1969.