It's 1967, and musclecars are being offered by everyone. Then, along comes one that not only has a real performance package, but a catchy name to match-the Road Runner.
In the early winter months of 1967, Plymouth product planning was struggling to find a name for their new entry into the affordable musclecar market. No one else had a car that did 100 mph in the quarter-mile and was priced below $3,000. It would appeal to the street cruisers, spectators, and those into performance. This is the group that can't wait for the next issue of their favorite performance car magazine to get the latest low-buck, hop-up tricks because they have the least amount of money to spend on their passion. this group of enthusiasts also represents the people that buy the most cars.
Plymouth concentrated on what was important: a big engine and dependable drivetrain. They eliminated the bright work, high interior trim, and gave it only what it needed to look good, but have the performance to back up the looks. They took a 383 engine and installed a new cam, 440 heads and intake, exhaust manifolds, and so on. It worked well.
Now for a name. Jack Smith and Gordon Cherry met with Joe Strum of Product Planning to discuss the name of their new back-to-basics musclecar. At first, the name LaMancha was a possibility, but Jack and Gordon suggested Road Runner. Gordon's kids watched the Road Runner cartoon show every Saturday morning. Gordon called Jack one Saturday morning and prodded him into watching the Road Runner. Jack was hooked. The cartoon series had a great young following and was a hit in California where taverns played Road Runner films. the name fit the car. It wasn't a number or letter like everyone else had, but a name. The car, like the cartoon character, was blindingly, unbeatably fast, yet could stop on a dime. And above all, just like the cartoon character, it could never be caught.
countless adults enjoyed watching the Road Runner elude Wiley E. Coyote, and those adults had the money to buy the car. The name and its association with the Road Runner cartoon character was a stroke of brilliance. Plymouth didn't stop with just the name. They did a special Road Runner "beep-beep" horn. The car's horn tone was indistinguishable from the cartoon charactor's beep-beep. when the idea was presented to upper management, they were a little concerned. The design studio head did not want a cartoon figure on the car. However, at the urging of his superiors, he agreed, but only if he got to pick the bird logo. For whatever reason, he picked the black-and-white version of the bird. when the car was a hit in 1969, the bird went full color.
The car was an instant hit among performance enthusiasts, and most everyone who could afford one, even winning Motor Trend magazine's Car of the Year Award in 1969. with its success came options, such as the air grabber hood, some trim packages, and interior upgrades so the car would appeal to more people and sell even better. Offered standard with a 383; a Hemi engine was optional for both 1968 and 1969. a special 440-6 barrel limited edition was offered in 1969. It also featured a back-to-basics approach. A black fiberglass lift-off hood, no hood springs, just the four quick pin releases at the corners, plain steel wheels with chrome lug nuts, and redline racing tires. It looked mean, and it was. With 390 hp, it was a true contender that even out-muscled stock Hemi Road Runners.
The Road Runner was an ad agency's dream. The first ad came out in the September '67 issue of Hot Rod magazine. It was a double-page, full-color ad done in the whimsical cartoon style showing the Road Runner car and the Road Runner cartoon character on the Bonneville Salt Flats. The Road Runner (bird) was dangling a racing helmet from one of his wings, displaying his ever-present and confident smile. the amazing thing was Chrysler got the rights to use the Warner Brothers cartoon character for next to nothing; they were able to negotiate the deal with a kid fresh out of college and new at Warner.
The car was originally offered as a post hardtop and hardtop coupe. Sales figures were 44,598 in 1968, with the sales doubling in 1969 to more than 85,000 units-pretty good considering only 5,000 sales were originally planned for 1968. No doubt winning Motor Trend's Car of the Year award didn't hurt. In 1970, the car's body style changed to the squarer look, and the 440-6 became an optional package that was offered beyond the limited run made in 1969. Almost 40,000 Road Runner versions were built that year. The '71 saw a completely new body style, but the sales dropped dramatically with only 14,000 units sold. The '72 was not much better; the '73 again received a refreshed look, which helped sales rise to over 17,000 units. In 1974, sales dropped off slightly, and in 1975 and 1976, the Road Runner name was more of an added package to the Fury. Sales were not good since the musclecar era was quickly coming to an end. The Road Runner name appeared on the Plymouth Volare in 1977. Until then, the Road Runner had always been a B-Body, but with gas prices rising and insurance rates high, the F-Body seemed to be the best package. The car was slightly refreshed in 1980; now more of a trim package than anything of great performance. the rest of the industry was eliminating their musclecar offerings altogether, but Chrysler, even though they were facing bankruptcy, was still offering some performance cars. Sadly in 1981, there was no more Road Runner. The name would disappear completely, even until today. Some say it's a blessing, as it would be sacreligious to use the name on anything other than what the car originally represented.
This year's Mopar Nationals celebrates the Tribute to the Road Runner-the most-bang-for-the-buck musclecar that appealed to the masses. Offered in convertible, hardtop, and coupe versions in the early years (1968-1970), the price today has gone beyond investment grade. Hemi examples are almost hitting the 100K figure and beyond. Make sure you stop by the Mopar Nats Road Runner Tribute display to see the Beep-Beep cars, and take a step back in time to when horsepower was King and offered at bargain prices.