Car of the Week: 1971 Plymouth Road Runner

dodgechargerfan

dodgechargerfan

CanadianGary
Administrator
IMG_4149.JPG


For reasons unknown, Paul Stewart’s stellar 1971 Plymouth Road Runner has always been sort of “the car that nobody wanted.”

Maybe it’s the car’s checkered past — it was abandoned by both the man who first ordered it and the woman who wound up buying it, and stolen twice from the dealership where it was originally sold. Later, it languished for years as a project car that never got finished until it changed hands several more times.

Even after it was completely restored and in shape for the showfield, its owner was still more of a “’Cuda guy” than a “Road Runner guy,” and the Plymouth was still a bit of a black sheep.

Read more.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tig
Why would I like a car that doesn't have airbags, A/C, Bluetooth, power windows, heated seats, etc.?
 
Flamencology said:
Why would I like a car that doesn't have airbags, A/C, Bluetooth, power windows, heated seats, etc.?
Click to expand...
The exhilaration of driving something in which you can feel the road, feel the speed, hear the roar of the engine.

It's no longer just a vehicle for transportation. It used to be.
It's something different now. Love it for that difference. Enjoy it for that kind of experience.

If that's not your kind of thing, that's cool. Buy it and give it to me. :)


Oh, and my 1971 Chrysler New Yorker has A/C, power windows, power seat, power locks, power steering, power brakes with front discs. All factory. The AM 8-track radio with a power antenna doesn't have Bluetooth but I can toss a Bluetooth speaker on the dash or seat and cover that base. Or I could upgrade the guts and have Bluetooth, AM/FM, MP3 Aux port all in the original radio housing and faceplate.

My 1969 Dodge Charger has factory A/C, power windows, power steering, power brakes with front discs, AM/FM radio, 6-way adjustable seat (but not power).

So, the lux options are not excluded from the cars of this era and there a lot of reasonable ways to get some added in without changing the aesthetics in any obnoxious manner.

The airbags: well not even an option back then. Hell, shoulder belts were optional and they detach.
 
i've never been a fan of the Road Runners after 1970. but that one with the 4 speed shorty pistol grip and the 440.....i'd have to at least give it a try.
 
mongooz said:
i've never been a fan of the Road Runners after 1970. but that one with the 4 speed shorty pistol grip and the 440.....i'd have to at least give it a try.
Click to expand...

Me too. They fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. But I guess when you are driving it you can't see what it looks like. :grin:
 
plymouth-satellite-1971-3.jpg

When it came to the Plymouths of this generation, I always thought the Satellite was “the car that nobody wanted.” Except me. :embarrassed:
 
Steverino said:
plymouth-satellite-1971-3.jpg

When it came to the Plymouths of this generation, I always thought the Satellite was “the car that nobody wanted.” Except me. :embarrassed:
Click to expand...

When they were first released, I didn't really like the body lines but I wanted one because of the roadrunner cartoon that was on some of them.
I was at the dealership with my dad (I was about 7 years old) while he was looking at the 73 Charger. There was a 'runner right next to it and I was telling him we should get that.

He bought the Charger because it had a slant 6.
Good on gas.
Fuel crisis and all that.
Plus, he'd had slant6 engines in previous cars and knew it was a bulletproof engine.

That Charger became mine 11 years later.

Over the years, that satellite/runner/GTX body style wasn't my favourite, but done up right they do the muscle car look very well. I'd gladly drive one now.
 
1971 the gas shortages and muscle cars lost a lot of compression and power. Gone were the monster motors where car companies lowered reported horsepower ratings to fight off insurance companies. It may be a 71 440 but it certainly didn't pull like a 68/69 440.
 
mikesr1963 said:
1971 the gas shortages and muscle cars lost a lot of compression and power. Gone were the monster motors where car companies lowered reported horsepower ratings to fight off insurance companies. It may be a 71 440 but it certainly didn't pull like a 68/69 440.
Click to expand...
"Reported" is the key word.
Sure, the heads were changed to lower compression and therefore horsepower, but even then the cars could really do a lot more than what was reported. They just found a different way to report it.
And day 2, a few simple, inexpensive mods opened things right back up. Heads and a cam and you were back in business.

With the MOPARs you had to be careful not to go too crazy because they started using cast cranks and they weren't as strong as the forged cranks.
 
Flamencology said:
Why would I like a car that doesn't have airbags, A/C, Bluetooth, power windows, heated seats, etc.?
Click to expand...


Because it has a 440 six pack and a Hurst 4 speed. It has balls.

This is the kind of car I could stick a $100 bill in the defroster vent and under acceleration you would never be able to grab it.

It is absolutely the anti-prius.

Least favorite roadrunner though. My '69 was simply gorgeous, but the 71's leave me a bit cold.
 
dodgechargerfan said:
The exhilaration of driving something in which you can feel the road, feel the speed, hear the roar of the engine.

My 1969 Dodge Charger has factory A/C, power windows, power steering, power brakes with front discs, AM/FM radio, 6-way adjustable seat (but not power).

The airbags: well not even an option back then. Hell, shoulder belts were optional and they detach.
Click to expand...

All that shit was ripped out at the factory (actually never installed) on mine for a weight savings of ~700 lbs over the same year GTX or Charger.

Never missed any of it:thu:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top