1974 Plymouth 440-Powered Road Runner
The Plymouth Road Runner is a mid-size car with a focus on performance built by Plymouth in the United States between 1968 and 1980. By 1968, some of the original muscle cars were moving away from their roots as relatively cheap, fast cars as they gained features and increased in price. Plymouth developed the Road Runner to market a lower-priced, basic trim model to its upscale GTX.
We also think that a little individuality isn’t a bad thing – how many post-1971 muscle cars do you see at a car show that are worth talking about? We’re betting not many, but for us, this would be one of them. The bright red paint with white striping, the power bulge hood, the Rallye Wheels and white lettering BFGs, the stance and the interior all conspire to make us want it bad – maybe even more than those omnipresent 1971 and prior toys. It’s no Gran Torino, but the livery’s there to let us play Starsky and Hutch when no one’s looking. This 1974 Plymouth Road Runner is finished in red over white and powered by a replacement 440ci V8 paired with a three-speed automatic transmission.
The 15″ Cragar five-spoke wheels are mounted with BFGoodrich Radial T/A white-letter tires measuring 245/60 up front and 285/50 out back. The car is equipped with power steering, and braking is handled by power-assisted front discs and rear drums. A replacement brake booster was installed in 2018, and the front and rear shocks, rear wheels cylinders, and front brake calipers are replacements.
The cabin features front bucket seats and a rear bench reupholstered in white leather joined by a matching headliner and door panels. Equipment includes a center console, faux woodgrain trim, crank windows, and a push-button radio. The three-spoke steering wheel frames a 120-mph speedometer and auxiliary gauges.
The replacement 440ci V8 breathes through an Edelbrock intake manifold and four-barrel carburetor and features an aluminum radiator, Milodon oil pan, Spectre air intake, and Mickey Thompson finned valve covers.
Some people claim that muscle cars were all but dead and gone by the time this Road Runner was built. Sure, it would take a couple of decades before we saw the crazy high horsepower numbers again, but cars like this 440-powered Plymouth kept the flame alive. They still provided plenty of torque for those of us who enjoy burnouts and stoplight drags. This particular car is claimed to be wearing most of its original paint and the engine runs albeit with the occasional “pop”.
