Vehicle Description
Numbers matching 425-HP, 426-cid Hemi V-8 engine Correct four-speed
transmission Authentic restoration and excellent presentation
Original "dog-dish" steel wheels with redline tires Equipped with
power steering and front disc brakes Accompanied by its original
broadcast sheetWith the muscle car wars in full swing, the 1968
season saw a new entry that captured more than its share of
attention. Cartoon fans immediately recognized the unique
"beep-beep" sound as coming from that lovable cartoon character,
the Road Runner. That season, Plymouth performance showed what they
were made of and the response was strong. To start with, Chrysler
wanted the Road Runner to be done on the cheap, using the base
model in Plymouth's medium-size B-bodied Satellite series, the
two-door coupe. Next, it had to be fast and in its basic form, the
335-horsepower, 383-cubic-inch "Wedge" V-8 was plenty potent for
most folks. But to leave the competition in the dust, customers
could choose the big 440-cubic-inch Magnum V-8 with 375 horsepower
or pull out all the stops with the legendary 426-cubic-inch, Hemi
V-8 fitted with a dual four-barrel intake and rated officially at
425 horsepower. Customers responded in its first year with 44,599
Road Runners sold, 29,240 coupes; with the late introduction of the
hardtop, another 15,359 ""beep-beep mobiles"" were added to the
mix. For 1969, a few styling changes were made for the front grille
and the tail and side marker lights, as well as a larger selection
of options including the convertible as a third body choice and
creature comfort items such as front bucket seats. For those
wanting the ultimate in speed and performance, the base coupe was
still en vogue, especially when fitted to the mighty Hemi V-8.
While the Hemi Road Runner was a formidable opponent for street
racing, many of these cars were campaigned on quarter-mile tracks
across the country, which led to their scarcity today. When these
muscle cars were new, people did what they were supposed to do with
them, run them, enjoy them, occasionally break them (then get new
parts to do it all over again), and create motoring history. When
new, this factory Hemi-equipped Road Runner saw time in front of
many Christmas Trees waiting for lights to turn green and then it
was pedal to the metal for a quarter mile at a time. When it was
retired, by some stroke of luck, the original 426-cubic-inch Hemi
V-8 had managed to survive and remains under its hood today.
Treated to a full restoration that was completed in 2020, it is
finished in its original "B5" Bright Blue on the outside and fitted
with the proper black vinyl full-width bench seats up front and to
the rear. Meticulous care was taken during the restoration making
sure everything was just as the factory had prepared it, with an
eye to authenticity that makes a true muscle car fan's heart beat a
little faster. Under the hood and on top of that numbers matching
Hemi is a matched set of proper date coded Carter AFB four-barrel
carburetors with the engine backed up by the A833 four-speed manual
transmission. Power is then transmitted to the Dana 60 rear axle
fitted with 4.10:1 gears. Riding on Firestone Redline tires, they
are mounted on a set of color matched steel wheels adorned with the
"dog-dish" hubcaps, which shows that this car is meant for one
reason - to go fast. Helping authenticate this ride is the original
broadcast sheet, and its provenance has been verified by the most
trusted source for Mopar performance vehicles, David Wise. Interior
appointments include a push-button AM radio, original gauges and,
preserving this car's heritage, the original padded dashboard was
given new life by Just Dashes in California. Another act of
preservation was the restoration of the original grille and
headlight surrounds by the acknowledged leader for these critical
parts with anodized aluminum finishes, Bill Petrow of Special T's
Unlimited. Just 194 Road Runner coupes were fitted with the
legendary Hemi V-8 during t
