1970 Plymouth Road Runner Promo Car Has a Big Bird Coming out of the Air Grabber

The mighty 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) lump is incredibly rare relative to the nameplate's total production number. Offered only from 1968 through 1971, the HEMI found its way in only 2,003 Road Runners. That's just 1.1% of the vehicles built over four years.

The 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) Six-Barrel RB is also a rare mill. It didn't become an option until 1969 and was also discontinued after the 1971 model year. It was ordered in only 3,473 cars or 2.1% of the total output. Not quite as scarce as the HEMI, but it's a classic you'd be hard-pressed to find in pristine condition.

Well, this Lemon Twist 1970 Road Runner is not only one of those rare Six-Barrel Mopars but also a very special rig that served as a promotional car. It was built a couple of months before the Road Runner went into production, and, amazingly enough, it survived to get a rotisserie restoration and tell its story.

While it may look like a regular 1970 Road Runner on the outside, this hardtop intermediate hides a few unique features here and there. For starters, the original door panels are marked "June 1969." This tells us that the vehicle rolled off the assembly line more than 60 days before Plymouth kickstarted regular Road Runner production.

Pre-production cars like this weren't uncommon back in the day. Automakers usually built a few to test the assembly line and eliminate bugs from the production process. Some were also paraded at various events as promo cars, while some were given to the media for reviews. This one made it on a couple of TV commercials.

And it lived a double life. Because while it now wears its factory-correct Lemon Twist color, Plymouth had it repainted Limelight for one of the ads.

The whole story of the promo Road Runner remains unknown, but the vehicle emerged back into the light in 2003 when it was found somewhere in Arizona. It was in poor condition and had traces of Limelight still visible in certain areas. While it wasn't very rusty, the vinyl top was damaged, and it sat on replacement wheels.

Exactly 20 years have passed since then, and the pre-production Road Runner shines like new thanks to a restoration completed in 2021. It now has a fresh black top and period-correct wheels and looks outstanding inside and out. The 390-horsepower 440-6 V8 is also as fresh as they get, and everything works as it should. Interestingly enough, it's one of only a few 1970 Road Runners with the bird decal on the driver's door.

Speaking of birds, this Mopar comes with a massive Warner Bros. Road Runner head designed to fit into the Air Grabber. That's a cool way to display this iconic rig at car show events and goes with the "beep, beep!" horn, which Plymouth paid $10,000 to develop. That's about $85,000 in 2023!

Hit the play button below for a full walkaround of this one-of-one beauty.