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1971 Plymouth Road Runner Flaunts 467 Stroker V8, Is an Old-School Tuner's Dream

Restomodding is perhaps the best way to bring classic muscle cars to 2021 specifications. Dropping a force-fed V8 under the hood is not an issue with so many crate engines available today and the muscle car community has learned to accept modern features on a classic collectible. But as interesting as "street fighter" restomods are, old-school builds usually take the cake. And this 1971 Plymouth Road Runner is a top-notch example.
1971 Plymouth Road Runner restomod 12 photos
Photo: AutotopiaLA/YouTube
1971 Plymouth Road Runner restomod1971 Plymouth Road Runner restomod1971 Plymouth Road Runner restomod1971 Plymouth Road Runner restomod1971 Plymouth Road Runner restomod1971 Plymouth Road Runner restomod1971 Plymouth Road Runner restomod1971 Plymouth Road Runner restomod1971 Plymouth Road Runner restomod1971 Plymouth Road Runner restomod1971 Plymouth Road Runner restomod
Plymouth kept the Road Runner in production for a solid 12 years, but only a few of them saw the nameplate act like a proper muscle car. Introduced in 1968, the Road Runner was redesigned for the second generation in 1971. The latter remained in production until 1974, but new-for-1972 emission regulations forced Plymouth to reduce power.

With the iconic 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) Hemi V8 discontinued and with the 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) mill detuned to only 280 horses for 1972, the Road Runner lived its final glory days in 1971. This orange-painted coupe is one of the Mopars that were lucky to leave the factory with unrestricted V8s, but its original mill didn't survive to this day.

But needless to say, it has something way better under the hood right now. I'm talking about a 467-cubic-inch (7.7-liter) stroker that packs a whopping 650 horsepower. Sure, you can get a modern Dodge Challenger with more oomph, but here's the trick: this Mopar is an all-motor beast. No turbo, no supercharger, no-nonsense. It's as old-school as they get.

Making things even better, the V8 packs a long list of race-spec internals, so it's not just a restomod that growls on the highway. This Mopar is ready to hit the drag strip any day of the week and I'm pretty sure it would be quite fast on a race track too. Since it rides on a modified suspension system with Mopar competition springs, it's niftier than the average 1970s muscle car on twisty circuits.

And on top of being a high-power, mean-sounding machine, this Road Runner also comes with an interesting story. Because it's been with the same owner almost its entire life. The guy who's currently driving it purchased it as a graduation gift in 1975, four years after the Plymouth left the assembly line.

He swapped various engines and took it to the drag strip regularly until 1980 when he parked it in a garage. The Road Runner spent a whopping 30 years in storage until it was taken out to be restored and upgraded in 2010. Ten years later and it's a tasteful restomod of the old-school variety and a cool tribute to the golden muscle car era. See it rev its stroker V8 and do burnouts in the video below.

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About the author: Ciprian Florea
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Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer.
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