Stunning 1969 Plymouth Road Runner Hemi Coupe Is All-Original, Packs Rare Engine Option

Early Road Runner models were based on the Belvedere, and the cars were somewhat rudimentary on several levels, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t successful. In fact, Plymouth sold roughly 45,000 units in 1968 alone, which made the Road Runner the third best-selling muscle car in its segment, trailing only the Chevrolet Chevelle SS and Pontiac GTO.

The Road Runner is also thought to be directly responsible for Dodge hurrying up and building a “variant” of their own, in the Super Bee.

Anyway, let’s just jump straight to the 1969 model year Road Runner, which kept the same appearance as the original, but featured a slightly different grille, taillights, and side marker lights. These cars were also available with bucket seats, plus Road Runner decals.

Other changes included the availability of an Air Grabber option, boasting a fiberglass air duct assembly bolted to the underside of the hood. It also added custom stickers, including a Wile E. Coyote decal. That’s right, they really committed to paying homage to Road Runner, the cartoon. Actually, the cartoon was named Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, but most people tend to forget the first part.

Now, what we’ve got here is a stunning 1969 Plymouth Road Runner, one that’s been with its current owner for some 17 years. The exterior is wearing Performance Red (R4) which makes for the most delightful shade of orange. It’s both (red and orange), yet neither of the same time.

The car also has the Air Grabber hood, black hood stripes, a driver’s door-mounted mirror, dual-exit exhaust, Hemi and Road Runner badges, plus a set of body-color steel wheels with chrome hubcaps and F70-15 Firestone Wide Oval Super Sport tires. This car is so “original”, it still has its four-wheel drum brakes setup, which is definitely worth restomodding, if you catch my drift.

Moving on to the interior, this is where you’ll find black vinyl front and rear bench seats, plus color-coordinated door panels, headliner and carpets. Amenities include a heater, front and rear lap belts, Road-Runner-branded floor mats and a three-spoke steering wheel.

According to the ad, this car also comes with a “Voice of Road Runner” horn, which is just hilarious.

As for performance, there’s a 426 ci HEMI V8 under the hood, with twin four-barrel carburetors. This bad boy used to be factory-rated at 425 horsepower, with everything going to the rear wheels via a three-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission with a Sure Grip differential.