Good things can come in small packages. In this case, a good thing came in a large enclosed transporter. The seller bought this ’74 Road Runner about five years ago, sight unseen, and had it shipped from Oregon to Kansas, not realizing how rare or original it was. He admits he couldn’t bring himself to modify the Road Runner, so it has been treated to a climate-controlled garage where it comes out occasionally for cruises. It’s described as “a very original, 1 of 260 High-Performance P Code ’74 Road Runner with the pistol-grip 4-speed transmission.” Located in Louisburg, Kansas, you’ll find it for sale here on eBay where the bidding had reached $22,900 as of this writing.

The seller describes this Road Runner as being very original and rates its condition as a strong #3. A good variety of photographs are provided and the exterior looks very presentable. Based on a paint chart I found online, it appears to be painted in a color called Sienna Metallic, one of 21 color options available that year. It’s had one repaint and is described as “nice with only a few chips.” It’s wearing what Plymouth described as “Special Road Runner dress-up body stripes and identification,” and a partial white vinyl roof. They both appear to have aged well based on the photos and you can spot the Road Runner cartoon figure in the white stripe on the C pillar. The sales brochure also stated, “And the “Beep-Beep” horn will let everyone know you are driving a Road Runner.”  Overall, the chrome, glass, lenses look good, the panels seem straight, and I’m not spotting any rust. There’s also a photo included of a very clean trunk area.

By 1974, Road Runner interiors had gotten more luxurious, which was an industry trend (Plymouth described this steering wheel as the “three-spoke luxury type with soft center pad” and bragged about plush carpet, and its simulated wood-grain Rallye instrument cluster). This one has the sharp looking pleated-and-button white bucket seats in front and a bench seat in the rear, and white door panels with the contrasting black carpet and instrument panel which looks sharp and is oh, so 1970s.  The seller states the seats and door panels look original with no rips or tears, and it still has the seatbelt interlock module that was only installed on cars produced earlier in the ’74 model year. The interior photos were taken in a garage, so sometimes the seats and door panels appear off-white or parchment, and it’s too dark to see the cool pistol-grip floor shifter. The factory air conditioning is not currently operating, but the seller says it appears complete.

The base engine powering the 1974 Road Runners was the 318 cubic-inch V8 which it shared with the Valiant, Duster, Barracuda, and Satellite. But on this one, you’ll find the largest Plymouth engine you could order with a four-speed manual transmission that year: the 400-cubic-inch, four-barrel V8 that produced 260 horsepower when new. The seller states that the gas tank and lines are fresh, it starts every time, runs very well, and the engine is still the original blue and appears not to be rebuilt. It also has the correct air cleaner with the rounded inlets. The engine bay looks clean and above average in appearance for a driver-quality car.

I like this well preserved second-generation Road Runner a lot. As the seller says, it’s a nice, presentable car to cruise in as-is and enjoy right away, and also a good car to detail into a #2 condition show car if the next owner wishes to. And with only 260 of these produced with a 400 under the hood and four-on-the-floor, there probably won’t be another ’74 Road Runner like yours on the field or in the parking lot. Happy Bidding!