The heyday of the muscle car era was the late 1960s, and the Plymouth Road Runner flourished during the 1968-70 period of the car. But demand declined in the early 1970s, and in 1974 Plymouth only sold 1/8 as many as they had at the peak. One of the rarest was the ’74 with the GTX option, which accounted for just 386 units. The seller has one of these project cars, but its 440 cubic inch V8 has taken flight. Located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, this once mighty Mopar is available here on craigslist for $13,500 CDN or $12,000 USD.
Plymouth treated its B-bodies to a new design in 1971 and a styling refresh against that two years later. The fuselage look began to wane, as did buyers due to rising insurance costs, higher fuel prices, and market saturation (the muscle car movement was a decade old by 1974). The ’74 Road Runner had a lowly 318 V8 as standard, but if you went with the fancy GTX package with a 440 and automatic transmission, you got more power (though emissions constricted). These vehicles had become a shadow of their former selves from six years before.
Since most of the photos provided show this Road Runner on the back of a trailer, the assumption is this was a barn find. We’re not sure if the car is intact given the lack of some trim. Also, the 440 has been extracted, but we’re told a truck 440 is there in its place (not according to the photos). While we see red paint with a white vinyl roof and white stripes, the seller’s language suggests a color combo change was made at some point.
The Plymouth’s numbers-matching transmission has survived and is somewhere. The fuel source is described as “hybrid,” but there’s nothing to consume any kind of fuel here. Rust may be at a minimum given that the floors and trunk are said to be good. The fender tag has been removed and comes with the car, but you might want to do some verification. The seller is not opposed to trades and may even carry a loan for a few months. Considering the rarity of a 1974 GTX, would you restore this one? BTW, score another tip for “Curvette”!
Curvette has eyes all over the map.