Between 1968 and 1971, Plymouth sold two mid-sized muscle cars. One was the Road Runner (a budget offering), and the other was the GTX (a premium hot rod). As the market began to shrink, Plymouth consolidated the pair in 1972, with the GTX becoming an option. This ’72 Road Runner GTX is said to be just 1 of 453 made with a 440 V8 and an automatic transmission (but, sadly, both are long gone). Located in Edinburg, Texas, this Mopar project will need a lot of love. Available here on eBay, the uncast opening bid is $11,500, and there’s a reserve on top of that.
Plymouth’s Road Runner was one of the hottest performance cars during the muscle era, but the genre faded quickly (along with the “beep-beep” car). Sales peaked at 82,292 units in 1969 but fell to 14,218 copies two years later. When the seller’s car was produced in ’72, all that Plymouth could sell were 7,628 “Birds”. The Hemi engine was gone as its sales figures were always small. But you could still get a 440 cubic-inch V8 with a 4-barrel carburetor like this auto had back in the day.
We’re not told much about this RR/GTX except about its damaged sheet metal. The photos aren’t great, either, and we only see the car propped up on jacks. There is no indication whether wheels and tires are included with the sale or if you have to provide your own. This Rallye Red project may need interior work, too, but there are no visuals to help us figure it out.
Given the low production numbers, this is one rare Mopar. You’re going to have to repair or replace the rear quarter panels, floorboards, and the trunk. The seller offers to provide delivery for an additional charge if you’re so inclined. If you’ve got the time and money to restore this relic, you’d better have plenty of both and not care about numbers matching.
Good grief, no engine/trans so no hope of at least matching numbers for 11.5k?
Dream on pal.
I have read that two 1972 Hemis were produced before they pulled the plug. Ideally, this would be one of those, otherwise the asking price is absurd.
Unless it’s of of the few 440 six barrels.
Not true at all…there were a couple of 440+6 cars that were built at the beginning of the 1972 model year but, no Hemis.
Absolute perfect 1972 440 Road Runners have changed hands for up to 80k but those are a very rare exception.Expect this..in well restored condition to be worth maybe 40K from everything i’ve found online.SO..if one could get it for under 20k it may be worth it as the pics i saw on ebay show just dents..no rust present.
This is the same seller who’s yellow 1971 Challenger with a 400 and a $17,500 opening bid was featured on this site yesterday. They seem overpriced, but so do most Mopars from this era.
Steve R
Mopar or no car is real for many apparently Steve 💰 💁♂️
Pay $100 to advertise on eBay, then take crummy and incomplete pics. Makes zero sense to me. Took pics of the horn cap, the hood emblem, and the faded slash stripes, but not one single pic of the interior or the engine compartment. The car is up on jacks, maybe go underneath and snap a pic or two…? None of this is rocket science or hard but some sellers act like they cannot be bothered to put in a modicum of effort to sell their vehicle.
Eleven five for this. No interior shots, no engine bay shots, no engine or transmission, dent’s and faded paint included. Wow it’s a perfect price. ;)
It’s a cool and fairly rare car. I am surprised to see drum brakes on front of a car capable of 130+mph. My ‘71 Roadrunner has discs in front as it should. Looking at those front fenders makes me think that the car was vandalized or amateur mechanic owner with anger issues.😂
I’m not up on Mopars of this vintage. My last Mopar was a 1965 Baracuda in 1983. But a GTX with drum brakes? Really?
Sorry, no sale from me.
No.
Here’s a restored ’72 with a non-matching 440 and a 4 speed that went for 29,500. It looks like there is no margin here.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1972-plymouth-road-runner-4/
This could end up being a labor of love, and lots of it.
LOL!!! — Everything about this offering is pure LOL crazy!!! I love early 70’s Mopar’s and this ’72 GTX would be one of them — but just because this car was that – at one time – does not make it something you want to start from scratch rebuilding without major BUCKS to burn – and then you’d still have a non-matching street-runner and nothing else. A parts-yard would give about $1K for it -and that’s what the asking price of this car should be here too. Otherwise – it’s got to be a joke!
I think it’s a great project car, but $11k seems pretty steep with a vehicle that needs new panels & a drive train, not including paint. Would it be great to own? Most definitely. But, like one of the posters said up the chain nicely restored drivers are around $40k, you if you have a lot of skills, this would get pricey.
While most readers are not savvy enough to figure this out…let me help you. This could, possibly, be the first one of these cars built. The car was built on August 26th, 1971…before 1972 production began on September 1st, 1971. Notice the Pentastar on the right front lower fender? 1972 cars no longer received that so, yes, this is actually a pretty valuable car and, I might add, would be stunning if restored.
Good eye Michael on the door trim tag. Price is still a little high with no engine or trans. I agree with other comments that there should be under hood pictures and undercarriage pictures and a few more inside pictures.
Decals and off-year trim do not make a car valuable on their own — you have to have “the rest of the car” with it — and with this empty hulk – you have practically none of that. — You could find a hollowed-out base ’72 Satellite for a few bucks and simply replace the grille, the hood and all the various decals and GTX emblems – and then put a correct GTX engine package in it — and you would still NOT have a GTX – you would have a one-off copy. Most people paying big bucks for these collector cars are going to be wary wary particular about those ‘little things’. If the seller had it priced as a “hulk” – then it would be worth someone’s time to rebuild it. At the asking price; Not!
That’s a 1971 Door Jamb Decal, too! Very cool, early production difference!