One of the most memorable muscle cars from the 1960s is the Plymouth Road Runner, with its austere looks and “beep beep” horn. By the 1970s, things had been toned down in the performance world thanks to rising insurance costs, greater emissions controls, and (later) pricier gasoline. By 1973, the standard engine in a Road Runner was the 318 V8 (horrors!). But the Road Runner GTX was still available, a more luxurious version of the car with a standard 440 cubic inch powerplant. This ‘73 GTX appears to be the real deal, though some of the paint has seen more than its fair share of bright sunlight. Located in Ontario, California, this Plymouth is available here on craigslist for $17,000. Thanks for the Mopar tip, Pat L.!

From its beginnings in 1967, the Plymouth GTX was considered the company’s top-line performance car, having no less than a 440 V8 under the hood. The GTX was discontinued as a separate series after 1971 and became an upscale add-on to the Road Runner, keeping its 440. Compared to combined sales of nearly 100,000 Road Runners and GTX’s in 1969, the combined numbers were just over 16,000 in 1973, showing how much the market had changed. Plymouth only built 749 GTX’s in 1973, so if this car is as presented, it falls in rare company – then and now.

Here’s what we know about the seller’s car. The mileage reading is 94,000 which sounds original, but the 440 under the hood is not numbers-matching. In ’73, the factory horsepower rating would have been 280 and the cars were only available with a 727 TorqueFlite automatic transmission. A 3.55 Sure-Grip differential and 8 ¾ rear-axle gears were thrown in for good measure. The car’s MSD ignition is new along with the exhaust, and the gas tank looks too shiny to be original. So apparently it’s ready to rock-n-roll mechanically.

No apparent dents or rust holes are noted in the Plymouth, except around the driver’s side window trim where some of the latter is brewing. And perhaps above the passenger-side rear wheel opening. The dark green paint looks great in some places, and quite tired in others. The wrap-around white stripes are practically worn completely off in some places. On the other hand, we’re told the interior is in excellent condition and the two photos provided certainly point in that direction. Perhaps a new coat of paint and stripes is all that this old Mopar needs.