If you were shopping for a Mopar muscle car in late 1971, you should have bought a leftover ’71 model because their performance ratings were higher. 1972 brought the demise of the 426 Hemi, and 440 6-Pac,k and the detuned 400 replaced the 383. Sales were down by half as a result, and the seller’s 1972 Road Runner with a 400 V8 and 4-speed was one of only 906 produced. Located in Rome, New York, this ‘Bird is available here on eBay for $25,000 OBO. “Curvette” strikes again in the tips department!
After a full redesign in 1971, the 1972 RR was virtually unchanged. Placement of the “strobe” stripes may help you tell the two model years apart. Along with detuning to run on lead-free fuels, the horsepower rating system had changed to SAE net, so the output of the 1972 engines seemed more anemic. The 400 V8 was standard, though you could swap for a 340 or a 440 (the latter with the new Road Runner GTX). 1972 would be the last year for the 4-speed with these engines. The aerodynamic look of the cars helped Richard Petty win the NASCAR Cup championship in both years.
Just 7,628 Road Runners left the assembly line in ’72, and about half of them had the 400 V8. A note provided by the seller indicates the 400 in this car is “new” and has several performance upgrades, such as the pistons and camshaft. And we assume whatever smog equipment was there to begin with is gone. Newer parts include the starter and water pump. So, we guess this is a turnkey Road Runner that’s ready to rock.
Otherwise, the details provided by the seller are minimal. The bucket seats and steering wheel have been changed out, and I would find some originals to replace them. They don’t match at all with the rest of the interior (I’d get some dark blue carpeting, too). The body and paint look fine and may have been redone, but the seller is light on those kinds of details. If you can’t find an original 1971 Road Runner with a 383 or Hemi, will this one fill the bill?
Wouldn’t think, wouldn’t blink-I’d grab this in a New York second if the vaguest opportunity presented itself. The underside is incredibly clean in the pictures from what you all tell me it’s like to drive back there, and the price is great IMO.
Curvette is the hardest working man at BarnFinds!!!
Like the car, hate the color. Was a Richard Petty fan, but this color, bye itself doesn’t work on such a large canvas.
Steve R