Beep Beep! The Plymouth performance beat was till going on in 1972 but it was, just like with other manufacturers, winding down. The Road Runner was entering its second year in fuselage duds, the Hemi was history, someone snagged two from the six-pack leaving the 440 as a four-pack only, the venerable 383 was consigned to the record books, the small-block 340 “LA” motor made its debut in the “B” body and the Road Runner no longer had to share the stage with the GTX, in fact, it now got to wear a GTX badge for certain occasions. The times, they were a-changin’. In spite of so many mechanical changes, the Road Runner itself was little changed from its 1971 predecessor. All of this being the case, let’s take a look at this 1972 Road Runner, located in Granby, Colorado and available here on craigslist for $7,999. Thanks to Snotty for this tip!

This Road Runner looks like it had a pretty exciting time in its past. It is wearing a very worn Evening Blue or True Blue finish with the owner’s affinity for all things Plymouth proudly proclaimed on either front fender. It has some dents, scrapes, and surface rust but nothing obvious that is consuming the body. The glass is all present and intact though the grille work, headlight surrounds, and filler panel are showing some discontent. This Bird appears to be sitting in enclosed storage over a damp dirt floor which is probably doing nothing of value for the underside, so there’s something to check further.

The interior is interesting from a complexion perspective, it is styling a gold bench seat that looks like it came out of a Satellite. The back seat is blue, as are the door cards, so this stained and torn front seat pew must be a replacement. The rest of the interior is rough, no idea what’s covering the back seat (and I don’t want to know) but “detritus is us” appears to be the theme. The instrument panel, however, is a salvation candidate, it’s dusty and dirty but all there, with full instrumentation, and probably useable. It even appears that the original radio is still in place. What’s left of the carpet is curious, whoever sold the owner the gold bench seat must have thrown in the carpet too as it is either gold or incredibly faded from what should have been a matching blue hue. The highlight is the shiny pistol gripe gear shifter that is not in place, probably because there is nothing underneath to attach it to.

And now, the piece de resistance, under the hood, we have another “Youstabee”! This Road Runner used to have a 400 CI V8 engine that was backed up with a four-speed manual transmission. That was all traded for the sounds of silence sometime back. But all is not lost! This Plymouth comes with a new 440 CI V8 crate motor! Well things are looking up a bit but the engine appears to be in long-block form so it’s unknown if the buyer will have to assemble it themselves as well as scrounge for whatever might be missing. There is an included image of an intake manifold and a reference to a Holley carburetor so maybe all of the necessary parts are available. Determining this should be Job #1; unfortunately, this listing is another exercise in minimalism.

Oh and that previously referenced, shiny four-speed shifter won’t be lonely for long as the original four-speed transmission is included too!

Logic tells me this Road Runner would sell faster and for better value, if the engine was completed and installed. As to why it’s not, I’ll ask all of you to ponder that consideration. Many first and second-generation Road Runners found today are in deplorable condition but this one is not. Granted, it is a bit rough around the edges and it will take effort inside, outside as well as under the hood, to make it presentable and roadworthy. The 440 RB crate engine, with the accompanying manual transmission, is a great benefit too; it would be even better if installed and running, of course. This Plymouth serves as a pretty good project foundation but there are, as always, unknowns. What do you think, worth taking a chance?