In the late 1960s, the Plymouth Road Runner was one of the hottest cars around. Not only in terms of performance, but also in the sales arena. Born in 1968, sales peaked the next year, but demand fell off in the 1970s. With a redesign in 1971, the 1972 Road Runners were little changed, and a 340 cubic inch V8 engine was the starting point (instead of the 383 in the ‘60s). With just 28,000 miles, the seller’s car seems mostly original and well-cared for. Located with a muscle car shop in Eldon, Missouri, this Mopar is available here on eBay for $47,500.

All-out performance at Chrysler peaked in 1971. After that, the 440 V8 with a “6-Pack” was gone along with the 426 Hemi. And starting in 1972, emissions controls started to rob performance and engine output would then be stated in SAE net terms. Only 6,870 Road Runners left the assembly line in ’72, and of those, 1,839 had the 340 with a TorqueFlite automatic transmission. If that wasn’t enough juice for you, you could get a 400 (which replaced the 383) and a 440 4-barrel if you bought a Road Runner GTX, as the latter was no longer a separate series.

Finding an original 1972 still wearing its factory paint and just 28,000 miles is almost unheard of. These cars were usually ridden hard and were seldom seen as future collectibles. But the car’s current and/or previous owners apparently did, as this car seems to have avoided being molested over its 54 years. As a dealer of sorts is sourcing the sale of the car, little history is offered, though photos provided show the build sheet and MSRP sticker. The photos were all taken indoors, which makes the groovy Tawny Gold paint look black unless you zoom in. Which is a shame as this is probably a usual color on the car.

The Mopar’s appearance is contrasted with correct white stripes and an ivory interior, which has a bench seat rather than buckets. And the automatic is column-shifted, eliminating the need for a console if it had single seating. Options are typical, just as power steering and power front disc brakes. We assume the car drives as good as it looks, and this should be a fine addition to any collector – if the price point is correct. Heads up to “Curvette” for the tip!