Plymouth introduced its Second Generation Road Runner in 1971, and like its cousins within the Chrysler empire, the company abandoned Coke-bottle styling in favor of a more aggressive Fuselage look. Buyers could choose from a range of engines, but this car features its original and rare 440/Six-Pack. It is an unfinished project, but the vital puzzle pieces are present to allow the new owner to recapture this classic’s glory days. The seller acknowledges they will never finish it and has listed the Road Runner here on eBay in Irvington, Kentucky. They set their auction to open at $45,000 but have received no bids.

Stalled projects are nothing new on Barn Finds, but it appears this Road Runner may have suffered that fate twice. The listing suggests the seller purchased the car around a year ago, but it received a repaint in its original Curious Yellow in 2014. The paint still shines nicely, although the seller acknowledges a color mismatch on the trunk lid. The sticking point for potential buyers is that the previous owner parked the car in a gravel-floored garage under a cover following the repaint. This is not the best environment for preservation, and a few rust spots are the result. There is an area in the passenger-side front floor requiring attention and another in the lower rear quarter panel. Neither is horrendous, and some carefully-crafted patches may see them right. Considering the repairs needed and the existing color mismatch, the buyer may opt to strip the panels and apply a fresh coat of paint to achieve a high-end result. It appears most of the trim is present, and like the glass, it is in generally good order.

Road Runner buyers in 1971 faced a wide engine selection, with this car’s original owner choosing the 440/Six-Pack that churned out an impressive 385hp and 490 ft/lbs of torque. They added a four-speed manual transmission and a 3.54 Dana rear end. The result was a muscle car that could storm the ¼ mile in 14 seconds before winding its way to 128mph. While Plymouth sold 14,218 examples of the Road Runner in this model year, this car’s mechanical configuration is one of the rarest. Hemi-equipped cars trump it, but only 137 buyers teamed the Six-Pack with a four-speed transmission. The seller states this Plymouth is numbers-matching, although the engine is currently complete but disassembled. The 440 received a 0.060″ over-bore but needs bolting back together. The Six-Pack setup for this car isn’t original, starting life in a 1970 Dodge.

When we turn our attention to this Plymouth’s interior, we confront another unfinished aspect of the build. The seller sourced a set of good secondhand door trims, while the deal includes a new headliner, carpet set, and reupholstered seats. Some items like seat tracks and front seat headrests are missing, and other things will probably be required once the new owner completes an inventory. However, the crucial components are present, and replacing the missing items shouldn’t add significantly to the project costs.

I’m not going to kid you because $45,000 is a lot of money for a project car. It requires a dedicated and passionate individual to commit that sum to a vehicle that needs work to return to its former glory. When a project enters this price range, it is a harsh reality that the seller will have a limited potential buyer pool. This is a classic where I am unsure whether they will receive any bids or if they may need to compromise to send it to a new home. What do you think?