The second generation of the Plymouth Road Runner arrived for 1971, complete with styling that was more rounded, taking on a “fuselage” shape. The windshield was now steeply raked, with a hidden cowl and deeply inset grille and headlights. To placate the insurance industry, the Road Runner could be had with engines smaller than 383 cubic inches. This ’71 edition has the 340 small-block, one of only 1,681 installations in the ‘Bird that year. It’s a 46-year, same-owner car that was left out in the woods for many years. Needing almost everything, this Plymouth is in Williamsburg, Iowa, and available here on eBay where it can go home today for $6,500 (or you can make an offer). Another Mopar tip brought to us by Barn Finder Larry D!
The move to add a 340 to the Road Runner, plus a detuned 383 with a lower compression ratio, allowed the vehicle to receive a standard insurance rating without the costly premiums normally tacked onto muscle cars. The 383 would now run on regular gas. While you could still get a 440 6-Pack and the 426 Hemi, they would be gone at the end of the model year. With the changes to the body shape, aerodynamics were much improved over the first-generation Road Runners, resulting in improved high-speed handling which was a boon for the cars on the NASCAR circuit.
This Road Runner is one of 1,243 built in 1971 with an automatic transmission paired with the 340. These cars were not as fast as the more popular Duster 340s and Demon 340s because they weighed more. We don’t know a lot about this Plymouth except that its prior owner left it out in the woods, so Mother Nature has not been kind to it, especially the undercarriage where the floors contain a great deal of rot. It left the factory painted white, but someone changed the color to black and the difference is evident under the hood.
At 72,000 miles, it was a pretty basic car. No buckets seats or a console and the transmission is shifted at the column. While we’re told the Plymouth is complete and needs a full restoration, no further commentary is offered about its condition. There appears to be something amiss with the front suspension on the driver’s side as the lean is too severe for just a flat tire. We understand that the heads on the 1971 340s had hardened seats, enabling the engines to run on unleaded gas, years before the advent of catalytic converters that required it.
Other than a rear end rusting away and a total collapse of the left front suspension what’s not to like?
Fred Flintstone package , I wouldn’t waste my time thinking about this one
looks like the torsion bar crossmember gave up
“You can come over after dark,& inspect it”.
Oh dear that front driver’s side does not look good. And look at the driver’s side floor! Oh my goodness. The vehicle was clearly parked over moist ground. That is very problematic with these unibodies.
I am not even sure the right front tire is flat, I do know it has sunk in to the mud up to the axle. Lots of work to be done that a working woman would not have the time to devote to it.
Nice ice scraper.
Very reasonably priced for a rotted out Mopar.
& Last year, 2022….
My brother had one of these with a stock 383 while in high school. The cops in town were constantly pulling him over because the rear bumper was too high of the ground. His had a center console and fat fat tires on the back.
Had to have had Air Shocks. You could only run 60’s on these unless you modified the wheel wells.
Rule #1 when buying an old car to restore, never buy one that’s up to its wheel wells in dirt.
How much for the supersweet 8-track?
I’m only here for the comments…oh, and the sweet Buick air cleaner is a bonus just to look at.
had one of these in 84 that I had to abandon in watson lake, yukon territory on the AlCan when the rear spring shackles tore out of the unibody & left the axle attached at only two points instead of 4. nothing solid to weld metal to anywhere near the detachment. Law at the time wouldn’t allow sale of US vehicles in Canada. Except for the engine, these were junk back then.
When I see things like this, I want to slap the daylights out of the moron that allowed it to happen.
I’m really liking the Buick air cleaner !
I’m amazed the interior is as clean as it is , there are holes in the cowl and floor big enough to let racoons and opossums in ! Seriously , this flipper is really hoping to strike it rich with this one , and the ad reads like he knows nothing about cars …and 72,000 miles ? come on !
I’ll take the 8 track deck, leave the rest
Geez, same old slam on these old survivor muscle cars from a time frame when they ruled the streets of America. You will never ever see this again. My point is, most on here were not even born or actually were old enough, to be driving these cars during this time frame, yet pass judgement on what you perceive as worthless. I am not a Mopar guy but do respect the car. I have completely restored cars worse then the car pictured here. I bet most of you could not drop the value of a restored car and then would complain about the
Price and too high.
I am old enough to have owned and driven cars like this, and this one is shot . A unibody car sitting on damp ground for decades is a death sentence , and this car needs everything . body parts and interior pieces for these are impossible to find new or used. The A post to the cowl is completely rusted away at the bottom and I’d wager its the torsion bar mount to the unibody that’s rotted away and not a broken torsion bar. On top of that, you figure something bad caused it to get parked- blown engine ? transmission ? all this for a base Road Runner that’s spent more time rusting than racing.
I find it very funny that a large percentage of cars offered here for sale, is strapped to a trailer when photographed. Did the buyer realise that he bought something more than he could chew
early on and the car is not worth unloading, or is he after a quick “flip” ?
Amen Karl. I had a B-body of this vintage too. That’s how I know it’s shot! But hey, if someone thinks they’re smarter than everyone else here, buy it and try. It’ll be just as easy as it looks on Graveyard Carz lol!
I am old enough to have owned and driven cars like this, and this one is shot . A unibody car sitting on damp ground for decades is a death sentence , and this car needs everything . body parts and interior pieces for these are impossible to find new or used. The A post to the cowl is completely rusted away at the bottom and I’d wager its the torsion bar mount to the unibody that’s rotted away and not a broken torsion bar. On top of that, you figure something bad caused it to get parked- blown engine ? transmission ? all this for a base Road Runner that’s spent more time rusting than racing.