Some cars stick with families for decades, carrying memories and stories across generations. This 1976 Plymouth Road Runner, now offered here on craigslist in Livingston, Montana, is one of those cars. The seller has owned it for more than 30 years, and even let their kids take a turn behind the wheel. While time and use have left their marks, the car remains complete and offers an excellent entry point into Mopar ownership.
This Road Runner is equipped with the 318 cubic inch V8 paired to an automatic transmission. The seller notes that it still starts up, though it hasn’t been driven in years. As with any long-stored project, it will need some mechanical attention before returning to regular road use, but the good news is that small-block Mopar drivetrains are well-supported and parts remain easy to source.
The seller describes the car as “a little rough in spots,” particularly around the fenders, which isn’t uncommon for these late-’70s Mopars. Still, the photos show a solid base for restoration, and it even comes with the correct rear window louvers, a signature styling cue that really completes the Road Runner look.
The 1976 model year marked the introduction of the Road Runner as a trim on the Plymouth Volaré, shifting away from the B-body roots that made the name famous. While some enthusiasts prefer the earlier muscle car years, these Volaré-based Road Runners are gaining appreciation as survivors of a transitional era in Detroit performance history. They’re also far less common to find intact compared to their big-block predecessors.
This example’s long-term ownership is a big plus. Cars that stay with one caretaker for decades tend to retain more originality, and even with wear, they usually haven’t been pieced together from multiple parts cars. With a little TLC, this Montana Road Runner could be brought back as a unique conversation starter at local shows or enjoyed as a nostalgic driver.
Would you restore this Road Runner back to showroom condition, or clean it up and keep its well-earned patina?
Looks like the kids beat the tar out of it. Get this, the word “Volare” is Italian for “to fly”. It’s ironic the Roadrunner bird is a poor flyer,,beeeeautiful. I think Chrysler milked the musclecar to the end in 1980 with this car. To show the stark difference, over 81,000 Roadrunners were sold in 1969, by 1980, only 496 were sold, making these relatively rare. A sad end to an era that will never be forgotten or duplicated, and the Roadrunner was leading the pack. As anemic as this car may have been, 0-60 in 10.7, the 1/4 mile 18.2@ 77mph, it still embodied the original concept, a V8 in a compact car, just to a lesser extent. I hope someone saves it for the sheer name, once so proud, look what they reduced it to, a sickly meep-meep, and about all this car shares with the original, is the horn.
Howard you’re talking about a former Motor Trend car of the year winner 🏆. Please enjoy the linked article, it’s pretty good. Thanks for the write-up Elizabeth.
https://www.motortrend.com/news/dodge-aspen-plymouth-volare-history
Hopefully those dents pound out. I doubt anyone makes Aspen fenders. The kind of car I would have ordered with a delete to that rear side window treatment, otherwise, a pretty sharp car in its day. Funny to see a dry Montana car, where I come from they all rusted to the ground, esp the front fenders. I had a friend with a “rare” (per Howard) 1980 RR with an anemic slant six. Strangled, useless like 90HP. The mighty really had fallen by that time. I had a 71 Duster 225 that some people when they drove it swore it must have been a V8, it was that good. Chrysler should have dropped the RR moniker, or at least offered a 360 in them. As I said on another post, ,the SS was an amazing engine so worthy of corporate upgrading with EFI, better heads, etc. After all, they still had a rear drive set of cars, well into the 90s.
“Caretaker” is a reach on this Roadrunner.
Nice write up author, and I mostly agree with your assessment. I think these are not the correct louvres for a 1976 (and ‘77) Road Runner, at least not the ones shown in pictures.
They are horizontal louvres, which were on the later Volare Road Runners. In 1976 they had vertical louvres. I think these have been added from a ‘78-80 model.
People complain about the lack of affordable collectible/project cars, here is a car for $3,750 from a state with a lot of relatively rust free cars. The pictures don’t provide much detail but the seller comes across as more straight forward than most sellers.
This is the sort of ad that often leads to a good deal for the buyer, long term owner, not sugar coating the description, bad pictures and not overpriced. I lived close by and was interested in the car featured in a similar ad I’d find the time to check it out.
Steve R
My thoughts exactly! The trouble is that the performance and quality is so lacking it is hard to picture spending the necessary coin when the upside is so a small.
But it certainly is affordable as is.
Agreed. And the fact that the seller didn’t clean it up means there aren’t expecting to get top dollar for it.
It is most likely in the way and needs to go.
30 years of ownership means getting a very good insight into the how the car was treated and if the seller is a stand up guy, would be more than happy to answer questions as your ownership begins.
Volare Road Runner! Ha ha ha.
I always got road runners and liked them. Never considered a volare a road runner no more that a pinto is a mustang
A Volare with stripes, rear deck spoiler and rear 1/4 windows gills. Luckily, it is not priced absurdly. A manual gearbox would have gone a long way to make this desirable. No bucket seats, no manual gearbox and nothing special under the hood. I understand that this was a basic Roadrunner at that time in history. But it is nothing special to me.
Car does appear to have bucket seats and a console.
I’ve cruised around Livingston a few times. I think I’ve seen this car before.