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One Owner 40 Years: 1971 Plymouth Road Runner

Two muscle cars in the 1960s may have made more noise than the others, the Pontiac GTO in 1964 and the Plymouth Road Runner in 1968. The latter was a budget-minded entry based on the redesigned B-body intermediates offered by Chrysler. With its catchy name, nifty graphics, and raw power, the Road Runner was instantly popular. The 1971 model year ushered in a new body with “fuselage” styling, giving the hot rods more of a slippery look like the seller’s beauty. Though the engine has been rebuilt, the paint is original. Located in Detroit, Michigan and available here on craigslist, the asking price is $60,000. Thanks for this hot Mopar tip, T.J.!

The Road Runner peaked in popularity in its second year, at more than 81,000 copies. Insurance companies began to realize the liability these cars presented, so as rates went up, demand went down. By 1971, even with an all-new look, Road Runner production was down to just over 14,000 units. A little more than half, or nearly 8,000 copies, came with a 383 cubic inch V8, 4-barrel carburetor, and 3-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission, as in the seller’s car.

From what we can tell, this ’71 Road Runner has spent more time being babied than street raced. The same party owned it for more than 40 years, keeping it in a garage when it wasn’t brought out for the occasional Sunday drive in the Summer. The Forest Green paint is the same as it left the factory with, and the decals and “Beep Beep” horn are intact. The interior is also original except for repairs to the headliner and the driver’s seat bottom.

Though the odometer shows 88,000 miles, the 383 V8 was redone 35-40 years ago. At that time, some mods were added such as forged pistons and a “Purple” camshaft. More recently, the Plymouth has been treated to a new Magnaflow exhaust with long-tube headers, and a new carburetor, plus the brakes were converted to discs. This car comes with its built sheet to verify authenticity. The Plymouth looks like a beautiful second-generation Road Runner, though it’s priced more like a first-generation edition.

Comments

  1. Avatar shelbyGT500 Member

    Seller wants Cash Only.
    Ok,let me think about it .

    Like 11
    • Avatar Tom

      Ridiculous…

      Like 9
  2. Avatar Rixx56 Member

    NOT the area to carry 60k in cash!!!
    Just sayin’… seriously!

    Like 16
    • Avatar Johan

      I’ve never been in an area where it is good to carry around $60K in cash…

      Like 0
    • Avatar Motorcityman

      Nobody says to “carry it” u have it set up at a bank.
      No city would be a good place!

      Like 4
  3. Avatar Big Bear 🇺🇸

    Let’s see.. one nice road runner ( bait car) two.. fool with briefcase with cash! Last bad guys waiting at exchange point with car and beat the crap out of him or her take the cash and take back the car. Only a fool will fall for this cash only business! 🙄

    Like 17
    • Avatar Johan

      No joke! I’ve had people tell me they want $20K in cash for a car. Nope…

      Like 4
    • Avatar Leslie Martin Member

      I don’t know about anyone else, but the last time I bought a car for a large amount of cash, I just arranged to met the seller at my bank. Asking for cash to buy a car isn’t necessarily suspicious. But if a seller isn’t willing to meet you with their car and pink slip at a place you can conduct the transaction in public, that IS suspicious.

      Like 14
    • Avatar Mike

      WOW, that is exactly what happened to a friend of mine with the same car in Toledo, OH. Only he came prepared and it ended in a gun fight, no one died but he did take a bullet.

      Like 1
  4. Avatar BA

    No A/C, No Deal especially at that price

    Like 8
    • Avatar bone

      Real muscle cars shouldn’t have A/C – its extra weight and a drag on the engine . Lighter is faster !

      Like 2
  5. Avatar GBJ

    Ugly green paint & interior! Too much money….pass!

    Like 0
  6. Avatar Shuttle Guy Member

    Love the car and I have 40K that’s it!

    Like 0
  7. Avatar Joe

    All I gotta’ say is Way, way, overpriced…..cash or otherwise (what a joke that is)…the 383 engines in 71’ had reduced compression and now were 300 horsepower…..having driven one of these (a friend’s car) new, I can tell you….these cars were dogs…..the dash change, I thought was awful too…the previous year Rallye dash was awesome…..just my humble opinion….

    Like 7
  8. Avatar Bill

    I was offered a 69 gt350 for 52k canadian ,never painted, the man has 6 shelbys and 69 boss 429 so I know he isn’t a scam, he owns a local ford dealership and I bought an 08 gt500 ragtop from him, and he one of a few dealers in Canada that is shelby certified. Certainly it’s worth more than that plymouth

    Like 1
  9. Avatar Ronnie E Hunt

    I can see if it was a 4 Speed and that two tone interior is not for me

    Like 1
  10. Avatar PRA4SNW

    Nice car and one owner (if you don’t count the flipper), but it needs to be 440 / 6 Barrel / 4 speed to get that kind of dough.

    Like 1
  11. Avatar John Oliveri

    Nah, it’s a 30,000 car at max, it’s green, it’s got a bench seat, and no A/C

    Like 2
    • Avatar Shuttle Guy Member

      I’ve been thinking about my offer of 40K and I agree with you now. The car will never go any where 60.

      Like 0
      • Avatar Michael Berkemeier

        So, you actually made an offer? Because, you know that just saying you’ll buy it here means nothing, right? Most of the people hare are just Lookie Lous. They’ll never buy a single car.

        Like 1
    • Avatar karl

      Do you know what the basics of a true muscle car is ? Bench seat – lighter than 2 buckets – A/C heavier , thus slowing you down. . The Roadrunner was intended to be a true muscle car – a big engine in a lightweight car (originally a Belvedere) You wanted A/C ? You bought a GTX !

      Like 2
  12. Avatar steve

    #1 71 Roadrunner 383 base is only worth $61,700.00

    Like 0
  13. Avatar Dirt

    #1 71 Roadrunner 383 base is only worth $61,700.00

    Like 0

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