The Plymouth Road Runner was a genuine muscle car with no bells or whistles. For buyers who couldn’t justify the expense of ordering their new Plymouth with the fire-breathing Hemi under the hood, the company introduced the A12 option in February of 1969. It brought a few notable upgrades to improve the Road Runner’s already impressive performance. Chief among these was the legendary 440ci Six-Pack V8, and our feature car is one of those vehicles. It is a rock-solid and original classic that would make a rewarding restoration project. The Plymouth is located in Rushford, Minnesota, and is listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has raced past the reserve to sit at $41,200.

Finished in Limelight, the A12 Road Runner could have been a genuine sleeper. There were no huge badges or decals to help it stand out, while it rolled on 6″ steel wheels that ignored hubcaps and trims in favor of chrome lugnuts. People would have been none the wiser if it had not been for the lift-off fiberglass hood with the enormous scoop. There’s no denying this Plymouth requires restoration, but the indications are that the process should be pretty straightforward. The panels sport no significant dings or dents, with any imperfections easy to fix without replacing steel. The story is similar when we confront the subject of rust. The underside shots reveal spotless floors that wear much of their original paint. Any rust problems externally would appear minor, and the buyer could address these with simple patches. Some of the trim and chrome items have seen better days, and the next owner will need to spend money there. The rear glass on the driver’s side looks to be missing, but the rest seems okay. Without an in-person inspection, I couldn’t be sure, but I believe that the wheels and lugnuts may be original.

Since the 1969 Road Runner is a genuine muscle car, buyers could expect stunning performance when they nailed the loud pedal. Even the entry-level 383ci V8 could launch the Plymouth through the ¼ mile in 14.4 seconds. If a buyer stumped up the extra cash for a Hemi, that figure dropped to 13.4 seconds. Some buyers wanted more than the 383 offered but couldn’t justify the expense of a Hemi. That’s where the A12 option filled the void from February 1969. As well as the fiberglass hood with the functional scoop, the drivetrain received some tasty upgrades. For an additional $462.80 over the Road Runner’s sticker price of $2,945, buyers received the legendary 440ci Six-Pack V8 that churned out an impressive 390hp. That figure remains short of the 425hp produced by the Hemi, but on a “bang for your bucks” basis, it represented excellent value. Buyers could choose from two transmissions, with our Road Runner featuring a four-speed manual that feeds the power to a 4.11 Dana 60 rear end. While it wasn’t as fast as the Hemi-equipped version, the A12 could turn in sub-14-second passes with ease. For potential buyers, the news appears to be nothing but positive. The seller indicates that this is a complete numbers-matching classic and that he holds the VIN Tag, Fender Tag, and Build Sheet confirming its authenticity. The Road Runner doesn’t run or drive, but returning it to that state should prove enormously satisfying.

Before spending a dime on this Road Runner’s interior, I would expend some time and effort to deep clean everything. It looks like many of the upholstered surfaces could prove okay, but a few trim pieces are missing. These include the trim around the radio, some window regulator handles, and the horn ring off the wheel. Locating these parts shouldn’t prove a challenge, and if the upholstery is okay, this part of the restoration may prove the least expensive. Otherwise, reproduction interior trim in the correct material and pattern remains readily available.

With such a late introduction into the product range, the A12 1969 Road Runner didn’t sell in huge numbers. You are more likely to spot a Hardtop version in the current market than a Coupe like our feature car. Plymouth produced a mere 388 examples equipped with the four-speed manual transmission, making this a relatively rare muscle car. I initially saw that rarity as ample justification for someone to return it to its former glory, but it isn’t that simple. It is a First Generation Road Runner, representing the muscle car genre in its purest form. That is reason enough for someone to return it to its original state. The rarity and drivetrain combination just happens to be the icing on a pretty tasty cake. Would you consider making a play for this classic?