This 1970 Plymouth Road Runner has spent the vast majority of its life in Arizona, and the most obvious benefit of this life is that it has managed to remain rust-free. It is also said to be completely original and does present exceptionally well. Barn Finder Pat L referred this beautiful classic to us, so thank you for that Pat. The Road Runner is now located in Brookfield, Illinois, and is listed for sale here on Craigslist. If you would like to be the next owner of the Plymouth, then the owner has set an asking price of $45,000 OBO.
Finished in Burnt Orange, the Road Runner is very attractive. The presentation of the car is very impressive, and while there are no photos of the vehicle’s underside, what we can see looks to confirm the owner’s claims about the car. The original rally wheels look nice and clean, and the external trim and chrome look just as good as the rest of the exterior.
I looked long and hard at this car’s interior, and for a while, I thought that I wouldn’t be able to find anything to fault. But then, bingo! The passenger seat looks like it has a seam separation at the front. However, this looks like it could be repaired fairly easily, and what the next owner would be left with would be a clean and original black interior. The console looks really nice, and the car features the rally gauges, complete with the Tic-Toc-Tach. There are no signs of any cracks or problems with the dash or pad, while the remaining upholstered surfaces look to be in good condition. This suggests that the Road Runner has been garaged for the majority of its life because the Arizona sun hasn’t had an opportunity to wreak havoc on the interior.
As a numbers-matching car, what the next owner will be getting is a 383ci V8 and 3-speed TorqueFlite transmission. The Road Runner was quite a performer when it was new, and even today, its performance figured are nothing to be sneezed at. With a 0-60mph time of 6.5 seconds and a ¼ mile time of 14.7, that compares very favorably with a lot of far newer cars. The owner says that the car runs and drives beautifully.
Interestingly, the owner of this Road Runner does say that the car has its share of wear and tear, as you would expect from a car that is nearly 50-years-old, but the only place that this wear really shows is under the hood. Maybe the photos flatter to deceive, and the Road Runner might not present as well in person as it does in the photos. However, if it does, then it is one pretty spectacular car.
Wow! An old Mopar with no rust? Wow!
Promote what you love, don’t bash what you hate. Sad.
Exact same car i had for first car. Mine hada 67 R/T 440 375. 4 speed but being a pennsylvania car was nowhere near as nice as this had metal mites badly on both quarters. I took autobody class and the instructor even being a ford guy took a liking to me and and my car MR BECK. Helped me to really get the car whipped into shape we welded the quarters up and got it looking really nice we tagged teamed the cars paint job on the next to the last day of school came out real nice THANKS MR BECK WASHINGTON VO TECH SCHOOL PITTSBURGH PA. YA WERE A GREAT INSTRUCTOR AS WELL AS A GOOD GUY. JEFF CLASS OF 1979
Now that is one rare bird. Beep Beep!
Name a car from the 60s (domestic or foreign) that didn’t rust! The wheel wells in all the Big 3 pickups rusted; Skylarks rusted under the trunk lid; Fords had frame rust issues; Volkswagens…well, we all know that story; BMW 3.0 and the Italian jobs were legendary rusters. And maybe that’s what draws us geeks to the car hobby, actually seeing a 60s car that hasn’t disintegrated in the last 60 years!
This car is awesome. I am gaining a new appreciation for the 60s Mopars.
and how many new cars have rust before they are paid off?
sweet road runner.
To be honest, most new cars rust a whole lot less than the old ones.
I bought a 1971 Plymouth Sport Fury GT in 1974 which had rust under the lip of the deck lid, in one of the rear quarters and both of the front fenders just ahead of the doors (above the rockers). My 2003 Dodge Intrepid has no rust anywhere, and it’s 16 years old, not 3. My 2001 Dodge Dakota finally has started rusting. My 2005 Lexus, zero rust. But I saw many a new car from the 1960’s which was rusting before it was a few years old. Really they are much better than they used to be, with the exception of the cheapest cars like base Kia’s which people drive year round and don’t even wash.
Ever wonder what happened to “Ziebart”? People used to get their new cars ‘Ziebarted’ and now… no need.
Nice old Road Runner, very clean. Sporty this and sporty that, gear ratio and driver skill will dictate just how quick these really are. One thing I really like is the dash layout. You know, one other thing about this muscle car here….it ain’t got nothing on that ’63 426 Max wedge Belvedere posted earlier! Ahahaha!!
Favorite Road Runner. The originals were thin door, bench seat, rattle traps( it’s why they went so well) but this started to change the tide a bit, it was a much nicer car, and still had the power. The restyled ’71 was still a nice car, but lost that original charm. This is a very cool car, as after this, the muscle car began to fade.
This is a great find. However the “it packs performance that would put a lot of modern cars to shame” comment is a stretch. Yes these old cars were powerful and fast for the times however a 2015 Ford Focus with a 2 liter 4 banger will nearly equal the 0-60 and quarter mile times of this Roadrunner.
Might be true, but then you’re driving a Ford Focus instead of a Roadrunner!
And your synopsis is based on what?
That’s true, but the Focus doesn’t get moving til you rev it way up. The Road Runner will GO just with a good push on the gas pedal. Low end torque.
And 50 or 60 years from now all these new cars we have now are gonna be rusted out..beautiful road runner
We need Plymouth to come back, now, right away, and bring us back the budget muscle Road Runner just like they did years ago. Your comment got me to thinking about new cars and despite their awesome performance they sure are awful expensive! I know new cars don’t belong on this forum, but we need a modern version of this Road Runner soon.
I get the feeling you were born 20 years too late. Never gonna happen, the only way to enjoy this era again, is to empty the bank account and get something like this. I lived through this era, and there are so many factors today, that weren’t a concern in 1970. If you make a car like this today, with all the modern updates, like cup holders and heated gas pedals, it detracts from what these cars really were, basic, bottom of the line Belvedere’s, Plymouths cheapest and lightest model, with a big block V8. And, they were going on sheer numbers. They couldn’t build them fast enough, although 1970, sales were almost half ( 45,000 cars) compared to ’69 and I remember dealers almost giving these away,, today, they’d never sell enough to make it worth while. Sorry you missed it, but to rub salt in the wound, in the late ’70’s, these cars were a tough sell, and every car lot, especially Toyota lots, had at least a couple of muscle cars, and $500 bucks got you one all day long. The people that had the insight back then to hang on to one, like this person, bought them and stashed them away. In our wildest dreams, while it was going on, never thought this era would end.
Good call, Rude, having been born in ’66 this was my folks era, my driving days started in the early ’80’s. I remember these things practically since, well, I can remember…but as an adult these were old cars that could be had for cheap, most were tweaked, some were overblown street machines, almost none that I ever saw were completely stock. My uncle dumped his L78 Nova at some point in ’73, practically anyone my folks knew that had SS396 Chevelles, Mach1 Mustangs got rid of them that same year…freaked about gas! Toyotas, little ones, and Datsuns were the replacements.
My point with a new Road Runner would be based around the Charger, different roof line, with minimal options and big time hemi performance….for less money. I realize most younger buyers would have little interest without all the bells and whistles, so yes, it would make little sense to create one. Of course, Plymouth is long gone an it is merely a fantasy to even really consider it.
And..no worries,,, you’re not rubing any salt here, that was your era,…
It would be really great to have FCA revive the Plymouth brand, and have only the muscle cars of yore. But even if they used the original stampings, trying to achieve the latest government regulations regarding safety, alone, would be a nightmare. Just the airbag placements would lend to a more modernistic look, and detract from the great “old school” styling. The bumpers would have to be changed as well. These were not crash worthy compared to modern cars. It really makes me sad that the government has the influence to dictate what car that we REALLY want to drive. These are such beautiful automobiles. It would be great to have one that looks JUST like this one, with a 9 speed automatic, and all of the modern suspension, brakes and other current underpinnings. Best of both worlds !
W9..,If we take a look at the new Challenger, at least from the front, it’s old school, same with the Camaro and Mustangs. All the styling influence goes back at least fifty years. The new Charger tries hard to be retro in styling,, just using the word “Hemi” as they’ve done for a while now comes straight out of the ’60’s. Had Plymouth been around still, there’s little doubt in my mind we’d obviously have a late model ‘Cuda, a slightly stubbier version o the Challenger so to speak, and the Road Runner name would have come back, think of a restyled Charger here with a lower price point, hopefully. It could be done, on the new platform, definitely not on a 1970 car of any kind. There were even rumors of a new Chevrolet Chevelle SS, I read that somewhere, based on the Camaro. Hopefully 1970 won’t return anytime soon as I consider that to be the end of the really strong running cars, all down hill after that.
Great looking car there. One that you can turnkey on and drive without spending months getting it into running condition.
Definitely a WoW.
And you do not have to rebuild it.
Price not bad for a beauty.
Buy and drive 😁😂🤣
Had of these in the70’s in highschool had a friend of the family pickup at car auction for$1200.00 . Sure was fast had the air grabber hood blue outside with white bucket seats and that classic four speed shifter. Had it for two years and gas went up to .80 cents a gallon and thought I could not afford it any longer. Sold it for 1800.00…..
80 cents a gallon? Heavens No! 😱
I got my first car in 76 and remember lining up for gas during the odd/even rationing nonsense. Got my first muscle car (73 Challenger) in 83. It was turn key mostly original. Sometimes I wish I hadn’t sold it. I’d love to have a 70 Roadrunner but not at that price. I’d be afraid to drive it. Would prefer a driver quality version for a lot less $(if that still exists today). Still it’s a beautiful car and I love the color.
Absolutely a perfect car and it’s priced well too!! Considering that the last few we’ve seen have hit the 20’s with no metal left in them!!
To my eye this beautiful RR was purchased more for show than go. If you wanted *go* you didn’t bother to spend $ on buckets, a console, or the automatic.
The seat insert pattern on this car doesn’t look correct to me. It’s too smooth. Maybe there were different upholstery patterns available?
In about 1982 I bought a 70 RR that had been vandalized tires ice picked) and parked under a tree. Paid $100 for it. A basic 383, 3-speed manual, bucket seat car. Had it running again in a weekend and WOW was it fun to drive. Even more fun to do burnouts! I can’t even image the power of one of these with the 440 6bbl engine – OMG.
I tried to sell my RR when I headed to college. $700 for a solid, decent running, presentable car. No takers. It was “only” a 383 car. Times have changed quite a bit, eh?
You guys are right about rice burner s makin serious power no doubt but ya gotta rev the daylights out of em. These old BOAT ANCHOR DINOSAURS as my son calls em really put your azzz into the sear when ya mash the skinny pedal we were af the flash light drags in waynesburgh pa and my son wasin his 94 stang. 347 stroker. Nice car really. Was bashin on THE DINOSAUR BOAT ANCHORS THERE I GOT HIM A RACE against a 66 coronet from an old guy i knew from long ago. When the DINOSAUR hit second gear he went by that stang so bad that my kid was gonna sue em for wind damages justa bought scarred that ponystang back to the stall HEH HEH HEH coronet was packin a 468 hemi ALL STEEL 9 80 CAR then i hooked em up against a 65 malibu. He barely beat it and was laughin then i told em to look at the rear tires on the bu he was runnin red stripes. my kid was runnin big azzz drag radials then he finaly realized that if the bu had fhe same TIRES he woula got his azzzz handed to em I’m his dad my job is to edgamakate him He now kinda respects the old BOAT ANCHOR DINOSAURES somewhat
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That split seam the author mentions , if you take a closer look is the door lock button , it’s the type with straight sides so it’s harder to break into . I don’t see anything wrong with the interior , aside from a few places that needs some paint touch up there’s not really anything wrong at all , with the touch up done and a thorough detailing this car would show very well in a preservation class , not many (if any) of these around in this good of original condition .