We all know what a Plymouth Road Runner is and it was a massively successful addition to Plymouth’s mid-size lineup in ’68. Ditch the vegetables and salad, just the meat and potatoes could have been the Road Runner’s mantra. And while the concept didn’t exist before ’68, the car sorta did in the form of the Plymouth Satellite and Belvedere. Ordered properly, you could end up with essentially the same car, bereft, however of the cartoon Road Runner and his nemesis Wile E. Coyote. Here’s just such an example, now that I think about it, a 1967 Plymouth Satellite, located in Queen Creek, Arizona and available, here on craigslist for $18,500, firm. T.J. gets a tip of the hat for this find.

As the Road Runner was based on the Plymouth Belvedere, our subject car is too, though it’s a slightly higher brow version in the form of a Satellite. Other members of Plymouth’s intermediate club in ’67 included the top dog  GTX, and the lesser Belvedere II and Belvedere I. But to mimic, or precede a Road Runner, you have to have a performance edge and this Satellite has it.

Power is provided, according to the VIN,  by a 270 HP, 383 CI V8 engine, and it’s connected to a TorqueFlite automatic gearbox. It’s not exactly the same arrangement as the Road Runner’s but with its modified intake manifold, carburetor, and dual exhaust system, it’s likely close. Completing the picture is an open-element air cleaner. The whole shebang is keeping its cool with an aluminum radiator. The seller states, “runs excellent with no smoke are (sic) rattles“. The mileage is listed as 67K miles but there’s no claim to that recording. However, there is written documentation included so there may be a way to determine if that reading is genuine.

Outside, we’re going old school all the way with Cragar S/S wheels – they really set this Satellite off! The finish is said to be original and there are no obvious blemishes or fade noted. This Mopar had to be garaged most of its life to present this well. It’s hard to imagine born-with paint surviving this well for 55 years. I’m looking hard for exterior demerits but I can’t find anything noteworthy. Being a Satellite, the trim on this car is a bit flashier than a Road Runner’s proletarian Belvedere-inspired duds, this car’s bearing is probably closer to a GTX’s form of dress.

Inside is a white bucket seat with a center console arrangement that still presents pretty well. The driver’s seat has a few splits and the seller informs us that the passenger and back seat still have those singe-your-shorts-wearing- thighs-on-a-hot-summer-day clear seat covers. The driver’s side footwell’s carpet looks like it’s starting to disintegrate but that’s a manageable problem. The seller tells us that the dash is a “wow“. If you look closely at the console you’ll find an original style tachometer.

OK, so this 1967 Plymouth Satellite is not exactly a Road Runner but you can see the emerging trend that brought the Seven Arts cartoon to motoring life. And of course, this Satellite isn’t carrying a first-gen Road Runner’s price either, right?