Survivor is not a term I like to use loosely, but I feel that this Road Runner fits the bill. There are multiple levels or survivors, so to speak. The two most common kinds are the cars that were put away many years ago with low miles, and the cars that somebody just kept driving. This 1974 Plymouth Road Runner would appear to be the latter. It is claimed to be a one-owner, 64,735 actual mile vehicle. This car isn’t perfect and will need some work, but for the price and condition I would be tempted to drive it how it is. Find it here on eBay in Tennessee with an asking price of $8,995.
The engine is a Chrysler 318 V8, which is my personal favorite engine. These small block Chryslers are easy to service, straightforward to rebuild, and parts are affordable and plentiful. The seller states that the engine is not seized and turns over freely, but has not been started. A simple tune-up may easily have this old girl running, especially with the reputation 318s have. This is a factory A/C, power steering, power brake car, which are all the options you need!
This car really speaks for the mid-1970s. At first, I thought there was a seat cover over top of the original seats, but actually its patterned cloth trimmed in white vinyl. It is hard to tell from this picture, and this is the only interior picture provided, but it looks like a good cleaning would have this car in driver condition. It really is on the threshold of needing to be restored, but still nice enough to enjoy it as it is.
If you haven’t noticed already, this is a really solid car that isn’t rotten in the usual places. Mopars are known for their rust, and this Plymouth has none of the “typical” rust these cars are prone to. The half vinyl top has been removed at some point long ago, likely due to sun damage, and the roof shows only surface rust. The trunk floor looks a little crispy in some of the other pictures, but still no through-rust! For under $10,000, this might be the most solid Mopar muscle car you can get into. I think I would enjoy it as it is for a while. What would you do?
Danny Koker ought to see this.
DK would just spend a ton on it and then keep it;-)
OK…let me get this straight…a non-running, small block, automatic, on the column, no less, ugly colored Road Runner for 9 large??? Maybe, with a 440/stick I can see it, but this car? No.
Id keep the factory 318, and all original equipment… because I would turn it into a clone of the ’74 RoadRunner Daisy Duke drove. Upgraded brakes, suspension, an upgraded transmission, a beefed up but period correct 4 speed and an upgraded 383 would be thrown into the engine bay. Only thing is it would look exactly like Daisy Duke’s RoadRunner.
Not sure this is a Road Runner, because it has the Sundance edition interior. Is this a Sundace someone turned into a Road Runner?
I was thinking the same thing
What is that color? It is sooo ’70’s!
Looks like Plymouth color code Y6: Golden Haze Metallic
TT1 Copper Metallic, i think.
Clearly the beginning of an inglorious end to a great name. Maybe “Malaise Metallic”.
Looks like it has the Sundance interior.
OK, but any Sundance/Shadow I’ve seen wasn’t like this.. POSSIBLY a Volare/Aspen interior?? Had a Volare with a similar interior, very basic
No, not that Sundance. Plymouth offered a Spring Special in 1974, the Sundance option.
“The seller states that the engine is not seized and turns over freely…” (no compression on any of the cylinders)
I think I would have to paint this old girl, maybe red, that would match the interior. The 318 prob needs to be gone through, but not too difficult. Then you would have a nice driver. 9 large seems a bit dear for this, esp. not running in a questionable color. Really liked these when I was in high school, but had to buy a 1970 because…it was cheaper!!!!!!!!
Throw the 318 in the trash, put a big block in, redo the interior in black or black with white, paint it rally blue with the stripes.
My second car was a 73 340 road runner auto on the column, had big fun in that car.
Looked like pic related.
But the 318 is “his personal favorite”……!
The older I get, sometimes, depending on the car, survivor means it’s there
I have never liked the style of this generation. Aside from that they drove like a garden variety Corpnet.
I don’t see anything special at all.
Also, guys like The Count are to blame for people asking huge amounts for cars like this.
I’m sure somebody will like it but this thing is absolutely worthless, get real. This Road Runner may have a light on but nobody is home.
Road Runner was simply a trim package for this year completely devoid of any standard performance aspirations, you could option a Satelite like this
There is nothing special or even “heavy duty” hiding underneath. If this car had any other engine available (360, 400, 440) it would be worth something. This car has very, very little intrinsic worth apart from the kind of cool interior. Not a worthwhile listing.
When Roadrunners came standard with the whopping 318, a far cry from the original but heck, this was 1974 not ’68, things changed a whole bunch. Would make a decent looking machine as it still looks the part of a muscle car and the condition is very good with the exception of the boat anchor under the hood. Price wise, well, hmm.
Here we go again people want to pull the original engine for a big block. Anyone ever hear of bore and stroke 318, edelbrock heads, intake, FAST fuel injection, and go around corners without scraping door handles.
If a person wants to swap out for a big block, that’s fine, pull that original engine out and rebuild it that’s fine too, it’s all part of the hobby. It’s bad enough that a car like this, this fluke of a roadrunner, is going for ten grand these days.
My older sister bought a new 74 Challenger, blue with white interior with the 318 because she liked my 71 Challenger R/T. Her Challenger was nice until she started driving over medians, hitting curbs and scraping guardrails. The 318 always ran well to get her back home.
’73 was such a transitional year for the big three…lower c/r made for less horsepower, but advances in suspension design made for much better driving and safer cars…they say we we identify with our experiences at 17 yrs old…this one hits that mark!
While I too love the 318 (Mom had 3- 61 Plymouth wagon, 68 Satellite wagon and 74 Dart), the only reason to keep it is if it IS the original. Even then, I’d box it up and drop in a (340, 383, 440 or any Hemi) and enjoy. Yes, least favorite RR body, but it’s a cheap way in.
318 Roadrunner. Heresy
This is NOT a Road Runner. It’s a Satellite Sebring Sundance, even the door panels say “Sebring” Anyone can change the hood and the dash woodgrain insert with RR items but it’s not a true RR. A simple check of all the matching numbers (VIN) will confirm this.
If it is a Satellite Road Runner the VIN would start with RM21. If it is equipped with the Sundance interior trim package (A77) it would be a Satellite Sebring hardtop (RH23). It is missing the Sundance tape stripe down the side from the front and then up and over ahead of the rear window.
The Sundance Package was available on Sebring hardtops (RH) and included special Sundance body side and over the rear roof Sundance tape stripe, Sundance interior seat colours and design, premium wheel covers, whitewalls and Sundance decals on front header and right lower trunk lid. Colours were either Spinnaker White (EW1) or Aztec Gold Metallic (JL6) which is what this car looks to have..
All 1968-1975 Road Runners were models with “RM” as the first two letters on the VIN. And only Road Runners were “RM”.
So, this car is either a Road Runner (RM21) with interior switched to the Sundance package or a Sebring hardtop (RH23) with the A77 Sundance package with the exterior Sundance tape stripes removed and a few Road Runner items added. .
My money is on the Sebring with Sundance package.
Someone stuck a bulge hood on a Plymouth Satellite Sebring Sundance and cloned it (weakly, I might add) into a RR. I’ve owned a RR, a Satty Sebring, and Sebring Plus, all 73’s, and that interior was specific to the Satty Sundance one off. Color is spot on, but it’s missing the correct hood and the correct stripe package for Satty Sundance.