Introduced in 1968 as a low-priced muscle car, the Plymouth Road Runner was a hit. Available with Chrysler’s top-tier V8 engines and sporting Warner Bros’ Road Runner cartoon character and “beep, beep” horn (for which Plymouth paid $50,000), the two-door moved 43,294 units in its first year on the market.
The downward trend continued as Plymouth redesigned the two-door for 1971 with only 13,664 cars sold. 1971 was also the final year for the iconic 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) HEMI V8. 1972 saw Road Runner sales drop even more to 6,860 examples ahead of a slight recovery at almost 16,000 units in 1973.
The second-gen Road Runner eventually went into the history books in 1974 with 9,636 customers getting one.
In 1976, however, the Road Runner was relegated to a package for the F-platform Volare, a move that ended its stint as a stand-alone nameplate.
While the 1976-to-1980 version is not considered a true Road Runner by Mopar enthusiasts, the 1975 version remains somewhat controversial. While some consider it an authentic Road Runner and a continuation of the second-gen B-body, others dismiss it as a fancied-up Fury. Technically, it’s a true Road Runner, a designated car with its own VIN.
All told, chances are you won’t see a 1975 Road Runner in pristine condition nowadays unless you attend an event like the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN). And that’s exactly where classic car enthusiast Lou Costabile discovered this fine example in Aztec Gold.
And you probably won’t see another one like it anytime soon. But how did it end up like this in an era when Mopars fans favor 1968-to-1971 Road Runners?
Well, it got lucky enough to end up with Harold Schutz, a guy who’s so crazy about Road Runners that he bought one of every model year and body style. Yup, his collection includes at least eight different Road Runners and the 1975 coupe gets as much love as the more sought-after ones from the golden muscle car era.
Now fitted with an aftermarket dual exhaust, this Road Runner left the factory with a single pipe, so it doesn’t have 235 horsepower to play with. But it’s still potent enough for a Malaise-era classic and it has that cool exhaust burble from the golden era. Plus chrome Dodge Challenger tips for extra swag.
But that’s a different story for another time. Until then, check out this cool Aztec Gold gem in the video below.
