The Secret Weapon of the 1968 Plymouth Roadrunner

Plymouth knew it was onto something huge in the making when the designs for the classic muscle car called the Roadrunner were put on the table. There are a lot of words for how the muscle car world felt about the striking look that the Roadrunner had and its way of simply taking over the road. The one word most commonly used is “sexy.”

This sexy car not only turned the heads of both genders but it was unique from top to bottom. Even the name is so unique that Plymouth had to pay a load of cash to Warner Brothers to use the name and the logo of the famous Roadrunner cartoon because it so perfectly symbolized the fun and speed that anyone who owned a 1968 Plymouth Roadrunner was in for.

Combined with the terrific marketing name of the 1968 Plymouth Roadrunner and that great design that was so exciting wherever the muscle car showed up, the Roadrunner had a secret weapon. The design of the engine, which became known as the Road Runner 383, was such an exclusive and coveted design that even other car makers within Plymouth were unable to use that engine. The 4-barrel carburetor of the Road Runner 383 engine gave it plenty of punch so that when it took on another muscle car on the street or at the racetrack, the 1968 Plymouth Roadrunner was quite capable of holding its own.

The excitement of the 1968 Plymouth Roadrunner made it one of the most recognizable muscle cars of the year. This popularity was not a passing fad, because to this day, vintage classic Roadrunner muscle cars are very popular for restoration and at antique or vintage car events. The 1968 Plymouth Roadrunner is the kind of car that gave the muscle car era such a mystique of excitement and fun and that is why, to this day, we celebrate the design of the truly unusual classic muscle car from many years ago.

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The Car that Elvis Loved

Elvis had a passion for cars that looked great and were fast. One that he was absolutely fascinated with, though, was the 1971 Roadrunner hardtop coupe. This particular vehicle was really impressive both in terms of how it looked and how it was able to perform. It offered the rounded body style, nice designs around the fender wells, and a great-looking grill in the front.

A limited number of 1971 Roadrunner vehicles came with a Hemi engine. Only about 55 of them fell into that category. Elvis owned one that had the faster engine so that he could enjoy that power. Living in the spotlight could be tough for Elvis and driving his great cars helped him to relax and feel more in control.

He enjoyed the comfort of the inside of this vehicle, too, and would often take it out for rides all by himself. It was one of the events he looked forward to. While Elvis had plenty of great-looking vehicles that he owned and could drive, this particular one seemed to be one that he favored a great deal.

There are many stories that can’t be confirmed about just how fast Elvis drove this particular vehicle. Some feel that he got a thrill out of living on the edge. Others feel he just felt invincible in life and thought that nothing could harm him. Perhaps he had a strong connection to a vehicle that like him, was getting attention everywhere it went.

The 1971 Roadrunner proved to be hard for the common consumer to buy and keep driving. It was an affordable muscle car to own, but the cost of fuel and insurance premiums were going up. Elvis had the money to pay for such concerns easily so it wasn’t a problem for him. The rest of us can enjoy the bigger-than-life stories of Elvis and his cars and maybe get a chance to see or sit in a 1971 Roadrunner at a car show sometime.

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Restoring a 1968 Plymouth Roadrunner can Give you a Sweet Street Machine

The 1968 Plymouth Roadrunner was one of the early muscle cars. It is a well-built machine with plenty of power to offer. The overall body style of it also turns heads and that has made it one of the most sought-after vehicles for restoring. If you have one that you can restore, you are going to have a great time taking it from its current condition to looking like it did when it came off the showroom floor in 1968.

Keep in mind that this coupe wasn’t all fancy. It was, in fact, created for the racing niche. It quickly became a muscle car that the average driver wanted, too. It was very fast and it was more affordable than most of the other muscle cars on the market.

During the restoration process, you will likely find you need to replace the vinyl top. This was a great asset to the 1968 Plymouth Roadrunner, but after so many years, this is an area of these vehicles that certainly shows wear.

The inside of this vehicle needs to be comfortable as well. You may need to replace the carpeting and floor mats. If your seats are in bad shape, you can take them out and completely replace them. You can even buy a dash kit if the one in the vehicle you are restoring is cracked.

The restoration of a 1968 Plymouth Roadrunner is a project that you will be very proud to be involved with. There are plenty of places to get your aftermarket parts, so there is nothing in this vehicle that you won’t be able to get your hands on. Remember to take photos periodically so you can show the progress you have made from start to finish with this delightful muscle car.

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When the 1970 Roadrunner Muscle Car Ruled the Road

The 1970 Roadrunner is a classic in terms of muscle cars. Many people can fondly remember when this was the muscle car that ruled the road. The first model was released by Plymouth in 1968 and consumers were amazed by it. Within a few years, this was the highest-selling muscle car out there. With others like the Chevy Camaro to contend with, that is a great feat.

Part of the reason that there was such a huge desire to own the 1970 model of the Roadrunner had to do with the changes in the engine. The first year it was out, this vehicle featured a 383 cid. For the 1970 model, though, there were two options – the 426 Hemi and 440 six barrel.

The fact is that this vehicle offered powerful performance, it looked very sharp, and it had a lower cost associated with it than other muscle cars, and that gave it the winning edge. It was a great muscle car for the younger generation because they could afford it. They didn’t feel it was out of their price range as they did with the other models of muscle cars that were offered in that time period.

The 1970 Roadrunner was also one of the top contenders out there on the drag strip. It was lighter due to less chrome and other accessories. While the car looked great, the lower price meant it was stripped down in various areas. On the drag strip, though, that lighter weight meant that they had some advantage over the heavier muscle cars when it came to getting down the quarter mile in less time.

Today you will find many collectors out there searching for the 1970 Roadrunner. They know it is a valuable classic muscle car and many collectors want to be able to profit from that. Others, though, just want to be able to fix one up to make it look like what they owned back in the day! Their love of this muscle car hasn’t faded even after so much time has passed.

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The Evolution of the Classic Roadrunner Muscle Car

Plymouth made a major move on the exploding muscle car market when they launched the classic Roadrunner muscle car. It was a bold statement from the get go. The image of the roadrunner had been popularized by the cartoon series involving Wylie Coyote. Plymouth shrewdly paid a healthy licensing fee to use the Roadrunner name and image for their new muscle car, and with that payment, they were able to incorporate the cartoon images into their advertising. This was just the beginning of some very smart moves by Plymouth to make the classic Roadrunner one of the premier muscle cars of its era.

In 1968, Plymouth launched the classic Roadrunner muscle car. Their first strategic move was to upgrade the power of the vehicle to a 426 Hemi so it would dominate the street and racing scene. Since the car was new and unknown, Plymouth thought they would only sell a couple thousand Roadrunners. Instead, they sold over 40 thousand.

By 1969, Plymouth knew they had a huge hit on their hands with the classic Roadrunner muscle car, so they put some additional development into the model to expand the options that were available to customers. In addition to the conventional body, a convertible option was made available so that fans of the Roadrunner could combine more style with all that power. There were other small refinements, such as the color of the decals, but in every other way, the updated classic Roadrunner looked exactly like the previous year’s model. When Plymouth sold twice as many cars in 1969 as the previous year, Plymouth knew they were smart to stick with a sure thing.

In 1970, Plymouth continued to add options and refinements without doing anything significant to the very popular look and feel of the classic Roadrunner design. The deployable air grabber hood scoop helped keep the powerful engine cool and it was a unique addition to the body that added even more cool to a very cool car. By 1971, there were changes to the body style so that the newest versions of the classic Roadrunner began to look like a Barracuda or a Challenger.

It is reasonable to say that even if Plymouth had done nothing to enhance the evolution of the classic Roadrunner muscle car, its popularity would have no doubt continued to expand from year to year. It is also safe to say that in looking at the history of the muscle car era, the classic Roadrunner was always a strong contender as one of the most popular vehicles of its time. That popularity has translated into a very robust collectors’ market for anyone who wants to restore a classic Roadrunner to its original glory.

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