mmarshall

I was lucky enough to grow up and go through high school in the late 1960s, at the peak of the American muscle-car era (though it's no secret that I also liked big Buicks and other full-size luxury-cars as well). The late-60s Plymouth Road Runner, with its cartoon graphics/bird-emblems and "Beep-Beep" horn, always was my favorite American muscle-machine (especially in lime-green or purple) from a purely graphic and personality standpoint. The '68 and '69 looked good, though the tweaked '70 version was even better.....in '71, the body style changed drastically, and engine power started declining, which continued through the decade. Plymouth/Dodge muscle cars of that era seemed to have a unique, rorty personality that was much different from those of other manufacturers. But, their Achilles heel (except for the generally durable engines and automatic transmissions, more so than the manuals) was ATROCIOUSLY poor, sloppy fit/finish/assembly quality and cheap interior materials, where the offerings from Ford, GM, and even AMC simply clobbered them. But I always had a soft spot for the Road Runner, with its unique graphics and horn. The large, wedge-nose/rear-winged Road Runner Superbird model, though (and its Dodge Charger Daytona twin), were a little over the top in gaudiness....they were offered for street use only because of the NASCAR regulations in effect at that time.

Here's a well-restored '69 that is just beautiful. The original late 60s Road Runners, though, unlike this one, came with red-striped bias-ply tires, unlike these all-black radials.