Introduced in 1968, the Plymouth Road Runner arrived in showrooms as a lower-priced alternative to the GTX. But even though it wasn’t as fancy as the latter equipment-wise, the Road Runner was available with Mopar’s most potent engines at the time, including the mighty 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) HEMI V8.
Come 2022, and the HEMI-powered version is the rarest Road Runner out there. Because while it was Chrysler’s most powerful engine during the golden muscle car era, it wasn’t exactly popular with customers due to its expensive price tag and the high insurance rates that came with it. Only 1,009 customers went with the option in 1968, and only 787 were ordered in 1969.
HEMI orders decreased even more to 152 examples (not including the Superbird) in 1970 and just 55 cars in 1971. Of the three body styles produced, the convertible is by far the rarest, with 13 cars ordered in 1969 and 1970.
But the drop-top itself is a rare bird regardless of what’s under the hood. In its two years on the market, the convertible moved only 2,548 units. That’s only two percent of total Road Runner production in 1969 and 1970.
And while HEMI versions are nearly impossible to get, cars equipped with the 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) Six-Pack aren’t exactly common either. For example, the car you’re looking at here is one of only 34 such models produced for the 1970 model year. If that’s not rare enough, factoring in the automatic gearbox reduces that number, even more, to just… wait for it… 14 examples.
I’d be willing to bet that the Burnt Orange exterior and the white interior combo make this Road Runner a one-of-one gem, but one-of-14 is rare enough for me.
But rarity isn’t the only thing that makes this Mopar a desirable collectible. Not only rated at 390 horsepower, only 36 horses below the HEMI, but the 440-6 V8 is also a numbers-matching unit. The same goes for the transmission and body panels.
Is it an authentic survivor that’s never been restored? No! The body has been repainted in the original FK5 color, and some components were rebuilt, but it’s definitely an unmolested classic. The odometer shows only 90,000 miles (144,841 km), which isn’t surprising given that the car has been in storage since 1986. That’s a whopping 36 years off the road!
Now that it’s been freed from the garage that it called home for so long, this 1970 Road Runner is looking for a new owner (and driver). Located in Epping, New Hampshire, the numbers-matching Mopar is being auctioned off by eBay seller “celticsfancph” as we speak.
But don’t let the lack of HEMI V8 fool you. He’s not willing to let it go for cheap. While bidding has reached $90,300 with about two more days to go, the auction still has a “reserve not met” status. Are we looking at a six-figure muscle car? We won’t know until the auction ends, but it’s one of the coolest 1970 Road Runner survivors I’ve seen in a while.