The first week of October was when the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association awarded some of the most coveted trophies of the year in this industry. A number of vehicles have been recognized as the best of the best in their respective categories, and we’ve already covered almost all of them these past few weeks. Only two remain, and one of them is this very rare 1969 Plymouth Road Runner.
The car lacks all the bells and whistles we usually see on custom rides. In fact, it’s not a custom, but the result of a long restoration project handled by a Delaware-based crew called Superior Auto Works (SAW). And it came out so great, that Goodguys awarded it the 2022 Snap-On Muscle Car of the Year title.
Officially a 1969 ½ model, the Plymouth Road Runner is of the rare kind (just some 200 of them made in this configuration), the one packing a six-barrel 440 engine under the hood and an automatic transmission to handle the 390 horsepower and 390 lb. ft. of torque the car was rated with as it rolled out of the factory doors.
Wrapped in Vitamin C Orange, it sports a pin-held black fiberglass hood and Goodyear redline tires over the 15-inch wheels as sources of contrast, and it comes with not a single extra thing added to make it more modern.
Inside, we get the standard bench instead of the bucket seats we keep seeing (hence, no console in between), you have to use the power of your hands to lower the windows, and there’s no tachometer. There is one thing this car has, and others of its breed don’t, and that’s a radio.
So, this rare 1969 Plymouth Road Runner is the result of a fresh restoration and fresh winner of an award. But if you plan on buying it, some waiting will probably need to be done, as this primal machine is not yet on the market.
