Plymouth produced 43,404 Road Runners for the 1970 model year, and the convertible rapidly became a rare gem, accounting for less than one thousand units of the total figure.
Most convertibles rolled off the assembly lines with a 383 engine under the hood, and only 13 used a 3-speed transmission. 429 Road Runner convertibles left the factory with an automatic gearbox.
One is here, fighting for life after surviving for many years in a barn. The car made its way to Craigslist earlier this week, exhibiting a very challenging shape and probably many missing parts.
I’ll start with what the eyes can see and tell you that rust is a serious concern on this Road Runner. The 1970 convertible shows metal damage in all the usual spots, so the buyer must deal with the typical suspects, including the floors and the trunk. The car will need new floors, as the existing panels are already wrecked. The body looks rough, too, so be ready for some panel replacements.
The seller says the car was once painted green, but the original finish is nearly impossible to spot on the body. The surface rust is obvious, but the buyer should check out everything in person, especially as I can already notice some occasional signs of rot.
The 383 V8 paired with an automatic transmission makes this Road Runner incredibly rare, considering only 429 such configurations left the factory in 1970. It’s unclear how many are still around today, but the buyer will probably want to retain the original setup on this project anyway. The rarest Road Runner in 1970 used a 426 V8 paired with a 4-speed transmission – Plymouth produced just a single car using this drivetrain, and it’s impossible to tell if it’s still alive in 2023.
I wouldn’t count on the engine to be in working condition after its tenure in a barn, but a good mechanic should be able to decrypt more information by checking out what’s under the hood.
The owner says nothing about the missing parts, but it’s safe to assume you’ll spend many hours searching the web for 1970 Road Runner components. For example, the removable top seems wrecked, and I don’t believe the seats are still available (one of the photos shows some parts already pulled from the car).
The selling price seems fair, given this is a rare Road Runner with the original engine. On the other hand, some people will certainly walk away due to the rough shape. The owner wants to let this Road Runner go if someone agrees to pay $8,500.