The Plymouth Road Runner in Alternative Bodies
Fury Road Runner: one year only
In 1975, the Roadrunner changed bodies to the Fury, which had just moved from the C to the B platform (the Gran Fury stayed with the big C body); by 1977, the Fury was only about the size of the 1991 Lincoln Town Car. It only stayed with the Fury for a year.
The Fury Road Runner used a 318 as the base engine, with the 400 four-barrel taking the place of the 440 and Hemi at the top of the options list. The 400 was, in that year, rated at 190 hp (net) at 4,000 rpm and 290 lb-ft of torque; it managed a 17.1 second quarter mile at 80.5 mph, well below the older models and, for that matter, below Matador X and Chevy Laguna Type S-3. Mopar’s once superior brakes failed it, with a stop from 70 mph measured by Car & Driver at 204 feet, substantially longer than the AMC (185 ft) and Chevy (188 ft). Gas mileage was similar to the tested competitors, as was the price and noise level. (0-60 was done in 10.7 seconds.)
Volare Road Runner
In 1976, Plymouth, trying to keep the name alive, stuck it onto the new Volare, which was designed to replace the reliable, sturdy, light, economical, and very popular Valiant. On the lighter side, the Volare had an improved suspension and somewhat more comfortable seats; and it tended not to drop water onto the driver's feet. On the other hand, the first year was an assembly disaster. The Road Runner had bigger engines than the Valiant; instead of starting at the 225 Slant Six and ending at the 318, it started with the 318 and ended with the 360 (both with two barrel carbs). The 318 was now 150 hp, the 360 was 170 hp. Most of this came in at the low end, so it was a lot of power for the weight; but hardly the equal of the 1968 version.
The Road Runner option seemed to be mostly a trim package. In 1977, the 360, equipped with the first on-board engine computer ever - the Lean Burn system - managed to get a 4 barrel electronic feedback carb.
In 1979, a four barrel 318 was set up as an option; since many people had improved the power of their 318, reportedly without gas mileage losses, by adding a progressively opening 4-barrel, this was a good idea, but way too late. Production was only a little over 1,000 vehicles.
1980 was the last year for both the Volare and Road Runner; they shared all the same engines except the 318 four-barrel, which was Road Runner-only. The name was never revived for any of its natural targets - the Omni GLH and GLHS, for example.
There is still a chance for the Road Runner to make a triumphant return (Chrysler engineers and staff, are you listening?). Take the Hemi Charger, replace the slushbox with a five-speed... and strip out the sound insulation...remember to use lighter windows...
John B. Cressy wrote:
I ordered a Volare Roadrunner in 1976, one of the first. I had to put a deposit down because of the following two options. First, no power steering. Second was the NY91 option, a GM smog pump and no catalytic converter, so it ran on regular gas, not unleaded. This option was free for the asking. The only problem was getting a replacement exhaust. Most cars with this option were 112 in. wheelbase police cars and taxi cabs. Mine was the 108 in. 2-door and you could get an exhaust but, you had to find the extra 4 inches in some sort of adapter. It was a 318 automatic with Sure Grip. I bet they didn't sell a lot of them this way, without the catalytic converter. Wish I still had it.
Road Runner (and other B-body) forums • Jack Smith, creator of the Road Runner, tells the story of its birth • B-Body Road Runner