The Plymouth Roadrunner seems to occupy a special place in Mopar fans’ hearts. You’d think that the glamorous ‘Cudas and Chargers would command all the attention, but you’d be wrong. Enthusiasts who visit our showroom routinely stop and gawk at this reasonably-priced B5 Blue Roadrunner, not because it’s perfect or exotic, but rather because they genuinely love it. So many people have a great memory made behind the wheel of a car just like this and given how well this thing drives, I’m not surprised. Coming out of long-term ownership, it is only reluctantly for sale and while it’s not a pedigree car, if you’re familiar with these cars you know just how attached people can get. It’s just a cool car with no pretenses and that’s rather refreshing.

First up, this car has a replacement 440 under the hood instead of the original 383, so it’s not matching-numbers and we haven’t flubbed the price. But on a car like this, matching-numbers kind of misses the point. Remember fun? Remember going out on Friday night and feeling the cool air through the window and the cackle of the exhaust and finding another like-minded guy and giving it a go? That’s what this Roadrunner is all about. B5 Blue is a very popular color among Mopar fans, and given how good it looks on this B-body who are we to argue? But the nature of B5 Blue means that it’s not too forgiving, so you need good sheetmetal underneath. Fortunately, this ‘Bird has great original body panels and super straight bodywork that looks fantastic. Great shine and the color is exactly right, not too dark and not too bright. Add in the blackout hood treatment with those cool little faux vents, a few Warner Bros. Roadrunner characters, and the handsome black vinyl roof, and you have a car that looks the part of a vintage muscle car. And while the Roadrunner was designed to be an affordable performance car for younger buyers, there’s enough chrome to make it look well dressed, and the bright bumpers are in excellent shape. No doubt this car has the right look.

The blue bucket seat interior is a pleasant change from the usual black and it has been very neatly restored using correct materials and patterns. Chrysler’s cool headrests always look great on these late ‘60s cars, with a few bits of woodgrain to warm things up a bit. This car has a full dash full of factory gauges, augmented by an array of Auto Meter dials, including a tach, oil pressure, and a temperature gauge down low. Sharp-eyed viewers will note this car originally had factory A/C, but as frequently happens, it was removed at some point in its past, surely in the service of more speed. Nice carpets, reproduction door panels, and a beautifully fitted headliner make this Roadrunner feel somewhat more upscale than its price suggested, both then and today. The trunk is obviously massive and is fitted with a correct reproduction mat and you’ll note that there’s zero rust underneath, including the trunk extensions. This is a very solid car.

The hood says ‘383’ but the engine living under the hood now is a built 440 cubic inch V8. Looks the same, but the extra 57 cubic inches make all the difference. There’s a big hit of low-end torque off the line and the usual buttery-smooth horsepower shows up a few seconds later. The lightweight Roadrunner benefits from that much go-power in ways that its heavier siblings don’t and even though it’s a big car, it’s also a fast car. The rebuilt 440 runs superbly, lighting off easily and idling well, and with a proper hydraulic cam, it’s not at all fussy. It inhales through a big 4-barrel carburetor on top, it’s dressed in correct Hemi Orange engine enamel, and the finned valve covers add a bit of a performance look. Factory exhaust manifolds are usually the right choice—they don’t hurt horsepower and seal up better than headers and control noise much better. You’ll also find power steering, which is nice when there’s a big block on top of the front axle, and someone has thoughtfully added a transmission cooler ahead of the radiator. This is obviously a car built to use.

The transmission is a familiar TorqueFlite 3-speed automatic with a shift kit and 3200 RPM stall torque converter inside, so it’s a bit snappier than stock and once you get the hang of the throttle, it’s a blast to drive. You can light up the tires almost at will, which is really what a car like this is all about. With 3.54 gears inside, it’s punchy but not at all busy on the highway, making it usable as a real car and not just some Saturday night special. The floors are original and unrestored, so you can see every seam and spot weld and zero signs of corrosion over the last 50 years. Rockers are equally nice. The front suspension offers new shocks and bushings, there are rebuilt front disc brakes, a new exhaust system with correct chrome oval tips under the rear bumper, and there are no issues. It starts every time, pulls like a freight train, and will put a smile on your face every time you crack open the secondaries on that big 4-barrel carb. Vintage Cragar Super Sport wheels are the right choice, and it sits on staggered 235/70/15 front and 275/60/15 rear BFGoodrich T/A radials.

This Roadrunner is priced right, make no mistake. It’s one of the straightest and cleanest cars we’ve seen and if it had a matching-numbers engine (which would make it slower), it would be $15,000 more expensive. Instead think of it as a time machine, a return to a simpler time when you could go out and just have fun in a car without worries. Yeah, maybe someone will call you a hooligan for it, but that only means you’re doing it right. Call today!

Harwood Motors always recommends and welcomes personal or professional inspections of any vehicles in our inventory prior to purchase.