Re: 1968 Plymouth Road Runner
 

Correct and thanks........the first part of my post was meant jokingly.....the 68 was a typo.....yes it is a 69 and a nice one at that....!!!!!!!

Rick

Re: 1968 Plymouth Road Runner
 

Boy, that sounds like a deal...

Any chance Lamb still has one for sale???

Maybe I need to call them??????

Thanks, Ralph!

Re: 1968 Plymouth Road Runner
 

Cheech,

Performance results of the 1968 383 Road Runner were all over
the board,,,,,,,,depends on what magazine article and review analysis
you read.

Originally, Plymouth advertised the Road Runner as 'a $3000 car,
and 100 MPH'.

Also, advertised it as 'a low 14.00 second car and 100 MPH, for less than $3000'.

Here are some of the 'Magazine' results I found;

15.31 @ 91 MPH (Car Life),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Automatic with 3.23 gears

15.10 @ 94 MPH (Popular Mechanics),,,4-speed with 3.23 gears

15.01 @ 94 MPH (Cars Magazine),,,,,,,,,,4-speed with 3.23 gears

15.00 @ 96 MPH (Car Craft),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,4-speed with 3.23 gears

14.74 @ 98 MPH (Hot Rod),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,4-speed with 3.55 gears

15.03 @ 94 MPH (Car & Driver),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Automatic with 3.23 gears

14.89 @ 94 MPH (Hi Performance),,,,,,,,,,,4-speed with 3.23 gears

14.86 @ 94 MPH (Super Stock),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Automatic with 3.55 gears

14.99 @ 95 MPH (Popular Hot Rodding),,,4-Speed with 3.23 gears

15.09 @ 93 MPH (Detroit Auto News),,,,,,,Automatic with 3.23 gears

15.01 @ 93 MPH (Motor Trend),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Automatic with 3.55 gears

14.90 @ 93 MPH (Road Test),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,4-Speed with 3.55 gears

All tests were performed between October 1967 and December 1967.

pc

Re: 1968 Plymouth Road Runner
 

Most (not all) magazine writers couldnt drive a nail with a hammer. Put a decent driver behind the wheel and they could shave about 1/2 of a second off of those times.

Re: 1968 Plymouth Road Runner
 

x-2...

Re: 1968 Plymouth Road Runner
 

I agree. Don't forget, we were lucky enough to have guys like Rick Voegelin (Project X) and Steve Collison (IHRA record holder in 396/375 Chevelle) writing back in the day. They would fit the "not all" segment. Steve was my last editor before he passed away and I think of him a lot. I can't think of anyone more dedicated to class racing than he was.

But to illustrate your point, we also had the editors whose favorite thing was to get kicked out of a press day by abusing the cars and doing donuts.

Edit - can't believe I left out John Dianna before he joined the suits in the boardroom.

Re: 1968 Plymouth Road Runner
 

To be fair,,,,,,,,,,,some of the automotive and performance car magazine
writers were a little 'jaded' in their views.

Of course, if the car was pulled off a dealer lot, or out of the showroom, and without a minor tuning and carb tweaking, the quarter-mile results
could be disastrous.

And if the driver was weak with the 4-speed shifting, another calamity
could occur when logging 1/4 mile times.

On the magazine automotive editor front, Motor Trend Magazine did try to put a proper driver behind the wheel, to get the lowest possible elapsed time with a stock car.
Motor Trend did question Chrysler-Plymouth's claim of 14.00's @ 100 MPH,
and did prove it 'false', when the Automatic Transmission '383' Road Runner with 3.55 gears that they tested, only pulled 15.00s @ 93 MPH.

Thus giving the 1968 Pontiac GTO, the 1968 Motor Trend Car of the Year Award.

Re: 1968 Plymouth Road Runner
 

Here is a picture of the 68 Roadrunner that I owned in 1983. It was originally built and owned by Wally Booth of Pro Stock fame. Hemi

http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_...0029_large.jpg

Re: 1968 Plymouth Road Runner
 

Makes you wonder why didn't one of the "rags" find a stripper 4 speed w/a 3.91 gearset.

Re: 1968 Plymouth Road Runner
 

Someplace around here I've got the Car & Driver magazine from 66 or 67 when they did a comparison test of the latest supercars - which is what they were being called. Musclecars, to my mind, didn't start getting popular until the 80s.

Anyhow, the Ford entries arrived on the back of a Holman and Moody transporter and C&D wouldn't accept them. That's what they got for not playing games as I'm sure most of the rest of the test cars had also had that "special" treatment.

And while Jim Wangers has never admitted it, a whole bunch of people are convinced that the original GTO sent around to the magazines had a 421 between the front fenders.