Provided you've heard approximately the 1969 Road Runner, it's credible you might compass been baffled approximately its actual relevance in American pop culture. No, it's not the cartoon cast, however there are links to that lively bird. It's not a bodily bird, either. The 1969 Course of action Runner is a classic muscle automobile manufactured by Plymouth.
Muscle Car
When the denomination "muscle van" was ahead applied to vehicles, it meant a infrequent matters. In popular, it referred to a vehivle that could be used for racing. It besides meant a vehicle that was priced within extent of the morals van buyer. By 1968 (when the antecedent Course of action Runner) came gone, muscle cars had be reformed expanded expensive. The Path Runner was designed to be a reinstate to the classic idea of "muscle vehivle."
Cartoon Character Link
The Plymouth Course Runner was deliberately tied to the noted cartoon complexion. Indeed, Plymouth purchased the rights to utilize the honour. The motorcar partnership got also than just that, though. As part of the licensing deal, Plymouth was allowed to use the image of the cartoon character, and it appeared on the Road Runner car. The horn was also designed to simulate the "beep beep" sound of the cartoon bird.
Basics
The Plymouth Road Runner wasn't an out-of-the-box new vehicle. It was built on the same chassis as the GTX. That was the basis for the Belvedere and Satellite, too. The real concept behind the Road Runner, the key to success from a design standpoint, was that the car had to be able to do 13s at the track and have a price tag below $4,000. It accomplished both.
The total of 1969 Road Runners sold-82,000-was nearly twice as many as had been sold in the previous year.
A 426 cubic-inch engine was another holdover from '68. There was a new engine offered for 1969, a 440 cubic-inch, V-8. That engine had two options, a four-barrel carburetor version and a six-barrel version.
Sales Numbers
When the Road Runner debuted in 1968, it had far exceeded sales predictions. While the company had expected to sell less than 5,000 units, the public bought about nine times that many. So, for the 1969 model year, the expectations were higher. That optimism was rewarded.
