With muscle cars being one of the most popular car genres today, it makes sense that digital artists want to improve upon these existing models. Or better yet, the artists can make car models that don't even exist with the use of technology and a bit of imagination.
HotCars' very own digital rendering artist Rostislav Prokop has blessed enthusiasts with another vision of the future's past. His recent works include such gems as the Mercedes G-Wagon Hot Rod Concept, but the latest rendition that Rostislav gives us looks into what a favorite classic car could look like: a new Plymouth Road Runner. It combines what makes the original Road Runner so great with the technology of the modern Dodge Challenger platform.
Updated February 2023: We revisit this digital rendering and the iconic 70s muscle car from which it got inspired, and update the post with further speculation on whether the Road Runner could return, and the current market on used Plymouth Road Runners.
Building On The Classic Plymouth Road Runner's Legacy
To thoroughly understand the Road Runner car that gearheads continue to love to this day, we need to dive into its history. The year was 1968 and most American car companies came to the realization that their high-power muscle cars were selling faster than they could build them. In what some historians believe was the beginning of the demise of the muscle car era, these companies started adding more options and equipment to their models, thus, increasing their asking prices.
The Plymouth GTX followed this trend with more options and a higher price tag. Plymouth introduced the Road Runner as a lower-priced alternative to the GTX. It stayed true to the fundamentals of the muscle car ideology while having high performance in a lower-priced car. Sticking to the roots proved very wise, as the Road Runner was an instant success.
Why The Dodge Challenger Offers The Perfect Platform
The renders show lines borrowed from the many generations of the Road Runner, such as this Superbird version seen by HotCars writer Michael Van Runkle at Mecum Glendale 2022. However, since the only closely-related two-door American muscle car of today is the Dodge Challenger, it is safe to assume that the Road Runner would base its platform on this.
The headlights and taillights lend to the '60s and '70s generations and the car keeps its retro, yet modern look. The car also seems wider and offers a stunning giant scoop hood, slanted nose, and some proper-sized wheels and tires.
In the rear, we notice two exhaust pipes. This leads to the assumption that this will have a high-power internal combustion engine, instead of leaning towards the electric route that Dodge has recently announced with the electrification of the Charger.
Will It Return, And How Much Will The New Plymouth Road Runner Cost?
It can be easy to dismiss the Plymouth Road Runner revival as a pipe dream, but stranger things have happened. With American companies using iconic muscle car names for future vehicles (we're looking at you, Mustang Mach-E), it only makes sense that Dodge could do the same.
In fact, Dodge brought back the Daytona name for their upcoming Charger EV muscle car. If the Road Runner came back using the Charger Daytona EV platform, it could become a new trim level, akin to the Dodge Super Bee - the cousin to the Road Runner.
Chevrolet recently debuted a hybrid version of the C8 Corvette and it will bring electric power to the Corvette for the first time. With 655 hp and 620 lb-ft of torque from the base Stingray's 6.2-liter V8 and an electric motor for AWD, this new Corvette is no joke. Dodge could do something similar by combining their new Hurricane inline-6 with an electric motor, making it a strong Corvette E-Ray competitor.
With that in mind, it's unlikely that Stellantis, the company that also incorporates Chrysler and Dodge, will revive the Plymouth brand or Road Runner name any time soon. If Dodge did create a new Plymouth Road Runner based on the Charger Daytona EV platform though, expect prices to be similar to that.
How Much Is A Plymouth Road Runner?
With over 150,000 examples built from 1968-1970, finding a first-generation Plymouth Road Runner should be fairly easy on the used market. However, finding clean and well-looked-after examples at a good price is another story.
The first-gen Plymouth Road Runner costs an average of around $66,000 according to auction results aggregator Classic.com, but prices vary wildly; Production numbers for the second-generation Road Runner were significantly less than the first-gen, but prices are also a bit cheaper at an average price of around $58,000.
With that in mind, Plymouth Road Runner barn finds do come up from time to time at crazy low prices. Sometimes, you just have to be at the right place at the right time.