360 V8 Volare: 1979 Plymouth Road Runner
Who can forget the original Plymouth Road Runner with its cartoon graphics and “Meep Meep” horn? They were some of the most potent muscle cars of the late 1960s and early 1970s. But interest in the genre soon waned and the Road Runner ended up being a trim package on the compact Volare in 1976-80. This ’79 edition is one of those later cars and needs restoring but would it be worthwhile? The Plymouth is in Enid, Oklahoma, and available here on eBay where the bids have only reached $910.
Chrysler was optimistic for the future of the Plymouth Volare and Dodge Aspen in 1976 when they were introduced to replace the Valiant and Dart compacts. But even Lee Iacocca would later admit the cars were rushed into production, leading to quality control issues and product recalls that plagued the new models. The Volare was chosen to carry the torch of the Road Runner name from 1976 until the end of the car’s production in 1980. Production numbers would pale in comparison to the first-generation Road Runners of 1968-70.
In 1979, just 1,122 examples of the Volare Road Runner were built, down from a peak of 7,348 in 1976 (note: in 1969, Plymouth built about 92,000 RRs). While a 318 cubic inch V8 was standard, the maximum engine a buyer could get in 1979 was the 360 V8 with a 4-barrel carburetor that produced 195 hp. The autos did benefit from some of the suspension components that were lifted from Chrysler’s police packages on the F-platform compacts. This configuration can be found in the seller’s car.
These cars are seldom seen these days, especially ones with T-Tops like this ’79 Road Runner. We’re told it’s largely an original car that has been sitting for some time. It’s not in running condition and the keys and title have long ago been misplaced. The body and interior have been subject to the wrath of Mother Nature, yet not a lot of rust is obvious, which was often the undoing of these 1970s Mopars. The RR had rear quarter windows louvers, but they’re gone, and it had a rear spoiler, but part of that is missing and what’s there is just hung on for effect.
This Plymouth Road Runner will need a lot of work if restoring it is your goal. But unlike a 1968 Road Runner, you won’t have a $50,000 car when you got done. It would be cool to see this car back on the road but making a future profit can’t be the primary motivation.
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Comments
Hilarious.
Beep Beep
Question is, is the T top factory installed? If so, I think this car needs a restoration.
I don’t usually get on here and say “oh this, oh that, is junk” but in this instance you’ve got to call a spade, a spade. $910, what, for me to take it? Wait, $910 is not a good enough price to pay me to pay me to take it.
They’re not asking a lot, but you could just find a better Volare and stick on the Road Runner stuff or just buy a better car altogether and save yourself some embarrassment.
With the Road Runner option, T-tops, the Hi-Po 360, and a nicely equipped interior, this deserves restoration. Scoff if you will, but only a handful of cars offered more than 195 HP in 1979.
In ’79 these, the L82 Corvette and the L78 400 Trans Am we’re as good as it got, performance wise. The Mopar’s suffered the Aspen/Volare’s incredibly bad reputation and when loaded up like this example (T-top, PW/Cruise/Interval wipers and the upmarket interior) we’re not too far away price wise from a Z28 or Firebird Formula price wise. Most buyers chose the GM twins or slow but fresh for ’79 Fox Mustang
Lil red express too I think 200 hp?
Volare Road Runner is a joke!
By 1979 you were lucky to find anything with a decent amount of horsepower , and this was a light car for a 360.
This is the most loaded one I have ever seen. The L code dual exhaust 360 is a screamer in these cars. This will run circles around any ’79 Z-28, 403 equipped Trans Ams, and L48 Corvettes as well. Only the L-82 Corvette and 400 Pontiac equipped ’79 Trans Ams could hang with these cars, performance wise. This Road runner is very well equipped, and will make a nice restoration project for the new owner. If my stable wasn’t full, I would buy this in a heartbeat, and I am not even a big fan of T-tops.
I have had my survivor 79 E58 360 4 brl. Aspen R/T since 1981. it has a mild performance build now. It moves out pretty good now!
I have absolutely nothing good to say on a volare road runner , NOTHING!
I had a 67 “Belvedere” GTX with a 440. Some point I needed money and sold it to somebody who really wanted it.
I still have a non-running 79 “Volare” RR, 318-2bbl, 8 1/4 rear, all original + 340/360 engine parts. Had a full 360 block but left sitting out to rust, dual exhaust.
It actually had pretty good pick up… for the day. Somebody saw it sitting and wants to buy it. Thinking