Liam White 
The 1969 Plymouth Road Runner is, without question, a classic American muscle car. It received MotorTrend’s Car of The Year award back in 1969, too. It sold incredibly well; production peaked that year with a record total number of 84,420 cars made. The Road Runner’s popularity was widespread due to the fact that it came in a coupe, convertible, and hardtop configurations. Even so, you might be unfamiliar with this particular orange Plymouth Road Runner, which was overhauled and renamed the Holley Road Runner back in 2001. The build was covered in Mopar Muscle magazine over twenty years ago.
Plymouth Road Runner: A Hit For Mopar Muscle Magazine
The idea to create the resto-mod Plymouth Road Runner muscle car came from the publisher of Mopar Muscle magazine, Jerry Pitt. Pitt wanted to cover the rebirth of the car and feature the progress as articles in his magazine. The parts for the car’s transformation were supplied entirely by Holley Performance Products, which at the time was coming up on its hundredth-year anniversary. Tasked with the project was John Balow, the owner and founder of Muscle Car Restorations in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. As the build came along, it was documented in a 12-part series featured in Mopar Muscle.
The Holley Road Runner Resto-mod
By the time the Holley Road Runner was completed in 2001, the car was considered the best muscle car ever featured in Mopar Muscle. It was even a participant on the 2003 Hot Rod Power Tour. Some of the modifications list include:
Indy Cylinder Head Inc. 440 based 542 CI engine with 711 HP with 740 lb-ft of torque
Indy 440SR 906 heads
Lunati forged internals
The Blower Shop 871 polished billet blower
Dual 4-barrel Holley 750 CFM carburetors
Keisler 5-speed transmission
Custom built Dana 60 rear end with ARB locker
Coilover front suspension conversion
4-wheel Baer disc brakes
The Holley Road Runner is complete with OEM Road Runner badging, period-correct column-mounted tachometer, and chrome 5-spoke wheels with classic BF Goodrich radial tires. Before you ask, the horn still does the classic “beep-beep” when honked. You can check out the official listing on the Mecum website for more details on the auction during this year’s Monterey Car Week. It will offered alongside other cool cars like the winningest Shelby ever.
