I don’t see Wile E. Coyote anywhere near this 1972 Road Runner for sale posted at the CC Cohort by Hyperpack. However, it doesn’t take a lot of viewing to realize that some of Wile E.’s known ACME tools would be helpful to get this one back in shape.
Regardless of condition, when’s the last time you saw one of these fuselage wonders outside of a car show? As such, this is a bona fide curbside classic… Pardon… lawnside classic to view up close.
So let’s check out this Road Runner now that it’s at rest and not being pursued.
But before we go much further, I shall add that these B-body Satellite/Road Runners were my favorites of the whole fuselage range. At the time these came out, everyone in Detroit (well, the Other Two, actually) was going neoclassical conservative, and there was the Pentastar, offering expressive compound curves, with one surface melting into the other. Sometimes looking peculiar, sometimes dramatic, and sometimes somewhat goofy. Regardless, during its brief tenure, the fuselage was the parallel styling storyline of Detroit of that era.
This may not be a face you care to remember, but can you forget it?
With its raised hind area and highly sculpted fenders, these 2-door B-bodies diminished some of the slab-sidedness of most fuselages. Not that it completely avoided it.
And there on the window, the FOR SALE sign. No bragging rights in that ad, so maybe the standard for ’72 400CID V8 with 4-bbl. set up? Or even the optional 340CID?
Yes, you noticed it in the previous shot. How much of this can there be? And what ACME product can be used for this? You know their catalogue was impressive, as Wile E. kept showing over and over. They had to have something for this.
Still, I’ve seen worse being rescued. You know how it goes: pay arm and leg for full restoration, or get the do-it-yourself/go-broke discount.
More fuselage attitude from this view, with “tape treatment” on the car’s back end. And annoyingly, this view reminds me of some Datsuns… Or more precisely, the back view of my family’s horrid F10 sedan. Or is that trauma speaking?
In any case, I wonder who got Nissan started on that whole Fuji-lage idea?
This Road Runner may be aged, with creaky bones and diminished reflexes. But you wouldn’t know it by looking at its still smiling face. But does that surprise you? After all, he was always insufferably cocky. Doesn’t it fit that his attitude hasn’t changed?
There he is again, looking all smug once more.
And from this angle, more elaborate sculpting with lots of fuselage curves.
I generally avoid shots with reflections as much as possible. But heck, this is a car from the ’70s! Sun flares, bring them on!
Want more 1970s nostalgia? How about the interior? Those early ’70s plastics haven’t kept their color, but they haven’t fully cracked yet. They also look early-’70s futuristic; check out those buckets and that door handle.
And should you come to rescue this Road Runner with blow torch in hand, it looks like some spare parts come along with the deal.
Oh, BTW, about ACME helping to fix this Road Runner… Some may point out that ACME’s stuff didn’t work that great in those cartoons. Which is true, but I would think their quality has improved in the past five decades.
Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. A complete body, looking somewhat decent 20 feet away, with more and more issues upon closer inspection. Get involved, and would you fall off a (financial) cliff like Wile E. often did?
Well, restoring old cars is like Wile E. chasing that silly Road Runner. Fall after fall, and he just never learns. And I would think this particular Road Runner will find its own Willie to chase it, soon enough.
Related CC reading:
I would buy it. As a teen I missed out on buying a 1972 Satellite Sebring in a similar color with a vinyl roof and mismatched wheels. That car was in much worse condition than the subject car.
After finishing a kitchen remodeling project this summer, fixing that Road Runner should be a breeze.
I hope it’s gets bought by someone who will cherish it and never hesitate to drive the darn thing .
-Nate
His name is Wile E. Coyote, NOT Willie! Best known for his realistic painting of tunnels!
“Wile E. Coyote. Super Genius! I like the way that rolls out! Wile E. Coyote. Super Genius!” At least until Bugs Bunny has his way with him! After Bugs has completely destroyed his nemesis, Wile E. Coyote appears at Bug’s doorstep, where the following exchange ensues.
Wile E. Coyote (covered in soot from explosions and looking shell shocked): “Hello. My name is mud!”
Bugs Bunny (sotto voce, looking at the audience): “And “mud” spelled backwards is “dum” (sic)! Fade out to Looney Tunes Theme and closing credits!
P.S. I like the homage to the cartoon Latin names, such as Eatius Slobbius for the Coyote and Velocitus Rapidus for the Road Runner!
What a screech! Thanks.
Plymouth used the mock latin in its advertising.
“acceleratii rapidus maximus”
These 1972-74 Road Runners have nowhere near the cachet of the earlier, non-emission, high-compression, premium fuel cars. And, even as rough as this one might be, the sellers are typically in the “I know what I’ve got!” category and are outrageously overpriced. The 400 was standard, but lowest size engine for 1972 was the delete option (but still-potent) 340 (1973 would see the base engine all the way down to the 318-2v) but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some sort of swapped engine here. At the very least, you can bet there are mods in the engine bay like aftermarket air cleaner, headers, etc. Too bad the engine call-outs on the hood scoop have faded out. Still, if priced reasonably and someone has a 1971-72 Satellite Sebring Plus donor in much more solid shape, holds the potential to be a good buy.
And there’s at least one point in this one’s favor: the plastic Slap-Stick handle looks to be intact. Unlike the one-year-only metal handle of the 1970 E-body shifter, these 1971 and later T-handle types were made of cheap plastic that got brittle and broke easily over time. Combine that with overzealous ‘slapping’ of the ratchet shifter, and you’ll invariably see them broken and/or duct-taped back together.
That lack of cachet does increase the probability of an actual Roadrunner VIN, the earlier ones are often faked. Rust is the issue, and a more desirable engine would make it worth fixing. I’ve got no interest in big 70s cars but I’m sure someone will take it on, I just hope it’s an enthusiast who will do a proper job and not a flipper
Since none of the smogged, low-compression 1972-74 Road Runners are in demand as a collectable in the first place, the most desirable engine would be interesting. My guess would be the lowest production cars, and that would fall to the 440-4v (which are easily identified since they have ‘Road Runner/GTX’ decals and emblems).
Next would be the 1972-73 cars with the 340, mostly due to that engine’s familiarity over the standard 400-4v which isn’t as widely known as the replacement for the more legendary 383. Likewise, the one-year-only 1974 360-4v for the same reason.
Least desirable would obviously be the 1973-74 cars with the 318-2v which are also easy to spot since they’re the only ones without engine call-outs on the scoop decal.
Lacking any other information, I’m going to guess that the feature Road Runner probably came from the factory with the standard 400-4v.
I like these and the first gen chargers, the ones in between are just too popular for me
I drove past the property again today.
No RoadRunner to be spotted.. maybe it was sold? Or the current owner enjoying a nice summer day at a local car cruise or show to advertise his blue bird.
This property is occupied by a MoPar nut like me. Often, I spot matching chrysler / Dodge minivans, as well as often 1 or 2 ’80’s D or W series trucks residing in the driveway or yard. Keep those MoPars coming.
This is a less desirable example, largely due to the power losses caused by the then relatively new exhaust emission controls added to meet the tightening emissions standards. Most, if not all the lost power can be restored with some careful machine work, combined with some upgrades to aftermarket fuel injection and a low-restriction dual exhaust. Later examples, from 1974 on, had to deal with low-octane unleaded gasoline and catalytic converters. As the emissions standards became stricter, drivability continued to suffer, until Detroit finally saw the light and began to fully adopt electronic engine controls in the 1980’s.
The good news in all of this is that these are considerably cheaper than their “muscle car” era ancestors, largely due to the power losses and poor drivability stock examples exhibited at the height of the “malaise era”.
This example, when seen in “Black & White” police livery, reminds me of Reed and Malloy’s second ride, between the 1968-69 Plymouth Satellite and the 1974 AMC Matador they drove in the final seasons.
Indeed, these Malaise-era musclecar holdovers present a real conundrum for the collector car purists. Do they keep them pure stock and suffer through the driveablility issues, or do they go the resto-mod route and do whatever they can to alter the systems to make them driveable but at the cost of removing the OEM smog equipment, as well as modifying internal components to run on modern fuel?
The biggest issue would just be trying to retain the stock appearance say, for example, keeping the OEM air cleaner on top of a better operating, non-stock carburetor that might not accept it.
What could possibly go wrong?
Here’s a couple of additional minor tidbits I noticed:
– The close-up of the bird emblem in the hood piece between the bumper just shows the word ‘Plymouth’ whereas the previous year used the Plymouth emblem and ‘Plymouth Division’ wording with the little Road Runner head going in the grille center. I would guess that the Satellite Sebring Plus for 1972 retained the 1971-style header emblem.
– The Magnum 500 wheels used are not technically correct. Starting in 1970, instead of being completely chrome, Chrysler went to a cheaper painted rim with a brushed aluminum trim ring.
– I could never quite figure out those trunk stripes and, with the extra cartoon images, I now suspect they go along with the somewhat odd, inset taillights to mimic the roads leading up to the well-known railroad tunnels often featured in the cartoons.
– The bird decals are missing from the quarter panel Road Runner letterng. Each year of the Road Runner seemed to have a different location for those letters and decals.
I was surprised that these (71 -72) are not more universally liked, at least aesthetically.
the 1969-1970 in my mind were very sharp “60’s” cars and looked great. But these seemed to be a leap ahead. I Love the frowny loop grille, and the high haunches looked to “tough” But for 73 I always thought it looked like they slapped a “sedan” face on it.