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Tim Dunn's
Road Runner
by Shannon Lee Mannion
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Think brawny
muscle car. Now think muscular taxi. Do the two fit? Not unless
your taxi driver is on his last fare or you’re late for
your flight.
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 et,
in at least two articles on Plymouth’s Road Runner, one in
March 2/00 in the Globe and Mail, the writers refer to the RR as
taxicab-like, calling attention to the car’s inexpensive accoutrements–vinyl
bench seat, rubber floor mats, no power steering, no power brakes.
At least the Globe had the good grace to say, “taxicab with
an attitude.” Hearing Tim Dunn’s 1970 Road Runner leaves
you with no doubt. |
Think of the neighbours. “No,” asserts Tim, “The
neighbours aren’t a problem,” and seeing as how his
car gets tucked into the garage in his back yard, and there’s
an uninhabited lot beside his house, plus the regular comings
and goings of buses out front, the throbbing of the 440 big bloc
goes unnoticed. But as the car shimmers in the early spring sunlight,
the earth seems to shake.
Next, think fuel consumption. With 390
horse power, the three-two barrel carburetors gulp, nay, swill
gas. If ever there were a car that passes everything but a gas
station, this is it. Before he put in a milder cam shaft (from
292/509 to 284/484), |
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| Tim was thinking of investing
in Exxon shares. He was getting one to three miles per gallon in
the city but he posits, “The new cam will bring my gas mileage
to between six and seven in the city and 12 and 13 on the highway...
hopefully.” But it’s hard to cross one’s fingers
when they’re wrapped around that pistol grip and you’re
ready to yank it into second and you feel that the world is yours.
The resultant euphoria is, well, worth a few extra pennies for gas. |
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1970 Plymouth
Road Runner
Production: made from 1968 - 1979
Type: mid-size muscle car based on intermediate Belvedere
Engine: triple carb 440 wedgehead V8 390 horsepower
(factory conservatively rated)
Carburetion: six barrel Holley Carbs 2300s
Hurst pistol grip
Tic-Toc-Tac
Only made 651 post-coupe six-packs, less than 400 standards
Car has been detuned for milder cam and a lower gear (3,
5, 4) |
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| What is it that draws you to this particular car? |
| The car’s unique. It comes with the right package:
the 440 six-pack, the pistol grip, the bench seat, the air-grabber
and the purple colour. I was ten when the car came out and I’ve
wanted one ever since. |
| About the colour . . . ? |
| Plymouth called purple In Violet while Dodge call it
Plum Crazy Purple. In 1970, Chrysler were going to call it Statutory
Grape but they thought better of it. This and the other high impact
Plymouth colours, Tor Red, Sub Lime and Panther Pink, were radical
colours back then. |
| Any trouble getting it back to the stock colour? |
| When I bought the car in 1994, it was white, but at
least nine different colours appeared as I stripped it. When I had
the body done, I was asked if I wanted it painted underneath. I
said no. It didn’t come from the factory like that and I didn’t
want to over-restore it. The underneath is well protected with sealers
and a matt finish. Now when I go to a show, I get out my lawn chair
and enjoy a Corona while I watch the others underneath their cars
polishing the floor. |
| What about the stuffed toy thing that goes along with
this kind of car? |
| You’ll often see Wiley Coyote at the wheel of
a Road Runner for a joke. Some people are into the whole cartoon
aspect. I think Chrysler was out to make fun of the establishment
when they brought out this car. |
| What makes you think this? |
| Everything about the car, actually. It’s named
for the Warner Brothers cartoon by the same name and has decals
of the bird on the sides and back. The standard equipment horn goes
beep-beep and sounds just like the road runner. The hood scoop is
called an “air grabber” and it’s painted orange.
The car has a tic-toc-tac, meaning that there’s a clock included
in the instrument cluster. This goes along with the cartoon theme
of the car. |
| Chrysler products are often referred to as Mopar?
That’s an odd name. |
| It’s been around since the 1940s, or maybe
before. There’s different interpretations. Some say that it
stands for more parts or motor parts. |
| What about “more power?” |
| Could be. |
| The colour of your car is remarkable. Is it problematical
driving a purple car, especially one that announces that you’re
coming and going? |
| Nope. I fell in love with the car. |
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