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1968 Plymouth Road Runner 383
Plymouth built the first Road Runner around a simple idea: put serious big-block performance in a stripped-down intermediate and keep the price within reach. The standard 383 four-barrel was rated at 335 horsepower and 425 lb-ft, with a special high-lift camshaft, dual exhaust, and the Road Runner's distinctive voice and cartoon identification.
Buyers could choose the pillared two-door coupe or the later hardtop. A three-speed manual, four-speed manual, and TorqueFlite automatic were available with the 383. Heavy-duty torsion bars, rear leaf springs, shocks, and drum brakes were part of the package; the factory data book specifies 11 x 3-inch front and 11 x 2.5-inch rear drums for the Road Runner.
The cabin stayed intentionally straightforward, with a bench seat and minimal ornamentation, while the option list allowed a four-speed floor shifter, TorqueFlite, Sure-Grip, power assists, a tachometer, hood treatment, stripes, and other comfort or appearance choices. Twenty-two model-year Plymouth paint colors are listed here, but an individual car's fender tag and records remain the authority for its original finish and trim.
Published references report 44,599 Road Runners for 1968: 29,240 coupes and 15,359 hardtops. With 1,019 reported Hemi cars, 43,580 standard-engine cars is a useful derived figure, not a substitute for an original factory engine report.
Authenticating a 383 Road Runner requires agreement among the VIN, fender tag, broadcast sheet, engine and transmission stampings, axle information, paint, trim, and options. Road Runner emblems, a beep-beep horn, hood treatment, or an installed 383 do not establish how a particular car left the factory.