Mechanic gets lucky with the rarest HEMI Road Runner ever built and takes it out for a spin
- Check out this rare Plymouth HEMI Road Runner
- Chrysler decided America needed affordable muscle cars
- 1971 was the final year for its coveted and punchy powerplants
Published on Dec 26, 2024 at 8:00 AM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Nov 27, 2024 at 2:21 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Check out this lucky mechanic who enjoyed a joyride in the purest sense of the word in a rare Plymouth HEMI Road Runner.
The Road Runner came to be after Chrysler decided that the American market needed more affordable muscle cars.
Sadly 1971 was the final year for these coveted and punchy powerplants.
The muscle car lost its six-barrel 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) and the iconic 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) HEMI for 1972.
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The Plymouth HEMI Road Runner
When Dodge unleashed the Super Bee, Plymouth developed the Road Runner.
However, it was the Road Runner that stood the test of time beyond 1971 until Chrysler discontinued high-compression V8 engines
Low sales coupled with high insurance rates muscle cars in 1971 resulted in only a small percentage being equipped with the HEMI and Six-Barrel.
In fact, the Plymouth HEMI Road Runner was ordered by only 55 customers, making it the rarest model and HEMI ever.
In similar news, this 1972 Plymouth Road Runner is hiding a huge secret people are missing.
The mechanic who took it for a spin
This red example is one of only 27 units with a three-speed automatic gearbox.
Canadian mechanic and content creator at Nick’s Garage, Nick Panaritis, was lucky enough to get one roll into his garage earlier this month.
He is best known for working on iconic golden-era muscle cars and taking them for a cheeky test drive.
This Plymouth HEMI Road Runner. came into the shop for a check-up on an oil leak.
It was the first he’d ever had in his garage – and the world’s most expensive example sold for a whopping $500,000 in 2023.
That’s why after giving it the all-clear he decided to take it for a spin.
While it runs like a dream, Panaritis concludes that grippier tires are needed to cope with the punch packed by the 426 HEMI.
In similar news, this 1969 Boss HEMI Fastback Mustang is now incredibly unique thanks to 5,500 hours of work.
Meanwhile, this 1969 Dodge Daytona Charger’s 426 Hemi creates a hood-lift phenomenon that modern car owners wouldn’t believe.
All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
