Story of a Classic: 1973 Plymouth Road Runner

We are ready for all that summer brings— gorgeous weather, cookouts, and the incredible stories behind our clients’ classic vehicles. In this edition of our Story of a Classic series, we meet a collector named Dennis who purchased a 1973 Plymouth Road Runner the year after it came off the line. He eventually sold the car, but never forgot about it. Read on to learn how a chance drive reunited Dennis with his beloved classic car.

Q: What drew you to this specific make and model?

Dennis: I first bought this car 50 years ago when I was 18. My father passed away when I was 16, so my mother and I went car shopping that day. I had just sold a 1966 Ford Mustang Convertible (which I regretted for a long time) and during our search, we looked at a white 1974 Chevy Camaro (brand new) and a blue 1973 Plymouth Road Runner with very few miles on it. There was no comparison. I had to have the Road Runner.

Q: Tell us about other collector vehicles you own or have owned.

Dennis: In 2006 I had a 1966 Ford Mustang Convertible. It was the same dark blue as the one I sold before I bought the Road Runner. I also had a 1965 Ford Mustang Convertible (289, 4 speed, 4 barrel) and a 1967 Mustang Convertible, but it was not finished. I sold all of them and bought a 2007 Shelby Cobra Mustang Convertible that I still own.

Q: How did you get started collecting classic vehicles?

Dennis: My love of classic cars started in high school when I took body shop and mechanic classes. There I painted my first Mustang and overhauled the motor. That got me started on working on the older collector cars. My understanding is that those classes are no longer offered in smaller schools, which is a shame.

Q: What is the story behind how you obtained/restored the vehicle being featured?

Dennis: I bought this car back in 1974 and sold it over the years. A few years back, my wife found it when she was driving through a little town in South Dakota. She saw it sitting by the Davis Grain elevator, so she went into the nearby office and asked who owned the blue Road Runner outside. She was sure it was the one that had originally belonged to me. It was, but I wouldn’t get it then.

A few years later, I saw the car’s owner when I passed through the same town. He was washing the car, and this time I stopped and asked if he would sell it back to me, as I had always loved that car. He said he was not interested selling at the time. Fast forward to about a month ago. The owner called me out of the blue and said that he was ready to sell it back to me. In fact, he said another buyer was hounding him for it, but he thought it should go back with the original owner.

I never thought I would ever get the Road Runner back, especially in such good condition. It still had its original paint as well as the same motor and transmission. It had the dealer sticker on the bumper as well as the same sunroof, interior, and build sheet. It’s incredible. It also only had 79,000 miles on it. I’m so happy to have it back. It’s a beautiful car with a unique shade of blue. I had been looking for even the color for years and couldn’t find one in that shade.

Q: What do you want us to know?

Dennis: Aside from my love of the car, having it back is also great for memories’ sake. My wife and I drove it last night and it brought back so many memories from when we were dating 50 years ago. You have no idea how it feels to get such a great car back after so much time.

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