[1]Image: PSThemi.com
[2]Image: MyPowerBlock.com
In 1969, the Plymouth Road Runner won Motor Trend‘s Car of the Year. While the 1968 Road Runner was a rousing success, sales almost doubled for 1969 with over 84,000 built.
With so many built, it’s easy to find one at a car show today. However, a pro touring Road Runner [3] is a none-too-common sight. This one stands out as a showpiece for craft and creativity.
If you’re not familiar with Road Runners, there were three bodystyles in 1969 – coupe, hardtop, and convertible. The coupe is the one with the B-pillar with the pop-out rear side windows, which is the bodystyle (VIN code RM21) Brad Riepe bought for $100 in 1983 when he was 16.
The transformation began in 1999 when he bought a NHRA Pro Stock Hemi engine, and for the ensuing 11 years he worked in his spare time to bring you what he felt was the quintessential rendering of what a Road Runner should be. As with every cool car, Brad had to christen it with an appropriate name, right? Enter: Roadkill!
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What makes errant lifeforms fodder for Roadkill? Start with the 599cui HEMI, which has a .988 lift cam and 14:1 pistons. Sounds radical as it is, but it’s detuned to a claimed 1,300 horsepower from its Pro Stock roots. That doesn’t mean Brad hops in Roadkill and goes to the local Wawa (or Circle K or whatever they have where you live) because it requires 114 Sunoco race fuel at $10 a gallon.
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Holding it all together is a Viper suspension, vented 1 1/4-inch Wilwood brakes, a custom four-link Dana 60 rear, and a five-speed trans (according to Popular Hot Rodding [6], most likely a Richmond, given the horsepower). The piece de resistance, though, are the rotors: A sawblade theme based on the diabolical lengths Wile E. Coyote (Genius) would go to capture the Road Runner. If you like them, they can be purchased from your local ACME supplier.
[7]Image: PSThemi.com
