Performance Review: Plymouth Road Runner 426 Hemi V8 1st Gen - [1968]

Figures & Specs Summary:

Plymouth Road Runner Performance Review.

Introduction:

This edition of the Plymouth Road Runner 426 Hemi V8 1st Gen is the 4 speed / Manual version and was first brought out in 1968. This was at around the same time as the introduction of the 1969 McLaren M6 GT 5.7 V8 and the 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429.This particular Plymouth Road Runner has a 6981cc Naturally Aspirated Petrol powerplant with 8 cylinders in a V formation.

Alternative Petrol V8's includes the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170

The Road Runner shares its Petrol V8 engine configuration with the likes of the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 and the 2023 Ferrari SF 90 XX Spider 4.0 V8 Turbo. If you're looking for other fast cars which share the Road Runner's Rear Wheel Drive, Coupe combination then how about the 1982 Fiat X1/9 1.5 8V or the 1965 Aston-Martin DB6 1965.

Power and Weight:

Weighing in at 1691 kgs (3728 lbs) this makes the Plymouth Road Runner 426 Hemi V8 1st Gen in the same weight category as the 2023 Aston-Martin Valour 5.2 V12 Twin Turbo or the give or take 50kg.

The Plymouth Road Runner shares the same bhp with the 2022 Ford Mustang GT 5.0 V8 (450 bhp)

In terms of power the 6981cc 12V V8 engine produces 425 bhp (316 kW) @ 5000 rpm similar to the 2022 Ford Mustang GT 5.0 V8 (450 bhp) or the 2020 Lotus Evora GT410 3.5 V6 Supercharged (410 bhp).

The Naturally Aspirated V8 throws out 490 lb-ft (664.3 Nm) @ 4000 rpm placing it with cars of similar torque performance figures such as the 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray 6.2 V8 Petrol Hybrid C8 (470 lb-ft) or the 2023 BMW 3 Series M3 CS 3.0 Twin Turbo G80 (479 lb-ft).

Power to Weight:

If one combines the weight with power or torque performance for the Plymouth Road Runner you can get a better idea of it's real world performance.

The 2013 Aston-Martin Rapide S 5.9 V12 (276.3 bhp per ton) has similar Bhp Per Ton stats as the Plymouth Road Runner.

The Plymouth Road Runner has a Power to weight ratio of 251.3 bhp per ton and 289.7 lb-ft per ton. Bhp Per Ton figures of the 1968 Road Runner competing with the 2013 Aston-Martin Rapide S 5.9 V12 (276.3 bhp per ton) or the 2022 Lotus Emira First Edition 3.5 V6 Supercharged (276.2 bhp per ton).

Power to Weight(cont.):

If you agree with the late great Carroll Shelby then arguably an even better indicator of potential performance, Torque. Use weight as well and you end up with - Torque per ton, with the Plymouth Road Runner generating around 289.7 lb-ft per ton. If you're curious as to what other cars have as much torque to weight then look no further than the 2021 Aston-Martin Speedster 5.2 V12 Twin Turbo (314.4 lb-ft per ton) or the 1966 Chevrolet Corvette C2 Stingray 427 425hp (314.4 lb-ft per ton).

Acceleration:

With a 0-60mph time of 5.30 secs or a 0-100km/h (0-62mph) of 5.5 secs, this made the Plymouth Road Runner 426 Hemi V8 1st Gen as fast as the 2019 Renault Megane RS 1.8 Turbo 300 Trophy-R (5.30 secs) the 2019 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus (5.30 secs) the 2017 Land-Rover Velar 3.0 V6 Supercharged 360 (5.30 secs) the or the 2017 Mercedes G Class 63 AMG (5.30 secs). This Plymouth Road Runner 426 Hemi V8 1st Gen is also faster than the 2023 Porsche Cayenne Coupe 3.0 V6 Turbo (5.40 secs) the 2023 Porsche Cayenne 3.0 V6 Turbo (5.40 secs) the 2019 Volkswagen-VW Golf GTi TCR 2.0 Turbo (5.40 secs) the and the 2019 Jaguar F Type 2.0 Turbo Cabriolet (5.40 secs).

Quarter Mile time is a close race between the Road Runner and the 1968 Dodge Coronet Super Bee 6.3 V8 383

When talking about the performance of the Plymouth Road Runner on the drag strip it can reach a quarter mile in an estimated 12.92 secs @ 105.9 mph. Similar performance down the quarter mile can be found with the the 1968 Dodge Coronet Super Bee 6.3 V8 383 (12.87 secs), the 2016 Maserati Quattroporte 3.0 V6 Biturbo (12.88 secs), and the 1970 Ford Torino 2nd Gen Cobra SportsRoof Boss (12.89 secs).

Top Speed:

Modern performance cars are often artificially restricted to 155mph. The 1968 version of the Plymouth Road Runner 426 Hemi V8 1st Gen has a maximum speed of 105mph.

Top Speed of the 1968 Road Runner equals the 1997 Citroen Saxo 1.6i VTR (116 mph)

If maxing out your car on the AutoBahn is your thing and you're wondering what's faster than the 1968 Plymouth Road Runner 426 Hemi V8 1st Gen then how about the 1997 Citroen Saxo 1.6i VTR (116 mph), the 1994 Peugeot 106 Rallye (116 mph), or the 1986 Ford Escort XR3i MK4 (116 mph).

Related Links:

1968 Road Runner Rivals List.

A Brief History of Plymouth

Car Comparison