Performance Review: Plymouth Road Runner 440 V8 1st Gen - [1969]

Figures & Specs Summary:

Plymouth Road Runner Performance Review.

Introduction:

This edition of the Plymouth Road Runner 440 V8 1st Gen is the 4 speed / Manual version and was first brought out in 1969. This was at around the same time as the introduction of the 1970 Monteverdi Hai 450 SS and the 1969 McLaren M6 GT 5.7 V8.This particular Plymouth Road Runner has a 7206cc 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 440 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 2023 Toyota Corolla GR Morizo Edition 1.6 Turbo (300 bhp)

In terms of power the 7206cc 12V V8 engine produces 290 bhp (216 kW) @ 4800 rpm similar to the 2023 Toyota Corolla GR Morizo Edition 1.6 Turbo (300 bhp) or the 2023 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid 3.0 V6 Turbo (300 bhp).

The Naturally Aspirated V8 throws out 380 lb-ft (515.2 Nm) @ 3200 rpm placing it with cars of similar torque performance figures such as the 2024 Mazda CX-90 S 3.3 Turbo (369 lb-ft) or the 2023 Porsche Cayenne 3.0 V6 Turbo (369 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 2016 Volkswagen-VW Golf R 2.0 Turbo (196.1 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 171.4 bhp per ton and 224.7 lb-ft per ton. Bhp Per Ton figures of the 1969 Road Runner competing with the 2016 Volkswagen-VW Golf R 2.0 Turbo (196.1 bhp per ton) or the 1965 Ford Mustang Hardtop 289 4.7 V8 (195.9 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 224.7 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 2009 Nissan Skyline GT-R Spec V R35 (249.7 lb-ft per ton) or the 2013 Porsche Cayenne 4.8 V8 Turbo S (249.6 lb-ft per ton).

Acceleration:

With a 0-60mph time of 5.50 secs or a 0-100km/h (0-62mph) of 5.7 secs, this made the Plymouth Road Runner 440 V8 1st Gen as fast as the 2019 Ford Focus ST 2.3 EcoBoost (5.50 secs) the 2017 Honda Civic Type R 2.0i 16v Turbo - FK8 (5.50 secs) the 2017 Seat Leon SC Cupra 300 (5.50 secs) the or the 2017 Seat Leon Cupra 300 DSG (5.50 secs). This Plymouth Road Runner 440 V8 1st Gen is also faster than the 2022 Volkswagen-VW Arteon 2.0T AWD (5.60 secs) the 2022 Volkswagen-VW Arteon 2.0T (5.60 secs) the 2020 Maserati Ghibli GranSport Petrol Hybrid (5.60 secs) the and the 2019 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range (5.60 secs).

Quarter Mile time is a close race between the Road Runner and the 1959 Ferrari 250 GT 3.0L V12

When talking about the performance of the Plymouth Road Runner on the drag strip it can reach a quarter mile in an estimated 14.68 secs @ 93.2 mph. Similar performance down the quarter mile can be found with the the 1959 Ferrari 250 GT 3.0L V12 (14.62 secs), the 1998 Toyota Mark II 2.5 Tourer V (14.62 secs), and the 2017 Dodge Charger Daytona 5.7 V8 370 (14.62 secs).

Top Speed:

Modern performance cars are often artificially restricted to 155mph. The 1969 version of the Plymouth Road Runner 440 V8 1st Gen has a maximum speed of 103mph.

Top Speed of the 1969 Road Runner equals the 2005 Ford Fiesta 1.6 Zetec S (114 mph)

If maxing out your car on the AutoBahn is your thing and you're wondering what's faster than the 1969 Plymouth Road Runner 440 V8 1st Gen then how about the 2005 Ford Fiesta 1.6 Zetec S (114 mph), the 1995 Caterham Super 7 1.4 Supersport (114 mph), or the 1990 Mazda MX5 1.6 (114 mph).

Related Links:

1969 Road Runner Rivals List.

A Brief History of Plymouth

Car Comparison