Let’s get the complaints out of the way now: Yes, what you are looking at is the 1975-only Plymouth Road Runner. Yes, it is still a B-body, with the underpinnings that debuted in 1971 and the “Coronet” body shape. Yes, not only is it more homely than the 1974 ‘Runner, but compared to the Chrysler Cordoba and mirror-twin Dodge Charger SE, there is something missing. It is a legitimate RM21-coded Road Runner, the last year that Chrysler bothered (for 1976-80, the Road Runner was a stripe package on a Plymouth Volaré), and this one packs the mid-level 360 small block and 727 automatic.

Why would you go after a 1975 Road Runner if your name isn’t McTaggart? Rarity. There were only 7,183 made in 1975, and do you care to hazard a guess how many survived? Not many. With earlier models gaining in price, you might be tempted to find a 1971-74 Satellite and clone yourself a ‘Runner, but in the end, Mopar freaks are a fickle bunch and can smell a fake. Meanwhile, right here you have a clean, surprisingly well-optioned Plymouth with a 360 small-block. Okay, it’s a smogger lump of a 360, but while it is down on power, it’s reliable, and trust us, a well-built 360 (or, if you are adventurous and save your pennies, a 408ci stroker small-block) would get this bird moving in the right way. Or, if you really want to bring honor back to the Road Runner name, you could find a similar vintage 400 or 440 big block and get to work.

Honest confession: I don’t like these cars because they are a Road Runner. If I wanted a ‘Runner, I tend to prefer 1971-74. I like the 1975 Road Runner and any of the sister cars that share this body (Fury Sport, Monaco, Coronet) because I know how strong they truly are. I have seen a Plymouth Fury endure punishment that no other car would have survived. It was jumped. It was rolled. It was driven through trees hard enough that I wound up splitting logs for a month. It was backed through a 1970s Volvo station wagon that was sitting on it’s discs and drums hard enough that the Volvo went bouncing like a soccer ball. I don’t like these for the looks…the front end is aggressive enough, but from the back they seem a bit weird. But unless you start out with a rot-box, you’re in good hands. It’s just as rare as any “rare” Mopar and has the durability of all of those cop cars you saw wrecked and abused in movies. Bidding is at $4,100 now, and other than a cleaning and some door ding work, it’s looking decent. As long as the seller’s head isn’t in the clouds, you’d be pressed to do worse.

eBay Link: 1975 Plymouth Road Runner