JULY 2024: FAMILY JEWEL—THIS 1968 PLYMOUTH ROAD RUNNER 2-DOOR POST HAS BEEN IN ONE FAMILY SINCE IT WAS BRAND-NEW

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The 1968 Plymouth Road Runner took North American car guys by storm when it debuted as an affordable muscle car that year.

Plymouth was not a name typically associated with wild vehicles and youthful exuberance after so many years as a practical transportation solution for families, taxi cab passengers, and police car prisoners.   

Jim Sutherland

It was true Plymouth had already gotten into the muscle car game with its GTX model, but the beefy B-body was only offered with a 426 Hemi or a 440 big block as engine choices. A Plymouth GTX was an upscale model that had a hefty price tag and appealed to older, more affluent customers who could also handle the GTX’s large insurance premiums.

On the other hand, a 1968 Plymouth Road Runner left the factory as a stripped-down model with a much smaller price tag. Additionally, the ’68 Road Runner’s stock engine was the famous Mopar 383 big block, but it kept the insurance brokers at bay if a young car guy wanted to own one. In short, the 1968 Plymouth Road Runner was an affordable factory hot rod that flew under the radar with insurance people.

Clair Cowles only 17 years old when he walked into a Plymouth dealership on March 1,1968 and left with a Road Runner. Clair was a motivated buyer who wanted to own a brand-new muscle car during the golden years of the famous Sixties automotive era. A ’68 Plymouth Road Runner was the answer to his youthful new car dreams.

Sadly, Clair’s father died in a plane crash in 1967 and left his mother with a tough situation raising a family while becoming its main breadwinner. Somehow, she was able to finance Clair’s dream car and get him a set of wheels while he was a student in Edmonton, Alberta Canada, far from his home in Yellowknife, NWT.

The Road Runner became Clair’s daily driver until 1972 when it was retired to a garage from active duty on the road.  During that 4-year time frame, Clair drove his Road Runner from Edmonton north to Yellowknife (1500 kilometers /930 miles) numerous times, along with a very spontaneous road trip from Edmonton to California with some buddies that resulted in the purchase of 10 hamburgers when they arrived at their destination. Then they immediately turned and burned back to Edmonton in a car-related adventure that car guys will only do when they are still young.                    

The years rolled by, and Clair became a family man with a new set of responsibilities, but he managed to keep his 1968 Road Runner through the years.

The car underwent a major restoration in 1997 when Clair and his son Blaine dove into the deep end of the project and brought the Road Runner back on the road.

Unfortunately, Clair passed away in 2020, but his car guy legacy remains intact because Blaine is now the second owner of his dad’s pride and joy ‘68 Road Runner.

Clair kept a concise record for his Road Runner right from the day it left the Edmonton dealership, including its short dealer’s list of factory features on the car like a remote mirror, 383 engine, and automatic transmission.

Clair later added his own features like an AM radio, 4:10 gears, and a tachometer. The low gears are likely to be replaced by the Road Runner’s more highway-friendly 3:23 factory gears so Blaine can use it for longer road trips in the future.

The Boston Red Sox cap in the Road Runner is a tribute to Clair’s loyalty to the famous baseball team. It is likely no surprise that Blaine is also a huge fan of the Red Sox, given Blaine’s loyalty to his dad’s ‘68 Road Runner.

This 1968 Plymouth Road Runner was a legend the day it hit the streets of Edmonton, Alberta 56 years ago. Now it’s a legacy for a family legend.

BY: Jim Sutherland

Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section. 

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