1976 · Plymouth · United States
1976 Plymouth Road Runner
The Road Runner became a Volare option package.
United States · researched through 2026-09-22
From 1976 the Road Runner was no longer a model of its own but an optional package on the compact Plymouth Volaré two-door coupe, carrying a Road Runner body-side stripe and decal. Consumer Guide gives the package's price as $205 with E70-14 tires, heavy-duty suspension with a rear sway bar, and unique trim, while a separate 1976 Volaré catalogue entry lists a Road Runner decor group on the base two-door coupe at $95; this record carries both prices as they were found rather than reconciling them into one package cost. MuscleCarClub, citing the Standard Catalog of American Cars, reports 8,769 Road Runners for the year.1,2,3
That 8,769 figure is itself disputed in what it actually counts. The Standard Catalog of American Cars, read directly rather than through MuscleCarClub's citation of it, scopes 8,769 to all V-8-equipped base Volaré coupes, of which 83.8 percent carried the Road Runner package (option code A57) and 21.7 percent the separate A66 Super Pak; the source page itself does not convert that percentage into a Road Runner-specific count, so this record does not compute one either. A further claim, that 1976 Volaré Road Runner production actually ran 7,348 against the 8,769 in the MuscleCarClub lineage, comes from a sale-listing blog that cites no record of its own and is carried only as an unpublished lead.2,3
A 318 two-barrel V-8, rated 145 hp by Consumer Guide, was required with the package and standard once it was ordered. The optional 360 required TorqueFlite and was not available in California, but its carburetion is itself disputed: the Volaré brochure's own options chart lists it as a single-exhaust two-barrel, while Consumer Guide separately describes a four-barrel 360 at 170 hp; this record treats the brochure as authoritative for what was advertised, not necessarily for what was built, and leaves the two-barrel/four-barrel question open pending an order guide or MVMA specification sheet. A 3-speed manual was the standard Volaré transmission, with a 4-speed overdrive manual optional on the 225 Six or 318, and TorqueFlite optional throughout and required with the 360.1
The Road Runner Decor Package itself was listed only for the base Volaré two-door coupe, and a SpaceMaker fold-down rear seat was available on that same coupe only in combination with the Road Runner package. Further options extended to a light-duty trailer-towing package requiring TorqueFlite, heavy-duty suspension, a Sure-Grip differential, Rallye or chrome-styled road wheels, dual sport-styled remote-control mirrors, a Tuff steering wheel, a console, power bucket seats, a manual sun roof, air conditioning, AM/FM stereo, automatic speed control, tilt steering, and power windows and door locks.
Sixteen exterior colors were charted for the 1976 Volaré range, from Silver Cloud Metallic and Big Sky Blue through Spitfire Orange, Jade Green Metallic, and Formal Black, alongside standard interior colors of blue, red, green, parchment, and tan, with an all-vinyl bench standard on the base Volaré and all-vinyl buckets optional. The Volaré coupe measured 197.5 in overall on a 108.5-inch wheelbase, 72.8 in wide and 53.1 in tall, with a drawing track dimension of 58.5 in and an 18-gallon fuel tank; rear axle ratios ran from 2.45 standard with the 318 and 3-speed manual up to 3.21 optional, and 2.76 standard with the 360 and TorqueFlite.
Fact sheet · 1976 · United States
The numbers
1976 Plymouth Road Runner — The Road Runner became a Volare option package.
Coverage: Partial — researched sections are shown; missing ones are not yet sourced. Researched through 2026-09-22.
Every figure is labeled with how sure we are. Reported means a manufacturer, registry, or reference figure we cite but have not reconciled against factory records ourselves. Disputed means credible sources disagree and both are shown. Rows are separately scoped; don't add them together unless the note says they make up a total.
Key facts
- Consumer Guide gives the 1976 Road Runner package price as $205 and its content as E70-14 tires, heavy-duty suspension with a rear sway bar and unique trim.1
Production
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Road Runner 19763 Road Runner · Volare 2-door (package) · not stated Single secondary lineage; not comparable with 1968-1974 model counts. | 8,769 | not stated, model-year | Reported |
No engine, transmission, or paint count was found in an accessible documented source.
Prices when new
| Model | Price | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Road Runner package on Volaré 2-door coupe1 | $205 | option price as reported by Consumer Guide, 1976 model year |
| Road Runner decor group, Volare base coupe2 | $95 | option price as listed in the catalogue, 1976 model year |
| Factory price, Volare 2-door sport coupe (HL29), six4 | $3,324 | factory price (catalogue column), base car before options; row-aligned reading; catalogue note: left of slash six, right V-8, 1976 model year |
| Factory price, Volare 2-door sport coupe (HL29), V-84 | $3,489 | factory price (catalogue column), base car before options; row-aligned reading, 1976 model year |
Prices are the nominal dollars of the day, not adjusted for inflation.
Engines
| Engine | Factory rating | Availability | Built |
|---|---|---|---|
| 318 2-bbl V-81 318 cu in · single 2-barrel | 145 hp (not stated by source) | standard with the package (V-8 required) | Not yet sourced |
| 360 V-81 360 cu in · see note | 170 hp (not stated by source) | optional; TorqueFlite only; not available in California | Not yet sourced |
Ratings are the manufacturer's advertised figures under the standard shown (SAE gross before 1972, SAE net after). They are not dyno results, and gross and net ratings can't be compared directly.
Transmissions
| Transmission | Availability | Built |
|---|---|---|
| 3-speed manual, fully synchronized | standard Volaré transmission | Not yet sourced |
| Overdrive-4 manual (4-speed with overdrive top gear) | optional with 225 Six or 318 V-8 | Not yet sourced |
| TorqueFlite automatic | optional; required with 360 | Not yet sourced |
Options and packages
| Code | Option | Price | Installed |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Road Runner Decor Package (Volaré 2-door coupe only) | — | Not yet sourced |
|
SpaceMaker Package, fold-down rear seat (Volaré 2-door coupe with Road Runner package only) | — | Not yet sourced |
A34package |
Light-duty trailer-towing package (TorqueFlite required) | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Heavy-duty suspension | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Sure-Grip differential | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Rallye road wheels; chrome-styled road wheels | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Dual sport-styled remote-control outside mirrors | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Tuff steering wheel | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Console; power bucket seats; manual sun roof (coupe) | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Air conditioning; AM/FM stereo; automatic speed control; tilt steering; power windows and door locks | — | Not yet sourced |
Paint
| Code | Color | Built |
|---|---|---|
|
Silver Cloud Metallic | Not yet sourced |
|
Big Sky Blue | Not yet sourced |
|
Jamaican Blue Metallic | Not yet sourced |
|
Spitfire Orange | Not yet sourced |
|
Claret Red | Not yet sourced |
|
Jade Green Metallic | Not yet sourced |
|
Tropic Green Metallic | Not yet sourced |
|
Deep Sherwood Metallic | Not yet sourced |
|
Sahara Beige | Not yet sourced |
|
Saddle Tan | Not yet sourced |
|
Caramel Tan Metallic | Not yet sourced |
|
Cinnamon Metallic | Not yet sourced |
|
Harvest Gold | Not yet sourced |
|
Spanish Gold Metallic | Not yet sourced |
|
Spinnaker White | Not yet sourced |
|
Formal Black | Not yet sourced |
Color names are the factory's. We don't show color swatches, because a screen color is no guide for a restoration.
Interiors
| Code | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
|
Volaré standard interior colours: blue, red, green, parchment, tan (all-vinyl bench standard on the base Volaré; all-vinyl bucket seats optional) | Not yet sourced |
Specifications
| Measure | Value | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Wheelbase | 108.5 in | Volaré coupe |
| Overall length | 197.5 in | Volaré coupe |
| Overall width | 72.8 in | Volaré coupe |
| Overall height | 53.1 in | Volaré coupe |
| Track | 58.5 in | Volaré coupe (drawing dimension) |
| Fuel tank | 18 gal | Volaré |
| Rear axle ratio, 360 V-8 with TorqueFlite (standard) | 2.76 ratio | Volaré 360; optional 2.45, 2.94, 3.21; Sure-Grip 2.71, 3.21 |
| Rear axle ratio, 318 V-8 with 3-speed manual (standard) | 2.45 ratio | Volaré 318; optional 2.94, 3.21; Overdrive-4 2.94 std; TorqueFlite 2.45 std |
Where the sources disagree
1976 Road Runner 360 engine carburetion
- 360 V-8 single exhaust, two-barrel (options chart)
- 360 four-barrel, 170 hp, automatic only1
Both descriptions are shown. The brochure is authoritative for what was advertised, not for what was built; a 1976 Volaré order guide or MVMA specification would settle which 360 the Road Runner package used.
What the 1976 figure 8,769 counts
- 8,769 Road Runners3
- 8,769 HL29 Volare coupes with a V-8, of which 83.8 percent had the Road Runner package (A57) and 21.7 percent the A66 Super Pak2
Both shown. The Standard Catalog scopes 8,769 to all V-8 base Volare coupes, not to Road Runners; the page does not convert the percentage into a count.
Same model year
Also in 1976
- AMC AMX No AMX was sold in the United States for 1976. The Javelin ended after 1974, and the badge returned on the 1977 Hornet.
- AMC Gremlin X and Spirit AMX The last year of the V8 Gremlin. The 304 was cancelled at midyear after 826 installations, and the X package moved to Custom models only.
- Buick Riviera The GS name gave way to an S/R package, fitted to 1,619 of 20,082 Rivieras.
- Chevrolet Chevelle and Malibu SS The final Laguna Type S-3 year; the 454 no longer appears on the compiled engine list.
- Chevrolet Chevy II and Nova Last Nova SS year in the source production table. Enthusiast-compiled production: 334,728 cars; Super Sport 7,416.
- Chevrolet El Camino SS Colonnade-era El Camino; Chevrolet's 1976 data pages define the RPO Z15 SS option for the El Camino Classic. Team Chevelle's production totals give 44,890 El Caminos built, 5,163 of them with SS equipment.
- Dodge Dart GTS, Swinger and Demon The final year of the approved Dart chronology; MuscleCarClub reports 13,642 Dart Sports of all engines, and Flory says the Dart Sport 360 was dropped.
- Ford Maverick Grabber The Grabber was dropped and a Stallion paint-and-trim package took its place; no Stallion count was found.
- Ford Ranchero GT The Ranchero GT continued on the 1972-76 Ranchero; 4,942 GTs were built, per reference-site counts in the Standard Catalog lineage.
- Ford Thunderbird Sixth-generation personal-luxury Thunderbird; the record holds the production total and the luxury-group option prices only.
- Ford Torino The last Torino year: 193,096 built with no Sport model left, and Ford's 1,000 white-striped red 'Starsky and Hutch' Gran Torino replicas were the only performance-styled edition.
- Mercury Cougar Outside the muscle focus: 83,765 Cougars for 1976 per Wikipedia's table.
- Oldsmobile Cutlass, 4-4-2 and Hurst/Olds An appearance and handling option in this period; no Hurst/Olds was offered and no production figure was found.
- Plymouth Duster 340 and 360 The Duster's last year offered the 360 only with TorqueFlite and not in California, beside the new Feather Duster economy and Silver Duster decor packages; reference books disagree on production (26,688 or 34,681).
- Pontiac Firebird and Trans Am The first black-and-gold Trans Am, the last Trans Am 455, and a Firebird line past 110,000.
- Pontiac Grand Prix Quad headlamps and a 50th-anniversary year for Pontiac; the last Grand Prix 455.
- Pontiac Tempest and LeMans The 455 returns to the LeMans options list, a 260 V8 with a five-speed arrives for the Sport Coupe, and a Rally RTS Handling Package replaces the GT.