1977 · Plymouth · United States
1977 Plymouth Road Runner
A Volare package with a separate Decor Group and Super Pak.
United States · researched through 2026-09-22
Plymouth's 1977 Volaré brochure splits the Road Runner into three separate catalogue items: a Road Runner Package, a distinct Road Runner Decor Group, and an additional "Front Runner" Super Pak layered on top of the package; "Front Runner" is brochure styling language for that combination, not a model of its own. MuscleCarClub, citing the Standard Catalog of American Cars, reports 6,975 Road Runners for the year, and the Standard Catalog itself, read directly, separately states 4,585 Volarés carried the Road Runner package while 2,390 were Super Road Runners; the two figures happen to sum to 6,975, which suggests that total is their combination, but no source states outright that the two counts partition it rather than overlapping.1,2
The Road Runner Package itself supplied E70x14 raised-white-letter tires, heavy-duty suspension, Rallye road wheels without trim rings, a blacked-out grille, Road Runner decals and nameplate, body-side and rear deck-lid tape stripes, and the "Beep-Beep" horn. The "Front Runner" Super Pak, shown only in combination with that package and offered only in Spitfire Orange, added a multi-colored orange, yellow and flat-black Road Runner tape stripe, a front air spoiler, wheel-opening flares, quarter-window louvers, a rear deck spoiler, and a matching spoiler stripe. A separate "Sun Runner" combination paired the Road Runner Package with either a new T-bar roof with lift-out glass panels or a manually operated sun roof, on coupes only.
A 318 V-8 was the standard Volaré V-8, its rating not printed in the brochure. A 360 two-barrel was optional, and a 360 four-barrel with Electronic Lean Burn was named as the Front Runner's own optional engine, with Lean Burn standard whenever that four-barrel 360 was ordered; neither 360 variant carries a printed rating either, and neither was available in California or above 4,000 feet of altitude. The brochure does not say whether the Road Runner Package itself could be ordered with the 360 two-barrel. A four-speed manual with overdrive was optional with the 225 Slant Six, 225 Super Six, or 318, again not above 4,000 feet, and TorqueFlite automatic was optional throughout.
The catalogue prices the Road Runner "Super Pak" at $318 on the base coupe, and separately prices the Road Runner package itself somewhere in a $193-$216 range and the Road Runner decor group in an $82-$101 range, without saying which body or equipment combination takes which end of either range, so this record carries the ranges rather than a single amount for those two items. Factory base prices for the plain Volaré two-door sport coupe ran $3,570 with the six and $3,740 with a V-8, before any Road Runner content was added.2,3
The Road Runner Decor Group itself, distinct from the package, added dual sport-styled chrome remote-control mirrors, Rallye wheel trim rings, and wheel-lip mouldings; a Space Maker Pak with a fold-down rear seat and carpeted trunk, a light-duty trailer-towing package, a Sure-Grip differential, and a console with bucket seats and TorqueFlite were further options. Sixteen exterior colors were charted for 1977, including three high-impact shades (French Racing Blue, Spitfire Orange, and Yellow Blaze) and nine two-tone combinations for Volaré coupes; Front Runner Super Pak interiors ran to a black cloth-and-vinyl bench or, at extra cost, black or white-with-black-accents vinyl buckets, while the plainer Road Runner package instead offered all-vinyl buckets and a console as options.
Fact sheet · 1977 · United States
The numbers
1977 Plymouth Road Runner — A Volare package with a separate Decor Group and Super Pak.
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
- The 1977 brochure defines the Road Runner Package as E70x14 raised-white-letter tires, heavy-duty suspension, Rallye road wheels without trim rings, a blacked-out grille, Road Runner decals and nameplate, a body-side tape stripe, a rear deck-lid stripe and the "Beep-Beep" horn.
- The "Front Runner" Super Pak, shown only with the Road Runner Package, came only in Spitfire Orange and added a multi-coloured orange/yellow/flat-black Road Runner tape stripe, a front air spoiler, wheel-opening flares, quarter-window louvers, a rear deck spoiler and a spoiler stripe.
- The brochure's "Sun Runner" is a Volaré coupe with the Road Runner Package and either the new T-bar roof with lift-out glass panels or the manual sun roof.
Production
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Road Runner 19771 Road Runner · Volare 2-door (package) · not stated Single secondary lineage; not comparable with 1968-1974 model counts. | 6,975 | not stated, model-year | Reported |
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volare with the Road Runner package2 Volare Road Runner · 2-door coupe · not stated Separately stated from the Super Road Runner count; the catalogue does not say whether the two overlap. | 4,585 | not stated (catalogue production total), model-year | Reported |
| Super Road Runner2 Volare Super Road Runner · 2-door coupe · not stated Separately stated from the Road Runner package count. The sum of the two equals MuscleCarClub's 6,975, which suggests that figure is their total, but no source states that the two counts partition it. | 2,390 | not stated (catalogue production total), model-year | Reported |
No engine, transmission, or paint count was found in an accessible documented source.
The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1976-1999 gives 4,585 Road Runner-package Volares and 2,390 Super Road Runners for 1977; the rows are not to be added.
The catalogue prices the Road Runner package at $193-$216 and the Road Runner decor group at $82-$101 for 1977 without saying which body or equipment takes which figure (archive.org leaf 780), so no single amount is shown for them.
Prices when new
| Model | Price | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Road Runner "Super Pak", Volare base coupe2 | $318 | option price as listed in the catalogue, 1977 model year |
| Factory price, Volare 2-door sport coupe, six3 | $3,570 | factory price (catalogue column), base car before options; catalogue note: left of slash six, right V-8, 1977 model year |
| Factory price, Volare 2-door sport coupe, V-83 | $3,740 | factory price (catalogue column), base car before options, 1977 model year |
Prices are the nominal dollars of the day, not adjusted for inflation.
Engines
| Engine | Factory rating | Availability | Built |
|---|---|---|---|
| 360 4-bbl V-8 with Electronic Lean Burn 360 cu in · single 4-barrel | optional (not in California or above 4,000 ft) | Not yet sourced | |
| 360 2-bbl V-8 360 cu in · single 2-barrel | optional Volaré engine (not in California or above 4,000 ft) | Not yet sourced | |
| 318 V-8 318 cu in · see note | standard Volaré V-8 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Overdrive-4 manual | optional with 225 Slant Six, 225 Super Six or 318 V-8 (not above 4,000 ft) | Not yet sourced |
| TorqueFlite automatic | optional | Not yet sourced |
Options and packages
| Code | Option | Price | Installed |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Road Runner Package | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Road Runner Decor Group | — | Not yet sourced |
|
"Front Runner" Super Pak (Spitfire Orange only) | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Space Maker Pak (fold-down rear seat, carpeted trunk) | — | Not yet sourced |
A34package |
Light-duty trailer-towing package | — | Not yet sourced |
|
T-bar roof with lift-out glass panels (coupes only) | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Manually operated sun roof (coupes only) | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Heavy-duty suspension (power disc brakes required) | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Sure-Grip differential | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Console (with bucket seats and TorqueFlite) | — | Not yet sourced |
|
"Tuff" steering wheel; tilt steering wheel (automatic required) | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Rallye road wheels; chrome-styled road wheels | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Dual sport-styled remote-control mirrors (coupes only) | — | Not yet sourced |
|
AM/FM stereo with 8-track tape; CB radio (dealer installed) | — | Not yet sourced |
Paint
| Code | Color | Built |
|---|---|---|
|
Silver Cloud Metallic | Not yet sourced |
|
French Racing Blue (high-impact colour) | Not yet sourced |
|
Regatta Blue Metallic | Not yet sourced |
|
Starlight Blue Sunfire Metallic | Not yet sourced |
|
Spitfire Orange (high-impact colour; the only colour for the Front Runner Super Pak) | Not yet sourced |
|
Vintage Red Sunfire Metallic | Not yet sourced |
|
Jade Green Metallic | Not yet sourced |
|
Forest Green Sunfire Metallic | Not yet sourced |
|
Mojave Beige | Not yet sourced |
|
Light Mocha Tan | Not yet sourced |
|
Russet Sunfire Metallic | Not yet sourced |
|
Caramel Tan Metallic | Not yet sourced |
|
Spanish Gold Metallic | Not yet sourced |
|
Yellow Blaze (high-impact colour) | Not yet sourced |
|
Spinnaker White | Not yet sourced |
|
Formal Black Sunfire Metallic | Not yet sourced |
|
Two-tone paint combinations for Volaré coupes (nine combinations shown) | 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 |
|---|---|---|
|
Front Runner Super Pak trim: black cloth-and-vinyl bench seat; black, or white with black accents, vinyl bucket seats at extra cost | Not yet sourced |
|
All-vinyl bucket seats and console optional with the Road Runner package | Not yet sourced |
Same model year
Also in 1977
- AMC AMX The AMX name returns as a $799 appearance-and-handling package on the Hornet hatchback, with the 258 six or the 304 V8.
- Buick Riviera A downsized B-body Riviera with a 350 or Oldsmobile 403; 26,138 built.
- Chevrolet Chevelle and Malibu SS The last Colonnade Chevelle year; no SS or Type S-3 performance model was found in the sources, and the strongest listed engine was a 170 net hp 350.
- Chevrolet Chevy II and Nova No SS in the source production table; Rally package offered 1977-79. Enthusiast-compiled production: 365,264 cars.
- Chevrolet El Camino SS Colonnade-era El Camino; Chevrolet's 1977 data pages define the RPO Z15 SS option for the El Camino Classic. Team Chevelle's production totals give 54,321 El Caminos built, 5,226 of them with SS equipment.
- Ford Maverick Grabber The Maverick's final year; no performance-package count was found.
- Ford Ranchero GT An auction catalogue reports 12,462 of 1977's 21,850 Rancheros as GTs, a figure no primary Ford record read here confirms.
- Ford Thunderbird The downsized seventh-generation Thunderbird became the best-selling Thunderbird; performance was no longer its brief.
- Mercury Cougar Outside the muscle focus: 194,823 Cougars for 1977 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.
- Pontiac Firebird and Trans Am The Bandit year: a new face, 68,744 Trans Ams, and more than 15,000 black-and-gold Special Editions.
- Pontiac Grand Prix The record Grand Prix year, 288,430 built, with Pontiac 400 and Oldsmobile 403 V8s at the top of the engine list.
- Pontiac Tempest and LeMans The one-year Can Am (RPO WW3) put the Trans Am's T/A 6.6 and shaker scoop on a Cameo White LeMans Sport Coupe, with published production figures of 1,133 and 1,377.