1980 Plymouth Road Runner

The 1980 Volaré brochure is the last catalog in this chronology to list a Road Runner package, priced at $586. MuscleCarClub, citing the Standard Catalog of American Cars, reports 496 built for the year, and Consumer Guide separately confirms that same 496 figure while noting that the 360 V-8 had been dropped entirely, leaving a detuned 318, rated 120 hp, as the top engine available. No engine-specific, transmission-specific, or paint-specific breakdown of that 496 total was found in an accessible documented source, so the figure stands undivided in this record.^1,2,3

The Road Runner package's own chassis content, as listed on the 1980 ready-to-order form, actually specified the 225 Slant Six as its base engine, with eight-spoke painted road wheels carrying trim rings, P195/75R14 black-sidewall radials, and heavy-duty suspension; the 318 V-8s appear in the brochure only as general Volaré engine options rather than as content specific to the package itself. Exterior content for the year ran to a black-painted grille, black-painted headlamp doors and park/turn lamp surrounds, black anodized window mouldings and wiper arms, body-colored dual remote sport mirrors, bright sill mouldings with a black surround, body accent stripes, a rear spoiler, "Road Runner" decals on the front fenders, and further "Road Runner" and "Plymouth" decals on the spoiler itself; inside, vinyl bucket seats and a color-keyed "Tuff" steering wheel were fitted.

The 225 Slant Six, carrying no printed rating, was the standard engine, paired with a 3-speed manual standard and a 4-speed overdrive manual optional, neither available with a V-8 or in California. The 318 two-barrel, rated 120 hp by Consumer Guide, was optional under federal emissions rules, with a 318 four-barrel optional for high-altitude use; TorqueFlite automatic was optional generally but required with either V-8 and in California outright. This record's own chassis-content listing for the Road Runner package names the Six specifically as part of the package specification rather than treating it as merely available alongside the package.³

A separate Handling/Performance Package added extra heavy-duty suspension, firm-feel power steering, and FR70x14 Aramid-belted outline-white-letter radials on top of the base Road Runner content, itself already carrying eight-spoke painted road wheels with trim rings and P195/75R14 black-sidewall radials as standard. A T-bar roof was offered on the coupe, though ordering it meant a transverse roof stripe replaced the Road Runner's own body stripe; cast aluminum road wheels were a further separate option, listed apart from both the base package's own wheels and the Handling/Performance Package's tires.

Thirteen exterior colors were charted for 1980, from Natural Suede Tan and Burnished Silver Metallic through Graphic Red, offered only on the coupe, and Formal Black, plus three named two-tone combinations: Frost Blue over Nightwatch Blue, Light Cashmere over Natural Suede Tan, and Burnished Silver over Baron Red. The Volaré two-door measured 200.3 in overall on a 108.7-inch wheelbase, 72.4 in wide and 53.6 in tall, with a base six-cylinder curb weight of 3,200 lb and an 18-gallon fuel tank; the Road Runner's own vinyl bucket seats came without a center cushion and armrest as standard, with that cushion and armrest available as an option.