Looking for 1969 Hemi Road Runner RM23JA305304

[68BabyBlue]

Sold new at Clark Motor Company in State College, PA. Fifty-one years ago, a week after getting my driver's license, I sat behind the wheel of this unicorn, savored the new car smell, and said to myself, "someday".

It was, oddly, a sales bank car. R4 red hardtop, black bucket seat interior, console automatic, black vinyl top, power steering, 3:55 axle ratio. First owner was Olin Butt, a retired band director who owned a music shop in State College. He used the car as a daily driver until he passed in 1982.

Several deep pocket buyers pursued it over the next two years, but a former Penn State student finally closed the deal in 1984, purely by chance. When I talked to him five years ago, he said he looked over his shoulder the whole way across I-80, expecting a horde of local Mopar guys to be chasing him in Dodge pick up trucks!

When Bob sold the car in 1992, it ended up in Long Island, and when that owner sold it in 1996, the trail disappeared. I made a serious effort to locate it in 2015, but quit the search after lucking into the '69 GTX that currently occupies my garage.

Time is running out, so I figured I'd take one last shot at pulling the sword from the stone. If it doesn't surface, I might consider other '69 hemi Road Runners or GTXs.

 

[VANDAN]

Cool Story, Good Luck with the Search !

 

[69Coronetrt]

I don't know if the car still exists or where it is but....

 

[68BabyBlue]

I don't know if the car still exists or where it is but....

View attachment 992111

Wow! When Bob bought the car from Olin's widow, the only paperwork he got was the bill of sale. No window sticker, broadcast sheet, nothing. Let alone the dealer invoice. How did you find this treasure?

 

[69Coronetrt]

How did you find this treasure?

Not sure but here it is.....

 

[68BabyBlue]

The original spare tire that came with the car is still in State College. The car is an urban legend here, with misinformation galore floating around. When folks see my GTX, their first question is usually, "do you remember the hemi road runner that old guy drove?"

 

[Imperial One]

Sold new at Clark Motor Company in State College, PA. Fifty-one years ago, a week after getting my driver's license, I sat behind the wheel of this unicorn, savored the new car smell, and said to myself, "someday".

It was, oddly, a sales bank car. R4 red hardtop, black bucket seat interior, console automatic, black vinyl top, power steering, 3:55 axle ratio. First owner was Olin Butt, a retired band director who owned a music shop in State College. He used the car as a daily driver until he passed in 1982.

Several deep pocket buyers pursued it over the next two years, but a former Penn State student finally closed the deal in 1984, purely by chance. When I talked to him five years ago, he said he looked over his shoulder the whole way across I-80, expecting a horde of local Mopar guys to be chasing him in Dodge pick up trucks!

When Bob sold the car in 1992, it ended up in Long Island, and when that owner sold it in 1996, the trail disappeared. I made a serious effort to locate it in 2015, but quit the search after lucking into the '69 GTX that currently occupies my garage.

Time is running out, so I figured I'd take one last shot at pulling the sword from the stone. If it doesn't surface, I might consider other '69 hemi Road Runners or GTXs.

This is a pretty fine one, for sale for big bucks, but it looks perfect.

https://www.legendarymotorcar.com/inventory/1969-plymouth-road-runner-hemi-2216.aspx

 

[F4R/T]

Wow awesome story and best of luck... I believe you’ve come to the best place to get some hope for its return!

 

[dadsbee]

This is a pretty fine one, for sale for big bucks, but it looks perfect.

https://www.legendarymotorcar.com/inventory/1969-plymouth-road-runner-hemi-2216.aspx

View attachment 995990

Wow... 175US large. I remember when little Peter was hammering Mustangs in his garage.. good for him!

 

[68BabyBlue]

This black car illustrates another issue with the search. Even if I locate the "Buttmobile," as Bob called it, the price could easily exceed my means or desire, which are healthy, but don't reach 175K. I've hit this wall with another unicorn I pursued and found: The red 1969 dealer demonstrator GTX that Julie Clark let me drive when it was new. Most heavily optioned '69 built, found it 20 years ago. Have been promised right of first refusal, but no sale. At least I know it got saved and cherished, didn't go to the crusher.

 

[Imperial One]

This black car illustrates another issue with the search. Even if I locate the "Buttmobile," as Bob called it, the price could easily exceed my means or desire, which are healthy, but don't reach 175K. I've hit this wall with another unicorn I pursued and found: The red 1969 dealer demonstrator GTX that Julie Clark let me drive when it was new. Most heavily optioned '69 built, found it 20 years ago. Have been promised right of first refusal, but no sale. At least I know it got saved and cherished, didn't go to the crusher.

I know what you mean. I posted about my old Superbird and I'm not sure if I could stomach the price to buy it back. Good luck.

 

[69hurstsc]

Are you still interested in connecting with the owner of the car?

 

[68BabyBlue]

Are you still interested in connecting with the owner of the car?

Absolutely. I put up another post, Rob Clark (who drove the car when it was new, and later owned the dealership) and I both are curious where it ended up. Rob has more information on the car's history than anybody currently living. He kept the original spare tire. Since the original post, I finally was able to buy the other unicorn, the Dealer Demonstrator GTX that Rob's father drove new, so I'm not really looking to buy the Road Runner. The reason the Road Runner had almost no paper work was that Rob kept a file at his house, which was burglarized. That's how the Dealer Advance Shipping Notice ended up surfacing, the perp sold the stash.

 

[68BabyBlue]

The original black top was switched to white, to help with cooling, after the dealership removed the factory N96 equipment, and installed air conditioning, with a '68 air cleaner. Solid lifter camshaft was swapped out for a tamer hydraulic unit as well.