Mopar Muscle – October 2019

IN SEARCH OF 1970

he would finally purchase, just so he

wouldn’t miss any potential opportunities.

So the hunt began in the usual way,

with internet research and visiting vari-

ous car shows where he could speak with

the other classic Mopar owners about their

experiences. These “research” efforts only

served to heighten Schilling’s desire for

a Mopar, and a 1970 Road Runner was

at the top of his list.

Schilling had initially set down a few

requirements that would help him search

for the car he would finally purchase.

While the car might have a few aftermarket

parts under the skin, it would have to look

the part of an original 1970 Road Runner

with factory-style wheels, unmodified body

lines, and an original Mopar paint color-

ation. While his father’s Road Runner was

Dark Burnt Orange, the younger Schilling

preferred a higher-impact color like Vitamin

C Orange or, as eventually turned out to

be the case, Tor Red (which is more of

an orange in the final delivery than red,

as the name would imply).

FINDING DOROTHY

Schilling finally found his dream machine

one state over from California in Mesa,

Arizona, at a place called Streetside

Classics. This 1970 Road Runner checked

all the boxes with the high-impact paint

and very few deviations from stock. With

little fanfare, the purchase was made and

the Road Runner rolled into Schilling’s

garage, complete with an assortment

of car-show trophies acquired by the

previous owner. But Schilling felt that his

Road Runner needed a nickname, just like

the Schilling family’s green station wagon

that he had affectionately named “The

Green Hornet” when he was a kid. To

honor his grandmother, and to the great

satisfaction of his father, Schilling named

his new Road Runner “Dorothy.”

1970 WAS SPECIAL

The body changes executed by Plymouth

in 1970 made this model-year Road Run-

ner something special. For 1970, 41,484

units were produced. Of those 41,000-

plus cars, 7,993 hardtops were produced

with four-speed manual transmissions—

the configuration of Schilling’s Tor Red

Road Runner. Of course, assessing how

many are still around—well, that’s up

to experts who can only guess the proper

attrition rate of these very popular and

highly affordable muscle cars, right?

Regardless of the rarity of finding a

1970 Road Runner that not only looks but

runs and drives this well (estimated total

mileage is now 121,000), Schilling finds

An important feature for any perfor-

mance car, this Road Runner features

a full complement of gauges to keep

tabs on engine operation.

For 1970, the Road Runner received a significant face-lift with

an all-new grille, tail section, and smoothed side profile.

Nothing too fancy with the interior; a bench seat draped in pure black vinyl gets

the job done.

The classic Hurst Pistol Grip shifter

just drips with classic muscle-car

machismo and is backed by a very

fuel-efficient Gear Vendors Overdrive

that drops highway cruising rpm from

3,200 to about 2,100 at 70 mph.

54 moparmuscle.com