Stolen 1969 Hemi Road Runner Is One Of 194 With A 4 Speed, Vanished From A Grocery Store Lot And Turned Up The Same Day At A Chop Shop With Its Matching Numbers Engine

Gary Myers keeps a rare 1969 Plymouth Road Runner in a historic brick building in Vernonia, Oregon. The car has a wild story, and it begins with a theft that lasted only a day.

A black classic coupe parked on a street in daylight.

autoevolution’s Razvan Calin told the story in a report published October 31. The building where Gary parks it opened as a 1938 Chevrolet dealership.

One Of 194 Hemi Pillared Coupes With A 4-Speed

The car is a two-door pillared coupe in B5 Blue Fire Metallic. Its fender tag gives a production date of April 11, 1969, at Detroit’s Lynch Road plant.

It is one of 194 Hemi Road Runner pillared coupes with a 4-speed manual. In 1969, 788 Road Runners got the Hemi, and only 194 of the 356 pillared coupes had a 4-speed.

Under the hood is the 426 Hemi V-8, rated at 425 hp and 490 lb-ft, with dual Carter AFB carburetors. It is paired with an 18-spline A833 4-speed, and the A34 Super Track Pak adds a Dana 60 Sure-Grip rear axle with 4.10:1 gears.

Ordered With An Automatic, Delivered With A 4-Speed

The car was ordered new in Virginia by a customer who wanted an automatic. The dealership delivered a 4-speed instead and said it was too late in the model year to reorder.

That small mix-up is a big reason the car exists as it does today, since a 4-speed Hemi is the combination collectors prize most.

Thieves Took It From A Grocery Store Parking Lot

Then came the theft. Thieves stole the Road Runner from an A&P grocery store parking lot and took it to a chop shop.

At the shop, they cut the radiator core support and pulled the Hemi. They did not get far.

Police Raided The Chop Shop The Same Day

Police raided the facility, which held stolen big-block Corvettes. They recovered the Plymouth, with its matching-numbers engine sitting beside it.

The car was reassembled and moved to Sarasota, Florida. A later owner traded a Dodge Viper for it, and it eventually reached Dallas, Texas, with 19,000 miles on it.

A Misplaced Comma Cost Him The Auction, Then Luck Gave It Back

Gary bought the car on eBay in the summer of 1999. He tried to bid $10,000, but he typed a comma into the bid box and the bid failed.

The winning bidder then defaulted, and Gary bought the car from the seller. He flew to Texas on July 3, 1999, and paid $2,000 for trailer delivery.

The car showed 20,700 miles at the time of the article.

12.5 Seconds At 112 Mph, And A Near Miss In Third Gear

Gary has not kept the car as a museum piece. He once ran 12.5 seconds at 112 mph at Woodburn Dragstrip.

He also nearly crashed when the car broke traction at 80 mph in third gear. He describes driving it as herding a pig with a stick.

Why Matching Numbers Matter So Much

When collectors say matching numbers, they mean the engine and other major parts are the originals that the car left the factory with, as shown by stamped serial numbers. For a rare Hemi car, that originality is a major part of its value.

That is what makes the chop shop recovery so important. The Hemi was pulled out but found right beside the car, so the pair stayed together.

The Budget Muscle Car With A Cartoon Name

Plymouth introduced the Road Runner in 1968 as a no-frills muscle car aimed at buyers who wanted speed without a big price. The name came from the famous cartoon bird, and Plymouth even designed a horn that went “beep beep.”

The standard engine was a big-block V-8, and the 426 Hemi was available as a costly option. A Hemi Road Runner combined a stripped-down body with one of the strongest engines of the era.

That recipe is why these cars are among the most sought-after Mopars today. A pillared coupe with a 4-speed adds another layer of rarity, since it is the lightest, simplest body style with the manual gearbox that drag racers liked.

A Car Kept Where It Belongs

The setting makes the story even better. A 1969 muscle car parked inside a brick building that opened as a 1938 dealership looks as if it has stepped out of the past.

For a car that has been stolen, torn apart and sold across the country, it has found a fitting home in Vernonia.

Tips For Protecting A Classic From Thieves

A theft like this was a close call. Owners of valuable cars can take some simple steps.

Park in a secure garage or building whenever possible, and avoid leaving a classic in a public lot.
Install a kill switch or hidden fuel shutoff that is hard for a thief to find.
Photograph the car and keep records of serial numbers, fender tag details and receipts in a safe place.
Talk to a classic car insurer about agreed value coverage and any security requirements.
Consider a tracking device, which can help police find a car quickly.

The Road Runner survived a theft, a chop shop and a failed bid on eBay, and it still runs. That is quite a story for a car that nearly became a pile of parts.

Steel Horse Rides