Now Available on DVD or VHS--

"The Inside Story of the
Plymouth Road Runner"
As told by Jack Smith, "The Father of the Road Runner".

Not just another video,
-- Bound to become a collector's item!

There are lots of people who can put together a video full of car shots from a car show or a cruise, but Jack Smith is the only man in the world who can fully tell this story.

Jack was the Product Planning Manager for the Plymouth Road Runner back in 1967, and as such, he's been justly credited for one of the most successful
new model launches in automotive history.

In this exclusive interview with Jack Smith,
hear how the Road Runner almost never was.

Hatching the Road Runner
By Jack Smith

Yes indeed, the 1968 Road Runner was a spectacular success. Almost overnight, it transformed staid Plymouth showrooms into Pop-attractions for youthful car buffs. In the process, it compounded a tooling investment of only several hundred dollars into plus-profits of multi-millions. But it wasn't easy. Time after time, the effort faltered on the brink of mediocrity, only to be saved by offbeat tactics which bypassed the rules.

It all began in mid-1967 after the upcoming 1968 models were wrapped up and released. Bob Anderson, the newly appointed General Manager for Chrysler-Plymouth Sales, had been fretting about the Plymouth posture in the vibrant street scene which, 30 years later, would be celebrated as the Woodward Dream Cruise. He wanted to dazzle the youth market beyond the inroads being made by the 1967 Plymouth GTX, which was challenging the muscle car primacy of the Pontiac GTO.

Brock Yates, the Car and Driver writer, suggested that Anderson field a new low-cost muscle car, stripped of all non-essentials, but stuffed with an engine that could swagger on the street. Anderson huddled with Joe Sturm, Plymouth's Product Planning Chief, and they decided to attempt a bare-bones youth machine with blistering performance and a price under $3000.00. My Mid-size Plymouth Planning Group was to plan the car, and the ad agency (Young & Rubicam) was to come up with the name.

Time was short and we had to go with what we had. Using the upcoming 1968 Belvedere I low-line coupe as a base, we adopted the GTX louvered hood; substituted F70 red-stripe tires; and highlighted the grille and taillamps with dark argent paint. Then we upgraded the chassis with Police Car components already in the program (wide-rim wheels, heavy duty brakes, Police suspension and handling, 383 4-barrel/dual exhaust engine), plus a 4-on-the-floor manual transmission - all standard equipment.

All in all, this new low-end muscle coupe was a good fit with the existing GTX 440 premium hardtop, which was aimed at a more mature and affluent group.

But tight timing and personal prerogatives got in the way:

* Powerplant Engineering (Dean Engle, Chief Engineer) had to be persuaded to reluctantly customize the car's 383 engine by adopting the hotter camshaft from the 440 high performance engine. Thanks Dean!

* Car and Truck Assembly (Bob Steere, Chief Engineer) was more easily persuaded to accept the imposition of two additional engine assemblies at a time when the plants were gagging on product complexities. Bob was Great!

* The Horn Lab was persuaded to support the launch timing by releasing the Beep-Beep Horn long before compliance tests could be completed, letting Product Planning assume the responsibility.

* Production Control (Elmer Engle, Mgr.) was persuaded to authorize all parts procurement and related production schedules before the very late engineering paperwork could be released. He did this using an "Add & Omit" listing of part numbers and sales codes which I had penciled to describe the new car in relation to the Belvedere I coupe, which was already released. And he did it on a handshake with our verbal assurance that the eventual releases would back him up. Elmer was Heroic!

Any of those problems could have jeopardized the program, but the major threat, which almost killed it, concerned the car's identity and name. Needless to say, car names are critically important. Just think - would the Mustang have made it as the Shetland? Could the Barracuda have been a Flounder? What if the Edsel had been anything else? ......

It's a great story and Jack is a great story-teller!

After Jack had made a similar presentation at the 2005 Mopar Nationals in Columbus, Ohio, people lined up to thank him, pump him for more information, and get him to autograph pictures, caps, t-shirts, and one car decklid. (Kinda like rock fans requesting a third encore at the end of a teriffic concert.) They weren't ready to go home yet, - they wanted more!

So if you're a gearhead, a Mopar nut, or especially if you're a Road Runner freak, you'll find this video to be a very special addition to your automobilia collection. And it would make a great presentation for any club function.

So here's what you'll get with this introductory offer:

* The classic "Road Runner Story" with Jack Smith

PLUS: Footage from 3 Premier Motor City auto events!
* Bonus # 1 -- Footage from the Detroit Autorama
* Bonus # 2 -- Footage from the Woodward Dream Cruise
* Bonus # 3 -- Footage from the Gratiot Avenue Cruise

(All on one DVD or VHS tape.)
All this for the low introductory price of - $18.95
(Regular price - $26.95)

You may order with a secure online payment
using either Paypal, or your Visa or Mastercard
by clicking on the "Buy Now" button below.

($4.00 per item will be added for shipping and handling.)
(Within the Continental United States.)
(For Michigan residents, $1.14 per item will be added for sales tax.)
Please allow 1-2 weeks for delivery.