SP Rides: Beep! Beep! Here Comes The Road Runner
PHOTOS BY JERRETTE KAMAKA
OWNER – Brian Tajiri
YEAR – 1969
MAKE – Plymouth
MODEL – Road Runner
ENGINE – 426 Hemi, cam, Hooker headers, quad cutout exhaust
DRIVETRAIN– 727 automatic transmission
SUSPENSION – Torsion bar front, leaf springs rear
INTERIOR – Refurbished factory
STEREO – Not offered in Hemi package
There are approximately 1.1 million roadrunners on the planet. That’s the bird more specifically known as “the Greater Roadrunner.” The Road Runner (two words) first appeared back in September 17, 1949 and is one of the longest running cartoons on TV today. The Road Runner (two words and four wheels), which was the first of three generations rolled out in 1968, and it was Chrysler’s attempt to capture their corner of the muscle car market. But before the first car could even be called Road Runner, the Chrysler family needed permission from the Warner family to use the name. After paying Warner Bros. the Chrysler Corporation now had the right to use the name, likeness and even the “beep beep” of the animated character on the Plymouth made muscle car.
“My first car was a Chevelle when I was in high school, and that was when everybody was into Chevys and Pontiacs,” said Kalani alumni Brian Tajiri. “And not too many people were into Mopars. So later in school, and just to be different I got into Mopars which was a ‘69 Road Runner that got totaled in an accident.”
The American muscle period offered car enthusiasts V8 engines with lots of horsepower, and for cars right off the show room floor they turned impressive times on the quarter mile. Still that wasn’t enough, and Americans wanted more. So car manufacturers built cars with big block engines that produced 390 horses like the Road Runner, GTO and Gran Torino. These cars were not as popular with single males who preferred Camaros and Mustangs back then. But today this Road Runner gets more than its share of attention at car shows regardless of what kind of rod is parked next to it.
“After having several muscle cars and getting out of high school, you begin to mature a little, and I wanted to drive something more comfortable with air conditioning,” explains Tajiri. “So I got a 1972 Grand Prix with air condition, you know something more classy to drive around. Then I got into Porsches.”
Always wanting to try something new Tajiri went from the US to the German market. He began his fascination with Porsches starting with a 914 then a 911T, and today he drives a 2013 Porsche Turbo S. But always having the passion for muscle cars, Tajiri has owned a slew of American muscle over the years. Now everything has come full circle with this 1969 Plymouth Road Runner Hemi. It’s almost the same car he owned while he was a student at Kalani High School.
