3 Rapid Transit Plymouths go for big bucks at Mecum Indianapolis
Mopar muscle has a knack for bringing the big bucks at auction, but when a single event includes three one-of-a-kind custom Plymouths from a single collection, it grabs our attention.
The three customs were part of the Rapid Transit System, a promotional caravan that roamed the U.S. with the goal of highlighting what Mopar muscle could be. Each of the low-mile promotional pieces brought big money at Mecum Indianapolis, even though just one of them packed an always-impressive Hemi.
The first to sell was a 1971 Road Runner, with its futuristic deep dish wheels housed in flat-top fenderwells. Packing a 383-cubic-inch engine, Mecum estimated the orange coupe would sell between $250,000–$400,000. The hammer fell at $236,500 and set the bar for the remaining two cars.
“Mecum had a good feel for the market for these cars as their estimates were in the ballpark.” Hagerty data specialist Greg Ingold says. “That’s impressive considering that these are priceless concept cars from the peak of the muscle car era.”
Next up was a 1970 Road Runner, which scored the highest bid of the three, likely due to the elephant of a 426-cu-in V-8 under the hood. The $341,000 selling price is more than double that of a a standard ’70 Hemi Road Runner in #1 (concours) condition. It’s likely that only a four-speed transmission would have pushed the price higher.
A 1970 Duster, last to cross the block, is the only one of the three promotional customs to receive a four-speed transmission, which is often a significant boost to the value of muscle cars. Bright green and sitting pretty on a polished set of American Racing Dragmaster wheels, the Duster realized $264,000, bringing the Mopar trio’s total to $841,500. Money well spent? Let us know in the comment section below.
