6.6 litres of Fine American Muscle

Article written by Bush Tyres

Pure American Muscle

This 1972 Plymouth ‘Roadrunner’ visited our Horncastle Branch recently for a wheel alignment. This huge American muscle car has a 6.6 litre 402 cubic inch V8. With great power comes great responsibility, and with all that power going through the drive train the owner didn’t want to leave anything to chance which is the reason behind their decision to have Bush Tyres fully trained technicians carry out a full wheel alignment check and to make any required adjustments.

 

1972 Plymouth Roadrunner

Plymouth was a brand of automobile produced by the Chrysler Corporation. Launched in 1928 to compete with the other “low priced” cars offered by Ford and Chevrolet at the time. The Plymouth name was reduced in use over time, cars were still made under the name up to 2001, by then they were finally discontinued or replaced by other Chrysler or Dodge model names.

Believe it or not, in the USA in 1972 this giant 2 door car the size of Spilsby was only classed as a “mid-size” car.  Built with a focus on performance the model was built from 1968-1980. By the time this Roadrunner was made, other American muscle car brands had started to move away from cheap and powerful ‘muscle’ cars. Greater luxury and higher trim levels meant higher prices to the manufacturers. Plymouth originally kept the Roadrunner model as a lower priced alternative to other higher priced cars in the range.

The classic Roadrunner name and emblem was, and is still owned by Warner Brothers. Plymouth was reported to have paid $50k for use of the name and likeness of the famous bird from their Wile E Coyote cartoons. In return Warner also paid $10k to Plymouth to help them ‘develop’ the famous ‘beep beep’ sound made by the bird. The Plymouth was built on the same chassis as the Chrysler Belvedere and Satellite models.

This 1972 model is a second-generation car with a fully revised body with a more rounded look over the first generation. Luxuries like electric seats and air conditioning had now found their way into this generation, as competition for American muscle car manufacturers to have greater power output and more comfort increased.

By now American muscle car engines had ballooned in size and the engine within this Ford Plymouth was no exception, a 6.6 litre V8, measuring 402 cubic inches was fitted under the hood. Some models were even fitted with a 7.0L 426 cubic inch HEMI V8. That famous car was also used in NASCAR racing with Richard Petty winning championships in both 1971 and 72 in cars based on the Road Runner, winning a total of 30 races over the two seasons.

Why In For Alignment?

The car was in our Horncastle depot for a routine wheel alignment check, this check is to ensure that the car’s wheels are pointing straight and true down the road. This check and adjustment will remove any unwanted handling characteristics and improve fuel economy and tyre life. All important factors for any car not just this American muscle classic.

Bush Tyres, along with all major Tyre manufacturers and motoring organisations recommend checking your wheel alignment at every tyre change and/or every 5/6000 miles. Checking your alignment regularly will also save you money on avoiding premature tyre wear as well as improving your fuel economy. In addition to these savings, you will also see improved ride and handling.

Get into the habit of regularly checking your suspension components this helps to avoid unwanted surprise expenses by spotting wear before components fail. Being proactive by checking and servicing your car regularly can help you to plan maintenance ahead of any failure. Our in-branch team of experts can advise on which parts are near the end of their service life and recommend any replacements necessary.

Whether you own a piece of American muscle or not, getting your car, van or motorhome, or any other vehicle you own booked in for a wheel alignment will only pay dividends. Our experts are here to help. Take advantage of our free alignment check which is available across all of our retail branches. To book your next appointment online click here, or if you’d prefer, call into any one of our local branches.

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