The 1969 Plymouth Road Runner 440 Six Pack with the A12 package is one desirable, instantly recognizable Mopar legend. It’s rare and valuable, so clones are pretty common. But what if you could use a humble Plymouth Belvedere to make a tribute, not a replica, and it would be even better to drive?
These special-order A12 performance package cars were only available mid-year which is why they are referenced as 69-and-a-half models. Famously, they were made for just two days, march 29th and April 26th, and they add on top of the 440 Six Pack to make a racing machine for the street.
The most obvious change was the ram air lift-off hood, followed by heavy-duty suspension, brakes a 4.10 Dana rear end plus black steel rims with red-lined performance tires. There were about 1,907 in total, though many were crashed.
This isn’t an A12 440 Six Pack car; it’s a tribute piece, and like that 1969 Dodge Super Bee 383 we just showed you, it’s an affordable driver’s car.
It’s not a Road Runner, but a simple Belvedere. The name of that hotel should tell any Plymouth fan that this used to be a super-cheap car. In fact, it came with a six-cylinder, reliable, but not exciting. On the upside, it was a really clean California body with no rust issues, perfect for bolting on a lot of power.
As boring as this Sunflower Yellow paint may be, you’ve got all the eye candy you need under the hood. That’s a low deck 383 stroked to a 451 cubic-inch displacement. This has been paired up with Edelbrock aluminum heads, TTi performance exhaust, a single Edelbrock 4bbl carburetor, and the Edelbrock aluminum cylinder heads.
We found this gem in one of Steve Magnante’s videos. Although horsepower isn’t mentioned, the dyno pulls we’ve seen with 451 strokers all suggest more hp than the 440 Six Pack’s 390 horsepower. The Belvedere has also been equipped with an A33 4-speed manual transmission with a Dana 60 Positrac rear diff. You’ve got the awesome pistol-grip shifter on the inside, but the dash doesn’t quite look the part since it belongs to a base model.
Two main elements help this 1969 Belvedere pull off the look of an A12 car. First, you’ve got the hood. Now, on the original model, the fiberglass element would need to be lifted by hand after removing the four bolts. But this has a reproduction made by AAR and it has hinges, which makes it more convenient. If you’ve got a Road Runner from this year, you can pick these up for about $790.
Finally, we have the wheels. This has an accurate black 15×7-inch steel wheel from Chrysler. However, the Redline tires are brand new and should dramatically improve the way the Belvedere handles. The whole thing is for sale right now at High Octane Classics, costing $67,000. It’s a lot of money to spend on a Belvedere, but that 451 stroker does look expensive.
