Welcome to the first Member Feature that will be posted monthly to highlight one of the registry's members and their vehicle. We start off with Robert Johnson of Austin, Texas who recently obtained a killer V Code Road Runner in the spring and has a great story to boot. Robert grew up in Corsicana, Texas, an environment abundant with proud owners of Chevrolets and Fords. While being exposed to the blue ovals and bow ties was all well and good, Robert longed for a change in scenery. It wasn't long when he came across a brand new four-door '71 Satellite parked in his grandfather's driveway. Entranced by the suave lines and sportiness of the Satellite, Robert was instantly hooked. The Mopar seed was planted and he quickly became obsessed with all things Chrysler related. While attending automotive trade school in Waco, Robert befriended a fellow gear head from Houston who owned a '71 Hemi Road Runner. During a lunch break, Robert took a drive down to check the B Body out and what followed ultimately changed his life. The sleek muscle machine was bought by his friend's father from the Goodyear Testing Facility in El Paso. Robert stated, "When I saw it, that was it. That's when I decided to try and find something like that. It really grabbed me. It was a white, bench seat, blue interior." From that moment on, a 71 was all he wanted and the hunt began. Fast forward to 2004, Robert had the opportunity to purchase a '71 beeper from a high school friend. The plan was to make the car into a Hemi tribute, just like the one he saw years prior. Time and money were spent on parts and labor, but it became apparent that the project was too much to bear. Robert sold the car back to his friend in 2006 and wiped the slate clean with a new mission... find a V code. In December 2016, Robert began his search for a 440 Six Barrel '71 Road Runner and it was not until April 2018 that one was found. A post on Facebook led Robert to a EV2 bench seat four-speed which he quickly jumped upon. While things looked promising, one of Robert's friends, Ron Kirkpatrick, thought he should continue his search. Two more V codes popped up including a Sassy Grass four speed and an In-Violet car out of Maryland. The former did not pan out as the seller would not return Robert's calls despite agreeing on a price. Plan B was initiated and he hopped on a plane to Baltimore the weekend before the Mopar Nats to check out the purple car. If all went well, Robert was going to purchase this car and drive up to Ron's place so he could do some work on it. To his dismay, the car was a victim of Hurricane Sandy and had an array of issues. "I pulled a mig welding wire about 3 inches long from one of the torque boxes. The vin stamp on the core support was in a very weird place. I decided to walk." Disheartened by the experience in Maryland, Robert was encouraged by Kirkpatrick and his wife to not give up and remain patient. The trio went up to the Mopar Nationals where they met 197 Plymouth B Body Registry member Dale Matthews who owns a couple of awesome '71 Plymouth B Bodies. After listening to Robert's story, Dale directed him to the car corral where a nice EV2 V Code was posted for sale. Robert and Ron walked over and carefully looked over the car and were taken back by its condition. The Plymouth was equipped with the numbers-matching engine and four-speed transmission as well as the bullet-proof Dana 60 rear with 3:54 gears. The owner approached the two and the conversation began. "All the paperwork was there(he had a bunch). It was the one. He was very very particular about who was going to end up with her." A deal was later struck and Robert became the proud owner of the EV2 Road Runner. Several weeks later, he took a flight out to Cleveland to finalize the deal and the car was shipped to Texas. Today, Robert thoroughly enjoys his dream car and has installed 4:10 gears with TTI long tube headers that allow the 440 to rumble with authority. It is his goal to to trace the ownership history of the car. He knows it was sold new in Cleveland and a previous owner used to race it. While the complete history of the car may never be known, what is clear is that the car conveys just as much coolness as its owner. Robert's band, Robert Johnson's Soul that can be heard at venues around Austin and should be given a listen to via iTunes, Spotify and Facebook.
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AuthorRowland George is a 1971 Plymouth B Body enthusiast and researcher dedicated to acquiring information on behalf of owners and those interested in learning more about these iconic classic cars. Archives
July 2019
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