Kevin Hart is floored by his new '69 Roadrunner custom muscle car

[Hagerty]

Kevin Hart can't get enough of custom Detroit muscle, and we can't get enough of Kevin Hart not getting enough of custom Detroit muscle. So, of course, we're excited about his newest addition. The actor, comedian, and car collector just got his first look at a 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner built to his specs by Wisconsin-based craftsman Dave Salvaggio and lead designer Sean Smith.
https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/kevin-hart-is-floored-by-his-new-69-roadrunner-custom-muscle-car/

[Billthecat707]

Cool, over the top car. Hopefully he doesn't get stupid like he did with the carbon 'cuda.

[bblhed]

I was wondering if they put the full cage and 5 point harness system that it was said should have been in the Barracuda. Those old cars weren't built for the ponies they had let along the full grown horses people are putting in them today.

[BMD4800]

No joke.

As beautiful as they are, these were the most robust structurally speaking. That said, the front end isn’t real strong from a crush-zone standpoint. A very good seat and 4 or 5 point belt system is ideal.


Remember the GM 59 Impala vs Malibu crash test? There is a reason they used a 59 Xframe car.

[bblhed]

When Keven Heart crashed his Barracuda the crash report stated that the car from 1971 should have had major safety upgrades including a roll safety cage, multipoint harnesses, and updated seats as part of the modification because the updated driveline added significantly more power than the car was designed for. Lets face it, those cars are only slightly stronger than steel cans. Don't get me wrong, I love them, but I also know that they are way more dangerous than the stuff on the road today that looks unsafe, and not as pretty, but will protect you in a crash.

[LoudV8]

Hart was not driving during the Cuda wreck. Jared Black was driving and is suing Hart claiming car was unsafe. Anyway, yes his Salvaggio designed Road Runner is sweet.

[DUB6]

Even now he's driving around the Topanga Canyon area looking for some great curves to run off of. I'm sorry, he did some great stuff, but he changed some of my favorite parts that affected the "look" of a RoadRunner to me. I had a friend in 1969 who bought a brand new one, and the look of that car is burned into my memory as the image of the Plymouth "win" in the muscle car legacy. The second I looked at the picture and saw that gosh-awful hood scoop in place of the quintessential "Beep-Beep" hood, Mr. Hart lost me...

[E86A57]

I love Topanga Canyon but, if I saw him there, I would stay far away.

This guy should not be driving anything but the Nike Express or a Metrobus.

[topside]

Well, the word on one of the Mopar sites is that they did this to an original survivor '69 RR; and you can rest assured that the "keepers of the flame" are none too happy about that. One can spend piles of money, and still not acquire Class or Do The Right Thing.
I'm OK with the resto-mod idea - which first occurred to me when I had a fairly rough '57 Vette in the '70s - but opposed to cutting up good cars.

[DUB6]

There is a pic of the "donor car" in the article.  Probably looks better in the photo than in real life (hidden rust, Bondo, etc.) - BUT - at least it looks like an original RoadRunner, which this thing barely does.  I'm also okay with resto-modding - or at least as far as getting some modern running gear and safety mods under the skin - but when it comes to trying to 'redesign and improve' a classic design, it can get overboard in a hurry.  Of course, beauty is subjective and in the eye of the beholder, and I'm guessing this owner is happy with it.  But I've always thought that the original RoadRunner cars were made around a certain premise: barebones performance and muscular looks, and that they nailed it the first time.  I for one do not like what's been done to this one (but then again, Mr. Hart didn't ask me, did he?)... 😐

[BMD4800]

Check out what someone paid for a satellite used in the filming of Tommy Boy. The car is very rough, fetched stupid money.

BJ, this past weekend.

[DaveB]

wow!

[50s60s70s]

Yawn....boring, anyone with mega bucks can take a classic and turn it into a junk yard parts car after the new wears off. I'm not impressed with the so called restomod trend. Once the dealer stops supporting the computer systems and the new generation engines that aren't really designed for many rebuild efforts wear out all you're left with is a hacked up body and drive train.
The only saving grace this car has is it's celebrity connection. So Kevin, enjoy, and when you grow up and learn the value of preserving a bit of automotive history hopefully there are a few unmolested cars left.

[E86A57]

I'm pretty sure that he has stopped growing...at least up.

[SilentBoy741]

Kevin Hart has the worst taste in customs. The stuff he commissions always look like something done by Chip Foose on a suicide watch.

My heart sank as I saw the picture of that beautiful, easily restorable donor car, only to see Hart and his piles of cash turn it into what resembles a $300 beater. I know, it's his car and he can do what he wants with it. But that beautiful Road Runner... gone forever. At least Mr. Hart and I can agree on one thing -- that was totally stupid.

[LarryD]

I totally agree. What a nice old Road Runner to sacrifice!

[E86A57]

100% AGREED!

[FloridaMarty]

I used to be an "all original or nothing" snob, but you get up in years, and realize, you got one shot at this life, so do it your own way. Back in the day, the original hot rodders did everything custom and to their tastes. They are the foundation of all customization and classics. We stand on their shoulders. Fast forward several decades, and now you have everyone telling you how to do it. They even frown on you when you do it wrong. Cars are for enjoying. They are not museum pieces, or at least should NOT be. I am growing tired of the peers setting the standard. Screw the standard, pioneers are responsible for all the advances, whether they be perceived good or bad, it's up to the beholder.

Thank god, there are people out there that can think for themselves. All you haters sound like you're jealous!

Maybe you survivor-ists can pool your money, buy up all the originals you can afford, vacuum seal them, put them in a climate controlled building, and just admire them from afar. But don't drive them, that might cause unnecessary wear and tear, you might even break something.

[DUB6]

Well I hope they keep one in a museum somewhere, 'cause if people keep cuttin' them up in the name of pioneering advances, there ain't gonna be any left for anyone to even look at, let alone drive.

[DUB6]

   Just for frame of reference, "back in the day", the original hot rodders (mainly GIs returning from WWII) had Model As and similar cars from other manufacturers to work on.  There were a total of 4.8 million Model As produced.  In 1932, Ford made 275,000 Deuces.  The Fords were the most popular and most plentiful, but there were also hundreds of thousands of GM and Chrysler brand products produced.  Another popular hot rod was the pack of tri-five Chevys.  There were nearly 5 million of them produced over the three years.

   Know how many first gen Road Runners were made?  Right around 88,000.  So the guys upon whose shoulders we stand had 10+ million cars to customize to their tastes.  A fan of '68/'69/'70 Road Runners had - at best - a pool of less than 100 thousand cars to draw from.

   I'm standing with the responders who feel badly that a survivor car was hacked up when there are obviously beaters and "clone donors" like Satellites and Belvederes that could have been used.  No issues with Mr. Hart making a car look like he wants it to look (I've said elsewhere that he didn't consult me, so who cares if I like what he ended up with).  My issue isn't what he ended up with - it's what he started with...

[Gary_Bechtold]

Car looks good except the wheels. They just look too big.

[MATTMERICA]

1 - Kevin Hart's cars are not good looking
2 - he doesn't even drive them; the last car he had, his "driver" wrecked that one while he was in it
3 - what in the F do you need 984 hp for in a resto mod?
4 - Hart is pretty funny in movies, but his stand up is awful. Painful

[BMD4800]

1. Opinion. Go to an art gallery. Someone guy tapes a Banana to a white board, people spend money on it. Don’t get bent, some folks have to pi$$ away money.
2. I mean, he is kinda short… for some reason I thought of short-round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
3. You’re old. 😉 Because it is really really fun. 700+ is just silly and my daughter laughs non-stop. That’s why. Life is short, live it! 1000hp, it’s the new 500.
4. I have a good buddy who met him, regular people just talking, he is a good guy at his core. Stars are pressured to be “on” all the time.

I give more folks grace than before. The ones who are super humble aren’t always the ones you’d expect.

[Gary]

I'd be perfectly happy with the donor car.

[Mike56]

Wait a minute.... So you took what appears to be--from the picture, anyway--a really nice Roadrunner then ripped everything out and tossed it all except some body parts????? What a total waste. Guess that's what you do if you have no soul and all the money in the world...... |-(

[Dutch]

Why start with a really nice donor car when you're going to change EVERYTHING anyway?

[Buzz]

Hennessy has a 1200 HP package for the Hellcat motor. I’m lost as to how all those upgrades netted only 940 hp from a Hellcrate. That said, it’s a fantastic build. Glad they didn’t change the body lines too much. Can’t stand the wheels. Looks like a pedal car. I’m with others here who feel bad about him cutting up a restored Road Runner only to keep the skin when there are still plenty of base Belvederes and Satellites out there. It isn’t a road runner anymore. It’s a hand-built car with a Belvedere skin. I am curious about the frame they designed and hope to market. If that frame doesn’t bolt to a standard B body unibody, they won’t sell enough for it to be worth while. If it does, it might be pretty cool.

[Inline8OD]

Wowwee zowwee. We've never seen anything about a muscle car in Hagerty before.

[sharkguy48]

Kevin: Don't let any of your friends drive this car. With this much horsepower,
you don't need a repeat performance. I live in Calabasas and don't want to be near this car along Mulholland Hwy.
The car is mind-blowing but, like many on this thread have said, "It only takes money." Sometime in the future when you sell it, its value will primarily be the fact it was celebrity owned. Otherwise, it will take some serious depreciation. You'll not see your money out of it. Then again, you don't have to worry about money. (I'm not jealous but, sometimes the truth can hurt.)

[TG]

I have mixed feelings about customized classic cars - I do think that car is sharp
I do have a problem with starting with a largely intact car when you know 60% of it is going to land in the metal barrel
Why not start with one of these alleged barn finds we see all the time?
Someone at some point in the future is going to want a real classic car with most (maybe not all) of the original stuff, and there aren't going to be any left (under 7 figures) before long

[mfp4073]

I liked the original hood more than the replacement. For that matter, I like the original car more than the replacement. Don't get me wrong! I'm not against resto-mods. Not at all. And the power gains here would be appreciated, exhilarating and troublesome at the same time. It would also get me an express application to the Constables' insta-ticket program.

[Kraftwerk]

Car looks bad-ass no arguments there, a bolder move would be to leave it 'Root Beer Brown' and just fine tune the details, bigger disc brakes, carbon-fiber everything etc.

[PSR67]

Isn't that a 68 style hood on the donor car? My dad's 68 had that hood,and I always thought it only available that first year.
I could be mistaken....🤔

[roadworthy]

I have a 69 convertible roadrunner with 18k original miles, there is no way I would chop it up, it is in too nice of shape for that. I also have a 47 plymouth business coupe with fred flinstone floors, that one is a candidate for some modifications. I have no problem with people doing restomods but if you are going to really change the car, then find one that is beat up and needs all the stuff fixed anyway.

[hearsedriver]

roadworthy, there are firms out there repoping floor panels etc. certainly work involved but those coupes are beautiful. i have a 47 Plymouth club coupe, replaced floor, original flattie, wide whites, 6 volt positive ground electricals, and i drive it, and enjoy the hell out of it. somebody else will get it only after i am dead. if they hack it up i will haunt them! ROFL My only modes have been the addition of original period correct accessories, no repops there though.

[hearsedriver]

just to be clear, it has only been the floor that got replaced! flattie and 6 volt electrics intact and functioning nicely

[38Chevy454]

Too bad they did not use a real HEMI with a Whipple and fuel injection instead of the new hemi. But I understand the restomod logic is to use modern design engines.

[MustangJim]

I am fine with restomods, or to better define..mild restomods. Modern brakes, electronics, etc..I am also fine with the all out builds and I am not one to say that a classic cannot be modified at all but they should of used a Satelite for this...that looked like a pretty nice RR in the picture and I would think ( hope ) restoreable. I know peope will say that there are enough RR's out there, but now.. there is one less.

[17in68]

Anybody with a LOT of money can own a blue chip classic. It takes a real man to cut one up.

[BMD4800]

I had a long discussion about this the past weekend at Barrett Jackson.
I have a 60 year old car. Been in the family since brand new. It will never be a #1 or #2 car and frankly it doesn’t have the value even if it was. This is a legacy car, passed down to me from my Grandfather.
Do I keep it stock, or resto-mod it?
Honestly, I’ve never wanted to mod it out of a deep respect for my Grandfather. But, if I almost never drive it, does that honor him? He drove it whenever he could.
If I wanted to ride in it, we took a ride. Never a question about weather, or anything else.
I don’t want a museum in my garage, I want to load everyone up, drop the top and take a ride. So, resto-mod it is. Besides, as much as I dig the nailhead and dynaflow, a 6.2 LS and a 4L70E will destroy the old school tech in EVERYTHING.

[Ranger240]

When these name brand rebuilds start with a good/great condition complete car and proceed to remove 90% of it, it always begs the question: why not start with a 10% shell and park a complete car next to it for reference?

You save $ on not undoing existing work/removing good parts and can resell the reference car for what you paid. AND most importantly you’re increasing the population of rare old cars by rebuilding a straight 10% empty shell back into a driving car.

The TV show bondo&billet builds are the worst, where they take a perfect original C2 and hack it into a custom chassis LS/automagic bucket for some non-car guy owner that wants to look cool and wants “reliability”. Timeless to trendy in a 30 minute TV show.

[hearsedriver]

i cannot watch those idiots on tv doing that. gets expensive when i scream obscenities and throw stuff at the tv.........

[BMD4800]

283 powerglide vs a modern drivetrain? Come on.

I spent insane money to build a nailhead Buick. I mean insane.
Built a LS with a pro charger, 2x the nailhead power, put it in a basically garbage car that I beat on like I hate it.
The nailhead pretty much sucks at everything, and my kids love the garbage car.

The memories come from the garbage car, not so much the classic. That’s thrown me for a loop.

[Ranger240]

Don’t mean to say this road runner isn’t cool, it is. I just wish the car they started with wasn’t already.

[Corvettebaggs]

I can understand both sides of the conversation having had a '69, '70, and '73. I do fall on the side of originality. To each their own but since he didn't replace the Road Runner body badging, he could have done the same thing with a Satellite.

[hearsedriver]

mr Hart has certainly proven he has money. a survivor got cut up in the process, when so many other donor parts vehicles would have provided the same end result, without a loss in history. when you own something, you can do as you will with it. i agree, its "stupid"

[Moparman52]

I wish this guy would get interested in Ford’s & GM’s !

[DUB6]

@Moparman52 - let's make it Priuses and Teslas, shall we?  There are a lot of us who like nice GMs and Fords as well as Mopars!  😋

[RaceRoc24]

He did spent about 750 grand on a C2 Corvette restomod at Barrett Jackson I believe

[BMD4800]

Yes. He did.

The entire thing was unreal, by BJ standards. Pretty common as the economy becomes unstable, tangibles go nuts.

There was a Grand National that still had K-mart rash, the money it fetched was insane.

I quit bidding and went to the bar. The bidders there were dumping money into trash.

The 53 Pontiac Chieftan was probably one of the better buys.

But again, I may have spent too much time at the bar and eating lobster Mac n Cheese.