Yes—Hot Rod reported a 1972 Plymouth Road Runner GTX equipped with the 440 Six-Barrel, despite Chrysler canceling the option early in production. The car’s reported VIN, title, factory literature and carburetors support its identity, but the three cars often cited are examples known to the article, not a confirmed factory production total.
Why a 1972 GTX was a Road Runner
The name can cause confusion: 1972 was not another year for the GTX as a separate Plymouth model. The GTX had its final standalone-model year in 1971; in 1972, GTX referred to an option package on the Road Runner equipped with the 440. A Hot Rod feature reports 672 GTX-package cars for 1972: 453 automatics and 219 four-speeds. Those are figures attributed to that feature, not a primary factory production tally established here.
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The same Hot Rod feature gives 7,628 as total 1972 Road Runner production, but does not identify the original statistical source for that figure. It should be read as the article’s reported number.
What “Six-Barrel” means
Plymouth called the setup a Six-Barrel; “Six Pack” is the familiar term for the same general arrangement and Dodge’s name for it. The featured car is described as having a 440-cubic-inch V-8 rated at 330 hp, breathing through three Holley two-barrel carburetors. That rating belongs to the engine described in the feature and should not be generalized to every 440 configuration or rating method.
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Hot Rod says Chrysler’s spring 1971 model materials listed the 440 Six-Barrel for the Road Runner GTX and Dodge Charger. The option was then canceled early in production, leaving the planned application in brochures and service material but almost no cars in circulation, according to the accounts cited here.
How the featured car is identified
Hot Rod reports that the car’s VIN begins RM23V2G. In the feature’s decoding, that identifies a Road Runner two-door hardtop with the V-code 440+6 engine, built for the 1972 model year at St. Louis. The article also reports a clean title, 1972 factory literature and three new-old-stock carburetors whose tags and date codes were consistent with an August 1971 build.
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That is a reported evidence chain, not a separate physical inspection. The VIN indicates the car’s coded configuration; the title, period literature and carburetor markings are additional evidence described by Hot Rod. The feature does not establish every step in the car’s ownership history or independently resolve how it entered public hands.
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Hot Rod’s 2016 account says three 1972 440+6 cars are known: the Road Runner GTX and two Dodge Charger Rallyes. It says all three were built in August 1971. Treat “three” as the feature’s known-car count, not proof that Chrysler built exactly three. A separate Ultimate Muscle Car compilation repeats rumors of six or seven cars, but those larger totals are not established by the cited accounts.
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The distinction matters when evaluating another claimed survivor. A matching V-code VIN is relevant, but a claim is stronger when the car’s title and period documentation align with the VIN and the engine’s identifying details. The exact evidence available can vary by car; a rumor or a broad count does not substitute for documentation tied to a specific vehicle.
Why was the option canceled?
Emissions compliance is commonly offered as the explanation for the cancellation, but the cited accounts do not establish it as Chrysler’s definitive reason. Hot Rod also records theories involving sales and financial concerns. No direct statement from Chrysler or a regulator is cited as settling the question, so the cause remains uncertain.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What would settle the open questions?
A primary factory production record could establish how many 1972 440+6 cars were actually built; documentation for individual survivors could clarify which cars belong in that count. Likewise, a contemporaneous Chrysler record or direct regulatory documentation would be needed to confirm why the option was canceled. Until then, the careful conclusion is that the Six-Barrel appeared in planned-model materials, was canceled early, and survives in at least the three examples reported by Hot Rod.
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