Book excerpt: The late 1960s was an interesting time in the automotive world. Muscle cars, as we now know them, were well established, with all manufacturers joining the horsepower race. You could walk into the showroom for any brand from any manufacturer and find a variety of performance models. Competition being what it is, the manufacturers were looking for ways other than winning races to lure buyers into the showrooms and entice them to buy their products. Some tried to accomplish this with fancy marketing schemes and graphic paint packages and decals, and for the first time, some tried to win over buyers with price. Volume No. 5 of CarTech's In Detail series covers the 1969 Plymouth Road Runner. It was an interesting marriage of a car that attempted to appeal to potential buyers with a low cost, light weight, and potent bare-bones package. It also added a brilliant marketing strategy of partnering with a famous studio and a popular cartoon character. The end result was a wildly popular, big-block, affordable muscle car with great graphics and a cool beep-beep horn. The public loved it. All In Detail Series books include an introduction and historical overview, an explanation of the design and concepts involved in creating the car, a look at marketing and promotion, and an in-depth study of all hardware and available options, as well as an examination of where the car is on the market today. Also included is an appendix of paint and option codes, VIN and build-tag decoders, as well as production numbers.