Plymouth Superbird - Bred to shred NASCAR's high oval banks!
Plymouth Superbird - Bred to shred NASCAR's high oval banks!
The 1970 Plymouth Superbird is a distinctive muscle car that was a highly-modified variant of the Plymouth Road Runner designed as a force on NASCAR's high oval banks. Although short-lived, the Superbird followed the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona as a stock car racing competitor. With the Ford Torino Talladega as its main rival, plenty of changes were given to the Superbird over the Daytona to make it even more of a force on the track. The '70 Superbird was well-known its exclusive graphics and horn that mimicked the Road Runner cartoon character. The Superbird was only produced for the 1970 model year with confusion of how many were actually built with the general acceptance being 1,935, although it is believed that just over 1,o00 exist today.
The 1970 Plymouth Superbird was created as a performance powerhouse with speculation to lure Richard Petty away from Ford and back racing behind the wheel of a Plymouth. This Mopar aero car is known for its massive high-mounted rear wing and protruding nosecone. Three engine options were available including the 426-cubic-inch HEMI V8 (425-horsepower, 490 lb/ft of torque), the 440 Super Commando Six Barrel with triple two-barrel carburetors (390-hp), and the 440 Super Commando fed by a single 4-barrel carburetor (375-hp).
Generations (1970)
The Plymouth Superbird was only built for the 1970 model year as a competitor for NASCAR following the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona. The rumor is that the car was manufactured mainly to bring Richard Petty back to Plymouth after he left to race for Ford in 1968. Powering the Superbird was the top-of-the-line 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) Hemi engine fed by two four-barrel Carter AFB carburetors, a setup that generated 425-horsepower and allowed the car to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds. Built with aerodynamics in mind, the car had a protruding nosecone and a massive high-mounted rear wing.
Production
Only produced for the 1970 model year, a limited amount of Plymouth Superbird examples were built. While notes from Chrysler from September 1969 show that that the sales programming staff were ready to handle 1,920 winged Plymouths, published numbers are conflicting and show 2,783 Superbirds were built. The widely accepted number is 1,935 Superbirds built and transported within the United States with between 34 to 47 sent to Canada. Even the power option numbers are questionable, but it is reported that 135 Superbirds were built with a Hemi, 716 were powered by the six-barrel 440-cubic-invh V8, and the rest were 440ci 4bbl cars. Only a little over 1,000 Plymouth Superbirds are believed to actually exist today.
About the Knowledge Base
The Motorious Knowledge Base provides comprehensive vehicle overviews for Classic & Collector Cars including production numbers, performance specs, factory colors, and OEM brochures. Check out related content linked to this article or view other Makes and Models in our Research center.
If you have any interesting facts about the Plymouth Superbird to add, want to tell us how we did covering the Mopar aero car, or want to tell us about yours, please leave a comment below.
