Plymouth’s take on the Dodge Charger Daytona, the Superbird is a race-spec version of the 1970 Road Runner, developed specifically for NASCAR racing. It’s obviously famous for its nose cone and massive rear wing.
But while Dodge went on to win the Sprint Cup with the Charger Daytona in 1970, Plymouth didn’t get to do same in 1971, as NASCAR changed the rules to limit aero cars. Plymouth and Richard Petty did win the title in 1971, but they did it with a Road Runner devoid of aero features.
But even though it didn’t make it to the race track, the Superbird was unleashed on public roads thanks to a production run of almost 2,000 units. Plymouth sold most of them with the big 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) under the hood, either in six-barrel or four-barrel carb configuration. Only 135 units left the factory with the 426 (7.0-liter) Hemi, the most desirable Mopar engine from the era.
But while road-spec Superbirds are as rare as limited-production muscle cars get, some examples have become unique thanks to aftermarket alterations. The Superbird you see here is one of a handful that has been turned into Super Stock dragsters and it’s the only one that won an NHRA title. It also sports a unique purple livery with psychedelic motifs.
The story of this car is worthy of a book. It was purchased in 1970 and stripped off its original Hemi immediately in order to be fitted with a Sox & Martin racing V8. It then went on to win the Super Stock class of the 1970 NHRA Summernationals with Tim Richards behind the steering wheel.
Originally finished in B5 Blue, the Superbird was repainted white and then refinished in this psychedelic purple livery. The car reportedly disappeared sometime in the late 1970s and didn’t resurface until 2015. Its current owner purchased it with the race-winning Hemi under the hood and immediately began looking for the long-lost original factory Hemi.
The search was unsuccessful at first but, amazingly enough, the Hemi surfaced out of nowhere in April 2021, when it was listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace. The owner is currently waiting for a Chrysler expert to confirm that it’s the car’s original Hemi, but all the numbers match, so it looks like the half-century-long search is finally over.
The folks at Jennings Wing Cars, who already own multiple Plymouth Superbirds and Dodge Daytonas, aren’t planning to restore the car’s exterior, but the original Hemi will definitely find its way back under the hood. But until that happens, they’re giving us a taste of the Superbird’s exhaust note with the current drivetrain.
And boy is this thing loud! The V8 makes such a racket that the camera microphone can’t even capture it properly while inside the garage. Things sound way better when the Superbird is being reversed into the yard, but you can clearly tell that this isn’t an average (yes, I know, stock Superbirds are far from average) factory Plymouth.
If you want to find out more about this unique car, the second video provides a detailed history lesson. If you’re here for Hemi V8 noise, play the second video or hit the 12-minute mark of the first video. You can also have a look at the car’s original Hemi at the 14-minute mark.