1970 Plymouth Superbird

In the year 1970 the Plymouth Superbird went into production, in a year which saw 1920 cars come off the line and was the only year of production. Conceived to rival all other cars in the American Stock Car racing series, the NASCAR, the Superbird was born as a sister design to the Dodge Daytona, and was basically a modification of another Plymouth model, the Road Runner.

Aerodynamics and Design

In that era, American cars were bulky and lacked aerodynamics; working off the design of the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona, the Plymouth Superbird incorporated an aerodynamic nosecone (adding an additional nineteen inches to the length), retractable headlamps and smooth bodywork to support the streamlined necessity of a racing car.

The most striking feature of the Superbird, which was an avant-garde feature in the 1970’s, is the rear wing mounted on extremely high fins. The purpose of the fins was predominantly functional: to allow clearance beneath them to life the lid of the trunk, however an additional benefit was its counter action of the car’s natural tendency to towards overly-light at top speeds. The Superbird was among the first American cars whose designers used computer analysis to aid their aerodynamic design; however, these modifications made little impact on track speeds.

Marketing

The Superbird was aimed at two markets, the race track and the streets. The engine capacity was changed accordingly, the former housing a 426 Hemi and for the latter, two lesser engines were proffered, the 440 Super Commando and the 440 Six barrel. In that one year of production only 135 cars were fitted with the 426 Hemi, and 665 with the 440 Six Barrel.

Post 1970

Strong opposition from Ford and changes in the rules of the NASCAR tracks saw changes to the Superbird in 1971. A few prototypes of the 1971 Superbird exist, based on the Sebring design. In fact, the 1970 Superbird received such little admiration, that many remained unsold, and/or were converted back to the model’s predecessor, the Road Runner (which had its name emblazoned across the back fender), to force sales.

The Future Market

Conversely, in recent years, the interest and value of the Superbird has come to the fore in the classic car market and the converted Road Runners are being turned back into Superbirds. Prices in recent years have reached US$250,000 for mint condition, the price averaging out at US$70,000. Showcasing at the peak of the Muscle Car era and due to its low production numbers, this car is rare and is certainly in the top five of the most desirable Muscle Cars.








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© 2006 Martin Hemmings and Ken Leonard for www.sport-cars.org