1970 PLYMOUTH HEMI SUPERBIRD

426/425 HP, BROADCAST SHEET

After years of dominating NASCAR with its Hemi-powered entries, by the late 1960s, Chrysler was under building pressure from its competitors, who were fielding a new generation of such exotic, big-bore engines as the Chevrolet Mark IV 427 and Ford’s 427 SOHC and Boss 429. Surveying the battlefield, Dodge engineers decided that the answer to these challenges lay in aerodynamics. When the slippery new Charger 500 enjoyed limited success, they doubled down with the amazing winged Daytona. The results were spectacular for the Dodge contingent, which took all the NASCAR gold in 1969. But it was a disaster for Plymouth, whose failure to offer its star driver Richard Petty the company’s own version of Dodge’s racer sent him to the Ford camp, where he thrived in the Torino Talladega, finishing second in that year’s final standings. Not to be outdone, Plymouth management launched a crash program to develop its own wing car with the twin goals of winning Petty back and securing the NASCAR crown for 1970

It was an expensive endeavor; NASCAR had raised its homologation requirements, forcing Plymouth to build almost 2,000 Superbirds rather than the 500 it had required for the Dodge Daytona. Making matters worse, Plymouth engineers soon realized that making the Road Runner as slippery as the Daytona would not be the cakewalk they initially expected. The Road Runner’s front fenders and roofline combined to exert extensive drag in initial wind-tunnel testing, and reshaping the production car for increased aerodynamic efficiency was a budget-buster. The solutions to these problems may not have been the most sophisticated, but they proved effective. Front fenders from the Coronet were substituted, and a roof extension was welded in place at the rear, the two changes combining to smooth airflow considerably. Data from Daytona testing led Plymouth engineers to raise the edge of the wedge-shaped nose-cone and to deepen the side elements of the rear wing for increased directional stability.

Plymouth’s efforts paid the dividends they had hoped for; Petty returned to drive the new Superbird for the 1970 season, taking the NASCAR title in dominating fashion. NASCAR soon banned the wing cars, but not before Chrysler Corporation had created two of the most famous and outrageous cars of the muscle car era. Like other Mopar muscle of the era, the most highly valued Plymouth Superbirds are the 135 built with the 426/425 HP Hemi V-8.

This Alpine White Plymouth Superbird coupe is low-mileage example and boasts its original Hemi engine, including the original dual Carter four-barrel carburetors. Showing a mere 24,925 actual miles and documented with the factory broadcast sheet, it is one of 36 known extant equipped with the Torqueflite automatic transmission, in this case rebuilt to Hemi specifications and teamed with an 8¾-inch rear end with 3.55:1 gears. Power steering, power front disc brakes and dual exhaust are all standard Superbird fare, accompanied by Hemi suspension, Sure Grip differential, Rallye wheels wearing Goodyear Polyglas GT rubber. The body was correctly refinished in 2000 and wears a newer Black vinyl roof, the car retains its original bench-seat interior, which features Black upholstery with Silver trim, Rallye instrumentation with Tic-Toc-Tach, oil pressure, ammeter, water and fuel gauges and Music Master radio.

The product of caring long-term ownership, this wonderful Hemi Superbird is accompanied by the aforementioned broadcast sheet, extensive service records and a Chrysler Registry report.

Highlights

24,925 actual miles
Documented with the broadcast sheet
One of 135 Hemi Superbirds produced in 1970
One of 36 known to exist with automatic transmission
Repainted in correct Alpine White in 2000
Original 426/425 HP Hemi engine
Original carburetors
Rebuilt Torqueflite transmission upgraded to Hemi specs
8 3/4 inch rear with 3.55 gears
Power steering
Power front disc brakes
Dual exhaust
Newer Black vinyl top
Original Black interior with Silver piping
Bench seat
Rallye wheels with White letter tires
Service records
Chrysler Registry report