1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird Coupe

Plymouth was required to produce nearly 2000 Plymouth Superbirds for 1970 to satisfy homologation requirements for NASCAR racing at Daytona and Talladega. The rules stated that at least one example needed to be provided for each manufacturer's US dealer. For 1970, Plymouth produced 1920 examples of the Road Runner Superbird for street use.

The season opening race was the Daytona 500, which was won by a Plymouth Road Runner Superbird driven by Pete Hamilton for Petty Enterprises.

The Plymouth Road Runner and Dodge Charger were built on the same Chrysler platform. Even though this was the case, there were many differences between the two. The bodywork was different and the Superbird's nose was one inch longer than the Charger's. The wing had a raised entry angle that swept back farther and inclined towards the body's centerline.

This 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird was offered for sale at the 2007 RM Auctions in Amelia Island, Florida where it was estimated to sell between $200,000 - $250,000. The car is powered by a 440 cubic-inch V8 engine that is capable of producing 375 horsepower. There is a three-speed automatic gearbox and four-wheel power-assisted drum brakes. The aerodynamic body rests comfortably on the 116-inch wheelbase.

The cars first owner was a 16-year old boy from North Carolina. He was too young to purchase the car so his mother signed for it. The boy claims he raised the money to purchase the car, $4,298, from his paper route. On January 4th of 1971 the enthusiastic driver was given a ticket for 'Failure to reduce speed to avoid a collision.' The accident caused damage to the front of the vehicle. The Chrysler-Plymouth dealership did not have replacement parts, so he got them from Petty Enterprises. The street nose was replaced with a NASCAR racing nose. The differences are slight, but visible. The NASCAR unit has two sets of spoiler mounting holes and a subtly different shape.

Since new, the car has traveled just over 5000 miles. It has been treated to a restoration which has brought the vehicle to like-new condition. The original spare tire and both jacks can be found in the trunk.

At auction, the car was left unsold.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2015