1970 Plymouth Superbird - Rotten Or Golden Egg?

[@kevaninthe4135]

There is nothing rotten about a Superbird. They are special cars.

[@the_kombinator]

@Silver N Black Mopar They are still ugly. I'd take a regular roadrunner over that, "value" be damned.

[@michaelheffernan4509]

100% correct I bought a new 70 Plymouth Duster from a new car dealer that had one of those cars sitting on the shoreroom for a year...

[@highoctanegames]

I've always believed that they were beautiful cars imo

[@kelvinboyd7459]

it's crazy the dealership was converting them back to roadrunners wouldn't it be cool to have an old roadrunner and discover that it's really a Superbird

[@mattkaustickomments]

I'm betting you can find out via the VIN plate or the 'buck tag'. Supposedly Oldsmobile dealers had to do a similar thing to sell their '70 Cutlass Rallye 350 models - they were all bright yellow with yellow-painted bumpers, black racing stripe twin hood scoops & a deck spoiler. Apparently, after sitting so long, many were repainted and given regular chrome bumpers in order to sell them. Too bad, because they are cool machines.

[@marioncobaretti2280]

cha-ching !

[@dukecraig2402]

@@mattkaustickomments Just look inside the trunk, where the sides of the wing mount on the quarter panels there's reinforcements on the inside of them so they wouldn't buckle under the load of the wing pushing down at high speeds.

[@mattkaustickomments]

Duke Craig , that kind of reminds me of a good diagnostic for figuring out whether or not you have a real Mercury Cougar Eliminator, and not a clone with stickers and spoilers . The way the trunk lid is set up is a little different for mounting the spoiler and there is a special prop-Rod to hold the lid up. Also the real deal will have staggered rear shocks. Almost nobody would go to the effort of reproducing that feature on a clone.

[@dukecraig2402]

@@mattkaustickomments Never knew about that, good to know👍👍👍

[@orange70383]

A buddy of mine has a 440 six-pack Superbird automatic and a Hemi automatic Superbird. The 440 six-pack with the 3-2bbls working right is a tick faster than the Hemi 2-4bbl, the car runs on just the center 2bbl until the engine reaches the rpm that bring on the front and rear 2-bbls which make a roar and the car starts pulling hard. At around 115 the wing and front end begins to push the car lower to the road, you can feel it being pushed down.

[@mattkaustickomments]

There was one or two in my hometown when I was a kid, and every now and then the Petty Blue one would drive through my neighborhood - thought it was the coolest thing at first sight, and always stopped me in my tracks when it came through.

[@billthompson5644]

I still have my Plymouth 69GTX440. My dad bought it new and gave it to me in 85 before he died from smoking so much. The the only thing not original, are the wearable parts.

[@RoadWarrior427]

I envy you! I owned a 1970 RoadRunner with a 440 4speed and the air grabber hood. I blew up the engine and had to sell it. One of my biggest regrets to this day.

[@thepassionofthegoose5472]

Good man. Keeping a machine running passed down from an older generation is an honor.

[@GTX1123]

My Dad had quite a different reaction in 1981, when I asked if I could borrow cash to buy a 69 Roadrunner w / a 383. He would have loaned me the $ but after a 10 minute lecture on how stupid it was for a 19 yr old to be buying an old "a gas guzzler" and knowing the lectures wouldn't end there, I gave up. We laugh about it now because I always tell him that years of his ridicule and lectures would have been worth it LOL.

[@ROGER2095]

My neighbor had one of these in the 70's and said that when they traveled, they frequently got pulled over no matter how fast they were going. The issue wasn't the big spoiler - they got the attention from the Police because there wasn't a front bumper which, apparently, wasn't legal in a lot of places.

[@deannahext]

ROGER2095 Front bumpers where mandatory in 1972 .

[@sulphurous2656]

I wonder how the conversations went.

[@timothyrobinson1612]

@@deannahext that's correct, that's why some of them had a rubber strip added to the tip of the nose cone 😊 It actually passed as a bumper lol

[@tyvekhomewrap9164]

One of, if not the most legendary and radical cars ever. Period.

[@CrowdControl123]

My dad wanted one of those so bad he could taste it. Mom wanted a Chrysler wagon. Guess which one got shoehorned into our garage?

[@Uptown59]

Hopefully it had a 440 TNT

[@raymondmarbaniang4764]

A Mustang

[@earli3693]

One of the best memories of my youth is the weekend that I was allowed to drive both the Bird and the Daytona, it has been all down hill since...

[@MicrobyteAlan]

NASCAR, when NASCAR was NASCAR. What happened to the Stock Car part? I miss it. Very interesting and well presented. Thanks from Orlando Florida

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

Even by this era the chassis wasn't stock. Stock cars ceased to be stock cars when they all started to be Ford Galaxie frames with rollcages that were more like spaceframes. When NASCAR builders got involved in the Trans-Am series back in the late 60s SCCA eventually changed their rules to accommodate those standards, whereas prior to that their rules were very similar to FIA Group 2. I'm not complaining, I like silhouette cars, I'm just saying the transition away from cars related to cars at the dealership happened ages before the memes complaining about it. I think history has established that oval track racing of actual showroom stock cars isn't safe, but it still happens in drag racing, in road racing and in rallying, so if you want to see cars like that you just need to watch the right type of racing for them.

[@00AngelDog00]

The '70 Plymouth Super Bird utilized '70 Dodge Coronet front fenders, which had a more pointed shape to begin with. That's why the front marker lights didn't match the rear ones (chrome trim versus painted trim). The fenders were a bolt on swap, and met the doors precisely, since the '68, '69, and '70 Plymouth Road Runners/GTXs/Satellites and Dodge Coronets/Super Bees shared not only the same basic chassis, but also the same doors, roof, and glass.

[@alexbenjaminlubbers]

I absolutely adore the 70 Superbird! 😍😍😍😍

[@skateusa]

He said the 440 "Six Barrel" engine had three Carter carbs but they were actually Holley carbs.

[@walterward8164]

Friend Chris had one that he let me drive to his brother's place 60 miles away. He'd broken his right foot. All freeway 10 miles of that at 148mph. JULY 1970. MEMORIES OF A LIFE TIME. LOVING ME SOME PLYMOUTH.

[@johnbecay3859]

thanks, a pretty accurate accounting except you forgot to mention these aero super cars were so successful in their 2 years of racing eligibility that NASCAR banned them for the third year.....

[@mitchdavis264]

the first NASCAR to reach 200 mph

[@LITTLE1994]

@@mitchdavis264 Actually, that title belongs to the Daytona.

[@earli3693]

I was blessed to have driven both of these cars in the early 70's. The experience was very exciting as the cars were powered by the HEMI and the 440. Too bad people just looked at the cars and judged them. As with any car the drive is what determines the true spirit of the car. If you ever get the chance to drive or ride in one of these cars jump for it!!!

[@orange70383]

In 1986 me and a friend drove down to Lexington Kentucky where a guy had 2 Superbirds he was selling for 11K each. One was a Limelight green 440 6-pak and the other was a Petty blue 440 4-bbl, both cars were show condition but at the time I thought it too much money. My friend was smart and bought the Limelight car and I on the other hand really fk'd up.

[@kevaninthe4135]

Ouch. Does your friend still have his Superbird?

[@orange70383]

@@kevaninthe4135 Yes the 440 6-pack and another all original one with a Hemi.

[@waterheaterservices]

That was a lot of money in 1986.

[@opatrick1961]

He is incorrect in his stated reasons for the height of the rear wing. The tall uprights worked to keep the car stable in the corners, and keep it from spinning out. They needed to be tall to have the surface area for that, and the wing was then above the turbulence of the air coming off the roof, making it more effective. If trunk clearance was the only reason, they could have simply mounted it to the trunk lid.

[@tomnekuda3818]

You are exactly correct according to my research.

[@robert43g]

Your correct also the trunk dosent open all the way anyway

[@UsefulEntertainment]

I'm sorry but if I had a time machine, I wouldn't be coming back... EVER, Just keep hitting the reset when the 80s end.

[@ROGER2095]

When you go back, be sure to pick up a lot of Microsoft stock when it was 10c/share!

[@rmp608]

Or Mickey Mantle rookie cards..less space to take up in the garage!!!!

[@billthompson5644]

That's probably one of the GREATEST statements I've ever read.

[@bandccoresohio]

Personally i wouldn't mind reliving the 1990s

[@p.aaronjones4174]

We also had better music on the radio then.

[@theoriginalmungaman]

Correction! Holley 2300 series carbs on the sixpack

[@tonychavez2083]

I wasn't aware of all those differences with the Daytona? Most people think they are the same as I always did.. Thank You for posting!

[@geeterman98]

i remember an article in Carcraft magazine way back when that had a article about a 1970 Superbird that was with its original owner after he bought it brand new off the lot in 1974. it sat for 4 years. it's amazing how the most desirable cars today were failures of the past.

[@attilafitzpatrick6881]

they were expensive, poor build quality and much faster iron available at the time.

[@bloqk16]

Aaahhh! After decades of questions I had about the comparison between the Daytona and Superbird, they've been finally answered! I recall trying to figure out the differences with looking at the NASCAR photos back in 1970 when the cars were racing side-by-side, but I came up short of discerning the differences. Thanks!

[@duwanemcknight8842]

The Daytona 500 was made from a charger look at the body's and the superbirds was a GTX road runner

[@displayfireworks1]

I saw one of these when I was teenager. It was parked sideways towards the end of a bar parking lot around 1971 . It looked like an escapee from the racetrack. Thanks for explaining why the spoiler is so high. I never realized it was a simple as allowing the trunk to open.

[@TheSanmaria]

Not fact. Do research!

[@KurtfromLaQuinta]

@@TheSanmaria Indeed. The Daytona had a shorted trunk lid for the purpose of clearance for the wing. Also mentioned in this video was the Daytona used '69 front fenders... nope. They were '70 Charger fenders and hood. They were a slightly different shape.

[@vassa1972]

These Cars had wild styling for the late 1960's

[@oliasofsunhillow7116]

I think that I remember commenting on this before but sometimes, KZbin comments get buried in the background and they bounce around from time to time but, Richard Petty wanted Plymouth to build their version of the Daytona in 1969 and Chrysler said no so Richard broke the contract and went with Ford! And the 1969 Daytona used 1970 Charger fenders and hood and the 1970 Superbird used the 1970 Coronet fenders and hood slightly modified to fit! And Dodge tidied up the rear window plug so not to have to have the vinyl roof and Plymouth left their rear window unfinished so they had to cover it with the vinyl roof, and the rear stabilizers on both cars had to be high enough for the trunk lid to open fully underneath it! Otherwise, a half height stabilizer on each car was enough to keep the cars stable! Car companies needed to produce 500 street copies for the public in 1969 but NASCAR upped it in 1970 to building two for every dealership in the US! But Dodge only built 392 Charger 500's in 1969 before they released the Daytona! Some people say that both, the Charger 500 and the Dayona derived from the Charger R/T but only the 500 did, the Daytona derived from the 500! I remember seeing one Daytona and two Superbirds growing up and only one Superbird lasted until the early eighties when it disappeared! And the cars were only good for the longer tracks, they used the Belvedere, Coronet and Charger bodies for the shorter tracks! Check out Richard Pettys crash in 1970 at Darlington!

[@ChapmanFilms]

Wow crazy those things sat on the lot!!!!! Love your channel

[@Mecal00]

I love the Superbird, it was really the pinnacle of muscle car madness. And its fantastic.

[@sebbonxxsebbon6824]

WOW, one of my favorite cars!

[@irishkeif7791]

These videos make me smile.

[@klardfarkus3891]

What you believe are nonfunctional air scoops on the fenders are actually functional covers for the cutouts to give greater wheel clearance when the suspension bottomed out.

[@johnabuick]

Buddy of mine had one of those back in the 70's, even then it was pretty radical. That red one in the video looks like it was in a wreck the body is so miss aligned.

[@sergeantmasson3669]

Dealers struggled to even sell them. A few dealers removed the aero package in order to sell them.

[@iDONTdoFacebook]

In late 1982 early ‘83 I was in my early/mid 20’s living in the Orange County city of Buena Park in California. I was driving a very nice, somewhat rare ‘78 Ford Thunderbird. I say somewhat rare as mine was one of the relatively few T-birds of that year that had been built with T-tops. It was white with white faux-leather vinyl landau roof / white leather seats with red dash & red carpet. A classy ride. Beginning to think it would be wise to go economical in order to save money on fuel costs I decided to pursue the idea my ‘wise’ parents planted in my head to trade off the V8 powered T-bird for something with a fuel efficient 4-banger. I decided I’d look for a little mini pickup truck. With no internet to turn to yet, I bought some of the Orange, Riverside, and L.A. County Auto Traders at a couple 7-11s to see what I could find. As I had formerly been a big musclecar enthusiast having owned a ‘71 Plymouth Barracuda in 10th grade of high school (my first car) followed the next year by a ‘74 Plymouth ‘Cuda 360 which I traded the ‘71 Barracuda for and then drove the rest of high school and thru my first year of college, I found myself being pulled by the tide of my blood toward the several ads I was seeing in the Auto Traders for used Mopar muscle, which class of vehicle was at the time JUST BEGINNING what we now know to be its lofty climb to atmospheric nosebleed heights of popularity and investment realization. The investment potential was an excuse I actually considered in my temptation to deviate from my goal to be ‘wise’ and economical as my parents were hoping I would be. But regarding the investment ‘potential’ of those musclecars that I was looking at I HAD NO IDEA what was really about to happen. There ended up being TWO cars for sale on car lots in the area that I seriously considered for a week or so before ‘wising’ up, breaking the spell they had cast over me, and passing them up to buy a cool little ‘79 Plymouth Arrow pickup truck (actually built by Mitsubishi). I listened to my parents and their ‘conventional’ ‘wisdom’ more than my heart -and in so doing I lost out on what became for the buyers of those two musclecars which I had passed up the chance to buy, a SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLAR return. Those two cars sitting for sale on those two separate Southern California car lots which I had talked myself out of buying were BOTH 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner Superbirds. One was listed for $5,900, the other for $6,500. For the purpose of SAVING MONEY I had gone and bought a cute little economical ‘79 Plymouth Arrow pickup for $2,750 instead of a fuel-guzzling ‘70 Plymouth Roadrunner Superbird... and lost not tens of thousands of dollars, but HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS!!! Hey, I got me a Plymouth though! 🤔... 🤨 ......😖😩😫😭 Folks, it’s vitally important that you FOLLOW THAT STILL SMALL VOICE IN YOUR HEART!! I didn’t do that then when the good Lord was trying to point me in the right direction. He does speak to us. We will be MUCH BETTER OFF if we listen to HIM rather than drawing our conclusions based solely on our own or any other mortal man’s error-prone logic and reasoning. How many times do we bang our heads on the wall in frustration before we learn that?

[@letsgpbrandon3165]

I love this channel. Great information in a short time. Cool cars as well

[@calvinhandley2373]

The 440 Six-pack used three Holley 2300 series two-barrel carbs. The two barrel Carter carbs(BBD) were used on 318 and 383 engines only

[@AlejandroP1980s]

Calvin Handley what better king cobra Torino or super bee

[@josephliptak]

My favorite muscle car, 1970 Plymouth Superbird. Growing up in the early 70s I would see those birds often enough that they didn't seem that rare. I haven't seen one on the road since 1994.

[@harleypatterson3773]

I remember one spring morning in 1970, it was a Saturday, my dad was driving around looking for a new pickup truck in Indianapolis, eastbound on 38th Street about Lafayette Road we stopped at Palmer Dodge, they had 10 or 12 birds backed up to the showroom on display. I couldn't believe I saw the Roadrunner cartoon character on a car! I was 11 at the time and didn't understand I was looking at history in the making, all I knew then was my favorite cartoon character was driving around the streets of Indianapolis!

[@FlyingTigersKMT]

One of the best looking muscle cars ever. I want one...

[@Pro1er]

I enjoy your videos, but I have two corrections: 1) the wing wasn't connected, at least directly, to the quarter panels - the down force would have crushed the sheet metal. There were braces in the vertical bars that were connected to the car's frame for strength. 2) the wing's height had nothing to do with the trunk lid not hitting it, it was put up high to get into "clean air".

[@duwanemcknight8842]

Which happens to just be enyff for the trunk were he probably got that at was Plymouth used to say it was for the trunk lid did want to give away thier trade secrets and give gm and Ford thier research

[@adamtrombino106]

I had the chance to drive a Superbird 440 4bbl with an auto back in the late 90s. You'd expect the car to be kinda practical like all Chrysler B body cars of the era were. It wasn't. And you'd expect the car to drive and handle at speed like a hp Chrysler B body of the time. It didn't. Pros were, despite the super light power steering, it stuck like glue. The faster you went, the better. No shaking, no road shock would upset it.. It just wanted to go fast! Cons were you couldn't see out of the thing, despite all that glass and std dual outside mirrors. In traffic, that nose cone would disappear. You never really knew how close you were to a car in frt of you. And parallel parking? Forget it! Still, it grabbed tons of attention in its Tor Red paint. I wouldn't mind having 1!

[@dannyg6592]

In October 1972, my dad took me with him car shopping for a new family car. The Plymouth dealer offered him a new 1970 Hemi 4 speed Superbird for under invoice. The dealer had it sitting on his lot for over 2 years and no one wanted it. My dad wanted to buy it, but he told the dealer my mom would kill him if he brought it home - lol. Great memories!

[@nathanielcruz6675]

The Plymouth Superbird is more than just a golden egg; it's a remarkable piece of history. Richard Petty was the most recognized driver for the Superbird. It's also the basis of Strip “The King” Weathers from the 2006 Disney/Pixar film Cars, and Richard Petty was also the character's voice. I will always adore the Superbird, and it's the car of my dreams. Plus, it also won the 1970 Daytona 500 with Pete Hamilton behind the wheel.

[@SquirminHermanthe1eyedGerman]

my grandpa was a MOPAR salesman from 1946-1977 & I remember seeing one on the lot as a kid & it sat there for a long time! I wish I knew what happened to it as I sure would love to have it today - PEACE LOVE n HIPPYNESS!

[@justsumguy2u]

You're right about the Superbird and Daytona sitting on dealer lots---the buying public thought they were weird-looking, and didn't understand the appeal. I have to admit that even though I'm a Mopar guy, I wouldn't have bought one---to me, it's not a good-looking car.

[@luckyb3859]

They were expensive sticker priced and impractical, and they did sit on dealer lots unsold. The nose hit the parking lot bollards and would scrape the pavement entering and exiting some lots. They were front heavy, too. Parking them was a pain, forget parallel curb parking. The street version was gutted and reworked by the racing teams for Super-speedway long tracks. They weren't as competitive on the short tracks where the race speeds were lower. I knew a guy who bought one new only because it was steeply discounted and He got a steal. It was full power assist factory 3-speed AT and AC equipped like a luxury GTX. It was garaged and low mileage. I think he finally sold it in the 1980's to buy a 911.

[@jayschmahl9206]

I saw one in the town I lived in. Brand new in red, it was the most beautiful car I had seen in year's. It's all opinions but I love the styling of these machines. If I had the money, I would buy one in a heartbeat.

[@orange70383]

@@luckyb3859 Must've had the dealer installed A/C as none were equipped from the factory with it.

[@azindependentsrt5721]

The Superbird was a golden egg, as they bring the big bucks at all of the auctions like Berrett-Jackson. The closest Mopar that I have ever had to one was a '70 Roadrunner 383, which the S-bird was based on.

[@the_kombinator]

Yeah it was a golden egg for the auction houses, not Chrysler itself.

[@JackFlemingFan1]

Great video and love those Dodge & Plymouth Wing Cars!

[@midnightrider7648]

I still get a kick out of seeing one of those superbirds out on the road. It's becoming more of a rarity to see one.

[@jeffb243]

I LOVE the Superbird!!!! I could’ve bought a Vitamin C Orange, 440-4bbl, automatic (on the column), white interior Superbird back in 1988 for $7500.00. Didn’t have the money. It had Cragar S/S wheels, F70-15 front tires, L60-15 rear tires. Funny thing about it, it had Petty Enterprises decals on each valve cover, and on the lower center of the trunk lid. It had 62,000 miles on it at the time. Very little rust, just a tad on the lower rear quarters, just behind the tires. Interior was almost perfect. Paint was great, as was the black vinyl top.

[@Newt-is7qd]

This has been my favorite car for years

[@ThePaulv12]

Weren't they a trio of Holley 2bbls?

[@danielcannon3511]

As a guitar guy, this reminds me of the story of the 1958 Gibson Explorer and the Flying V from the same year. There are some similarities in the stories. The Explorer has a radical design that was too much for the 50s. Only around 20 were sold between 1958 through around 1963. Kinda similar.

[@missingremote4388]

I thought a bout the taking of a time- machine. To buy a fleet of Super birds too. Back to 1969 where I was 2 or 3 years old, back then. Buy at least Ten 🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁

[@lesliehorwinkle]

I remember looking at a white one for sale in '79 for 2500 bucks. I thought it was just too ugly to drive but knew it would be a collectors item some day. I didn't know this big though. It was a 440/auto. car on the column.

[@mikewest9033]

that's pure gold

[@Rick-se5qm]

This is a flashback to my late teens. An older friend with $$ was in the market for a new 68' Charger, with any high performance engine. The nearby dealer said nope...high performance versions required more warranty work, compared to base models. Since they loose money on warranty work he had to settle for a 383 2bl SE. This same dealer was forced to take delivery of a Superbird which sat on their lot until it was converted to a roadrunner. Most garages back then could not accommodate the Daytona or Superbird. I recall one parked on a busy 4 lane state highway. Passed it everyday returning home from high school.

[@williamcampenni2566]

My grandfather had one and sold it in 1980. Kicked himself for it especially when the value started climbing.

[@nicholasmemoli3886]

If you have a Pontiac keep it

[@MidnightMechanic]

What if it's a junky J body?

[@JerkVegas86]

Keep It?

[@louisedwards6681]

Pontiac superbird?

[@andrewbrown7976]

I have read the thing about the wing height before and sounds legit. but I also read the fender scoops were for the tires to clear when racing and only covered up holes cut in the fenders

[@captainofindustry6625]

not just any car this car was a full american statement

[@styldsteel1]

I agree to a point. NASCAR forced MOPAR and FORD to make 500 available to the american public.

[@danielcannon4727]

styldsteel1 wrong. 500 or so Dodge Daytona's were made, but there were around 2000 or so Superbirds made. NASCAR made Plymouth produce 2 cars per Plymouth dealer.

[@timothyrobinson1612]

@@danielcannon4727 503 Daytona's and some say 1,920 to 1,935 superbirds 👍

[@tboysrocknroll8848]

When I was a little kid in the 70s there was a used car dealership around the corner and they had a lime green Superbird for sale...for $500 dollars!!! And it sat there for a couple of years!!!...I think it was around 1977 when I first saw it there...whoever bought it must be happy now...

[@propdoctor21564]

My favorite car of all time

[@kyledurham3233]

He forgot to mention that in 1970 the car received 1970 dodge superbee fenders.

[@roblee540]

And the front fenders and hood of the Daytona are not of a 69 but a 70 Charger.

[@edwardjones8170]

I have fond memories of a blue Superbird just like the one in the video. No I didn't own it but I did crash in to the rear end of one back in 1971 IIRC. I suppose I was fortunate I was just a kid on a 3 speed bicycle and the car was parked, so no damage done, but to my ego :)

[@paulkatz258]

Thanks for uploading this.

[@styldsteel1]

Sir..the fender buldges were completely, utterly and fully functional on the MOPARS. When the car dipped in the front going around turns at 200 MPH the wheels would still clear the fenders underneath as opposed to scrapping the fenders.

[@bearcat283]

A few errors with this video. @ 3:20 they start talking about the rear spoiler and its height. The height of the spoiler WAS NOT determined because of the opening of the deck lid having to clear the it. In fact, inside on both deck lid hinges there is a small rectangular flat metal piece welded crudely onto the hinges acting as a "stop". This stops the deck lid from hitting the under side of the spoiler.

[@et76039]

Although there was a NASCAR requirement regarding the trunk lid, the engineer responsible for the rear spoiler was unaware of this rule. He simply put the wing where the cleanest (least turbulent) air was at.

[@marchwheeler2010]

One of the greatest nascar efforts of all time. Chryslers effort to compete with Ford.

[@vassa1972]

I wish that both I can drive again and to go back in time and grab one of those off the lot and sell them now

[@vortexgen1]

Both Daytona and 500 Chargers had rear window plugs welded in as well to help with the aerodynamics. I think that something said about the Chargers rear window was not clear about that in this video.

[@happycat0411]

People tend to like things more if they are rare and a little unusual. I remember seeing a 440 Superbird in the local auto-trader for $5000.00 back when I was in high school but the car was too radical in those days and everyone wanted the chrome bumpers and Crager S/S wheels.

[@timdodd979]

Holley 2300 on the 440 Six-pack. Sweet cars!

[@markadams7597]

The narrator hasn't spend much time around S'birds. My Dad and older brother each owned one new from the factory in the 70s. Both models' front fender "spoilers" were functional (they removed air pressure from the wheel well and, also, sprayed dirty street water all over the wind shield on rainy days). My brother put chicken wire on the top of his fender opening, under the spoiler, to repel rocks and gravel from hitting the windshield. The rear wing was NOT about the deck lid. It was about the aerodynamics of the car. The wing pushed the rear end/axel down as the vehicle drove faster, providing increased traction. I remember literally feeling the car 'squat, above 120 mph while riding in "The Bird". The trunk lid hinge was altered so it would not open wide enough to effect the wing. (Sometimes, it was a bear loading the trunk with lots of stuff.) The narrator didn't mention the front under-cone air dam, used for collecting air and moving it through the radiator and into the engine box. This simple but brilliant engineering assisted with keeping the motor area cool and running at peak performance. The wrap around chrome metal edges on each side of the windshield (not on the Road Runners, Chargers, or Daytonas) was to split the air giving the cockpit a more arrow shaped piercing of the wind (the chrome mad them more slippery). Finally, the solid wheels, unlike the fancy "hollow" mag wheels of the day) where/are engineered to hold the vehicle steady above 200 mph (which several pro-drivers often accomplished in these might muscle cars). I suggest that, in the future, the screen-writers interview Superbird participants before they write about these racing record holders.

[@dukecraig2402]

The height of the rear wing was about the trunk opening, it would have worked exactly the same ìf it was lower but the trunk would not have opened, Chrysler didn't want to mount it to the trunk lid because the pressure pushing down on it would have compressed the trunk lid seal and changed the angle of the wing and possibly ripped the trunk lid off of the car, as you pointed out there was a lot of force at high speeds, the inside of the quarter panels had reinforcements so the wing wouldn't buckle them from pushing down at speed, that's an easy to to check and see if a Roadrunner was actually a Superbird that was converted by a dealer because it wouldn't sell without having to run the VIN. As far as the scoops they weren't functional on the street versions of the Superbirds but they were open on the racing versions, some owners of them (the street versions) however opened them up mistakenly thinking that it would aid in engine cooling, Chrysler shot Bill France a BS story that the scoops were for tire clearance because he would have outlawed them because of his body modification rules at the time, many articles written about these cars at the time they were released were full of misinformation given to the magazines by Chrysle to keep Bill France from outlawing them, it wouldn't be until years later that they would release their internal memos and many of the truths behind them would come to light.

[@coenaalders4385]

Nice words this is my favorite car ever

[@martin2560]

Mine is all original. Has stayed inside a small car museum for the last 15 years. Mint condition with 18,407 miles. It's worth close to a million dollars now.

[@trort2714]

I was 13 with my dad car shopping. We looked at the ‘70 Daytona and I begged him to buy it. He ended up buying a ‘70 Ford County Squire wagon. At least he got one with 429. Having raised three kids of my own, I get it.

[@jasonlittlefield6347]

No Daytona in 70

[@martinrigggs500]

Always thought they were ugly then they just grew on me. Must be a blast banging gears with that wild ride

[@marvingross8151]

Thought they were crazy looking when I was a lad but the older I get the more I like them . The Big Bird is way cool !

[@danielsan3681]

Great video! I love these cars! :)

[@efrazier0217]

The Superbird fenders are not off of a road runner. The road runner fenders are straight and they needed to curve to fit the cone, so they used the fenders from the 70 Dodge Coronet due to their forward angle. So, when the dealers turned them back to road runner, they had to change the fenders as well.

[@davidthayer6969]

well, they sell for crazy money but the facts dont go along with the myth, the superbird only won 8 races, thats it (the daytona only won 6)........most people dont realize that yes, after ford pulled out after 69, the mopars dominated 1970 winning all but 8 races.......the problem is that the majority of races back then were short tracks where they ran the std Charger and Road Runner......the official tally for the winged mopars is 8 and 6, 14 total.........compared to 29 wins for the talledega torino and 8 for the mercury cyclones.

[@bultacowally]

dude nobody CARES!!! go away!!! such an A_hole

[@charlieryan1736]

Thanks for another excellent review 👍🏻

[@jdgimpa]

Six pack had Holley carburetors not Carter carburetors. Carter carburetors were on the single carb versions! I worked at a Chrysler Plymouth dealer when the Super Bird was new!

[@orange70383]

And they were tough to adjust properly.

[@themartenmitchellgroupllc6842]

You're so right about the Holley 6 pack. The same 6 pack, if I'm correct, as the 1966 Chevrolet 427/425 HP V8.

[@therrydicule]

Why not go with 8 barrel? I mean, at this point...

[@bloqk16]

I think another reason I'd be hesitant, back in 1970, with buying a Superbird as a road car: Imagine the cost of repairing the front-end nose bodywork from even getting lightly tapped? I'd also want to add that the rise of automobile insurance rates happening around 1970 contributed to the downturn of muscle/performance cars at that time.

[@cobeymyers8116]

That blue (Blue Fire) POPS!!

[@magnumbuild607]

you always do a great job!

[@kc-6837]

Awesome Mopar!

[@gregkistner1955]

Amazing ride!

[@bezzlebedeviled4756]

Prior to NIxon taking the dollar off the gold-standard, it was fixed at $35/oz, meaning that a 1970 base price of $4,298 is equivalent to over $150,000 2017 dollars with gold at $1250. -- They were NOT inexpensive cars. They sat unsold on dealer lots for a reason when people could buy a "fast" (i.e., quickly accelerating) car for MUCH less, whereas the Superbird really only shone when your foot stayed on the floor for a duration longer than a quarter-mile time.

[@stevesmith6236]

FYI, those scoops that you say were on the front "1/4 panels", were actually attached to the "fenders" . Those easily removeable front body sections are FENDERS , NOT quarter panels.

[@jameslatimer1432]

You really know your American cars god 🙏 bless

[@kirkthejerkthe1st]

There were a few in our town years ago. One guy had one in the late 70's or early 80's which by then was just an old car. He would put his bicycle on top of the deck lid and bungee it to the wing. Maybe that was the original intention.

[@moodberry]

In 1974 I bought a brand new Fiat x/19 for $5200. I wasn't able to keep up with the payments, so I traded it in a year later at a used car lot for a Superbird to lower my payments. The Superbird had been sitting there for weeks, but I admired it and wanted it. Their list price was $1,800. But the MAIN reason (contrary to this YT video) that Superbirds were not selling was because of the gas crisis on the 70's. Believe it or not, the Fiat was much more in demand than cars like the Superbird because of gas mileage. The Superbird got about 11 MPG, versus the Fiat at about 28 MPG. I sold my car after about a year and broke even. Wish I knew then what I know now about Superbird's value. But I was young and thought short term - like most everyone even today.

[@maples328]

The dealers converting them back to regulars kinda breaks my heart 💔 like hearing the people that used to cut out the split back windows of Corvettes to put in regular back windows.

[@SonnyGTA]

Just a small point. I have a 1979 Dodge Magnum GT with an E58 360. There were only 1672 of them made in ‘79. (Out of 25,000 regular Magnums). 300 LESS than the ‘70 Superbird! Funny how certain cars are worth way more than others regardless of lower production numbers.

[@klardfarkus3891]

Odd that you would reason that the spoiler was that height to clear the trunk when the car was designed as a race car where trunk access was irrelevant.

[@wizardofahhhs759]

Growing up, a guy in my hometown had a red-orange Super Bird that broke down parked roadside every time he drove it.

[@rockers2rockers616]

The blue roadrunner at 01:05 is owned by a guy I know in New Zealand or at least he owned last time I was in his garage some time ago.

[@77thesnake]

These people get a lot of things wrong about this car. They're too many points to review here , so I'll mention just one for now. The fender scoops on both the Superbird and the Charger Daytona both had the same function, and none of it had to do with aerodynamics. When the Nascar teams tested the Daytona on the track, there was so much down force on the front of the car, the tires were prematurely wearing out. The solution was to cut a hole in the top of the fender and then cover it with a hood to keep air flow going. Too bad this group doesn't do any research before posting this stuff, but at least they respect the original muscle car era.

[@77thesnake]

@@gurnblanston3210 , it's not a claim, it's fact! You obviously don't know the history of these cars or Nascar. You should get that disease checked out, your foot in mouth problem!