WINGED WARRIORS: Two 1970 No Reserve Superbirds Are Ready For Flight
November 1, 2019
Posted by Barrett-Jackson
Written by independent automotive journalist Tom Jensen
The two 1970 Superbirds offered at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale – Lot #1370 and Lot #1370.1 – check all the important boxes for savvy collectors: Both are superbly restored, low-mileage originals with highly desirable options, matching-numbers engines and transmission, and great color combinations.
Hard to imagine today, perhaps, but half a century ago, Detroit automakers were willing to do just about anything to gain superiority in NASCAR racing, including building some of the most outrageous production cars of all time.
And at the 49th Annual Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction, Jan. 11-19 at WestWorld in Scottsdale, Arizona, bidders will have a chance to take home two remarkable examples of the extremes that Chrysler Corp. was willing to go to in order to win races. We’re talking here about a pair of pristine 1970 Plymouth Superbirds, two time-capsule pieces from one of the most fascinating eras in NASCAR history. These are production versions of the highly successful NASCAR race cars and they will sell at No Reserve in Scottsdale.
The Superbird story traces all the way back to 1969-70, when NASCAR’s aero wars hit a stunning crescendo in an epic battle for on-track supremacy between Chrysler Corp. and Ford Motor Co. The automakers would spare no expense to get the upper hand, because they knew success on the racetrack translated to sales in the showroom, hence the mantra, “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.”
This truly was an ever-escalating arms race, with the weapons of choice being carefully crafted cars that cut through the air with ease.
On the Ford side, the slope-nosed Torino Talladega and Mercury Cyclone Spoiler were specially made to compere on the high-banked, high-speed NASCAR tracks. The Torino Talladega was so aerodynamically efficient that Ford was able to lure Richard Petty away from Plymouth for the 1969 NASCAR season and into the cockpit of a Torino Talladega. NASCAR’s biggest superstar defecting to Ford after years with Plymouth was by far the most newsworthy story of the 1969 season.
Chrysler had to respond ‒ and it did so in a huge way by introducing first the Dodge Daytona and then the Plymouth Superbird. Although they differed slightly in aerodynamic details, the basic underpinnings were similar: Both the Superbird and Daytona were built on the midsized Chrysler B-Body platform, and both featured a range of big-block V8 engines.
Lot #1370 is decked out in Lemon Twist Yellow.
The two things you couldn’t miss with the Superbird and Daytona were their huge rear wings and sharply pointed noses, which made them look like nothing else on the street.
The Daytona debuted first, in 1969. As NASCAR legend has it, a Plymouth executive asked Petty what it would take to get him away from Ford and back into the Mopar family for the 1970 season. Supposedly, Petty pointed at a Dodge Daytona and said something to the effect of, “Build me one of those.” Remarkably, Plymouth did just that, giving the green light to its own winged warrior, which was dubbed the Superbird.
Armed with the Superbird, Petty returned to the Plymouth fold in 1970, winning a whopping 18 races as Plymouth and Dodge teams combined to win 33 of 49 NASCAR races that season.
Petty’s teammate, New England racer Pete Hamilton, had a career year in 1970, as he drove a Petty Enterprises Plymouth Superbird to victory in the Daytona 500, NASCAR’s biggest race, as well as a sweep of both races at Talladega Superspeedway NASCAR’s biggest and fastest track.
The powerful 440 Six-Barrel engine under the hood of Lot #1370.
How these winged warriors wound up as production cars is a fascinating tale itself. In order to approve the Superbird for competition in the NASCAR Grand National Series, the sanctioning body had a homologation requirement that demanded vehicles to be raced must be available to the general public and sold through dealerships in specific minimum numbers – and those vehicles had to be documented. In order to fulfill this requirement, it is estimated that Plymouth built between 1,920 and 2,000 Superbirds. To document to NASCAR that they had indeed built the requisite number of cars necessary, the automaker produced a book entitled “Plymouth Superbird NASCAR Race Program Serial Number List,” detailing each car’s VIN, as well as when it was built and where it was shipped.
Both Superbirds selling in Scottsdale have had their serial numbers verified as being on the NASCAR list, which confirms that they were part of the bona fide Superbird program from the one and only year of production of this model.
The two Superbirds offered at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale check all the important boxes for savvy collectors: Both are superbly restored, low-mileage originals with highly desirable options, matching-numbers engines and transmission, and great color combinations. If you are a fan of Mopar muscle, these are the cars for you.
A peek inside the cockpit of Lot #1370.
And, of course, since this is Barrett-Jackson, both cars will sell with No Reserve, meaning the highest bidder on each car will take it home, no matter what the final hammer price.
The first of the two Superbirds, Lot #1370, is finished in gorgeous Lemon Twist Yellow paint with a white bucket-seat interior with a black vinyl roof, an especially attractive color combination.
This is one of what experts estimate to be just over 300 Superbirds known as a V-code, which means it was built with the powerful 440 Six-Barrel engine, a big-block V8 with a trio of two barrel carburetors that allowed the engine to run efficiently at part-throttle, but deliver thundering power when you put your right foot to the floor. To that end, the 440 Six-Barrel produced a whopping 390 horsepower and a stump-pulling 490 ft/lbs of torque.
Lot #1370.1 is a Limelight Green example of Plymouth’s iconic Superbird.
This V-code Superbird underwent a complete, nut-and-bolt professional restoration two years ago on a car that had just 55,000 original miles since it was shipped from Chrysler’s Lynch Road Assembly facility on Dec. 1, 1969.
This gorgeous piece of Mopar history is documented by its Broadcast Sheet, which details all the options, including the matching-numbers 440 Six-Barrel engine and 4-speed manual transmission combination. Other desirable options include a Hurst pistol-grip shifter, power steering and power brakes.
Restored to a high standard and well equipped, this Superbird will certainly make its new owner happy when it sells with No Reserve at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale.
The matching-numbers V-code engine under the hood of Lot #1370.1.
The second 1970 Plymouth Superbird, Lot #1370.1, shares a lot of the same characteristics as the first one. It, too is a V-Code, equipped with its original, matching-numbers 440 Six-Barrel engine and 4-speed manual transmission. Again, according to experts, just over 300 V-Code Superbirds were ever built.
This one is also a low-mileage original, with just 49,000 miles from new – less than 1,000 miles per year since it shipped from the Lynch Road Assembly plant on Dec. 11, 1969.
This V-code Superbird underwent a complete, nut-and-bolt professional restoration five years ago and is documented by its Broadcast Sheet with a matching-numbers engine and transmission.
The interior of the Limelight Green Superbird, Lot #1370.1.
It comes equipped with a Hurst pistol-grip shifter, power steering, power brakes, a center console and an 8-track tape player. It’s finished in Limelight Green with a black interior and black vinyl top, another excellent color combination.
If you are a Mopar fan, and especially if you’re a fan of the NASCAR aero wars era of half a century ago, you really can’t go wrong with either of these tremendous V-Code Plymouth Superbirds, which are documented and expertly and painstakingly restored. The 440 Six-Barrel engines produce plenty of power and both color combinations are attractive and desirable for collectors.
With these two winged warriors, your toughest decision might just be choosing which one you want to put in your garage.
For up-to-date information on these and other vehicles headed to the 2020 Scottsdale Auction, check out the Preview Docket HERE.