Together with the Dodge Daytona, the 1970 Plymouth Superbird is muscle car royalty. Each one is extremely valuable, has an interesting history, and can cause a lot of controversies. So when a Lime Green Superbird with a numbers-matching V8 and a replacement trans comes up for sale, it’s usually a great story.
The Road Runner-based Superbird is more common than the Dodge Charger-based Daytona, with 1,920 units being made. Even so, the consensus is that this 1970 Plymouth Superbird is cool, since bidding has already reached $155,000 with a few days to go on Bring A Trailer.
The main attraction has to be the engine, since it’s a numbers-matching 440 cubic-inch V8 running triple-two-barrel carburetors. Dodge would call this a Six Pack, while Plymouth’s parts catalog says this is a “Six Barrel”.
Regardless, they only made 665 units of the Six Barrel, so this is right in between the normal 440 and the ultra-desirable 426 HEMI. The factory output rating would have been 390 horsepower and 490 pound-feet of torque, so it’s got more than enough pulling power.
The Superbird is offered with a clean Florida title and has plenty of features, like the satin-black graphics, power steering, power-assisted brakes with front discs, 15-inch Rallye wheels with Goodyear Polyglas GT G60/15 tires, and a push-button AM radio. And, of course, she’s got a vinyl top because Plymouth was making more cars than Dodge and didn’t want to smooth everything out.
The interior is way more interesting than the auction gives it credit. The Richard Petty signature really needs to be mentioned, as does the Road Runner horn button, embroidered floor mats, and locking glove box.
Unfortunately, there are some drawbacks too, as this Superbird might not appeal to people who want a time capsule. The clock shows 78k miles, and she’s also been repainted in Lime Green. The biggest issue is maybe the replacement TorqueFlite 3-speed automatic. But the ‘Bird looks super-clean and well put together, down to the underside.
If you’ve always wanted to live the winged car dream, this is a great place to start. Just make sure not to challenge the 200 mph claims, since the brakes on this are laughable by modern standards, with drums at the back and tiny discs up front.
