Have you ever seen a car so special that you wonder why it’s not world-famous already? Well, I’d like you to meet the Plymouth Superbird with a 572 HEMI engine built by a guy named Jerry Fry. Between the scoops and velocity stacks, there’s literally nothing else like this in the world.
The Plymouth Road Runner Superbird is a member of the winged car family. And as you probably know, these things are rare and ultra-expensive when they hit the auction block. People still complain about the proportions, which are not like a normal 1970 muscle car, but doing anything about it is pretty rare.
Mister Jerry Fry went in the other direction. He made some bold changes. I think you can call this an exotic Pro-Touring look with modern aerodynamics.
Everybody knows that the long nose and tall wing on the Superbird and the Daytona were designed to help cut through the air and win Nascar races. However, the changes made to this car take it into another era of aerodynamics.
The look of Plymouth’s metal nose has been extensively modified. Two air intakes have been integrated in the middle. Meanwhile, the problematic hydraulics that plagued Hoovies‘ car are gone, since this Superbird no longer has pop-up headlights. Instead, we have sets of LED lights within the recessed hole, and they probably had to be custom-made.
That hood, that awesome-looking hood
Normally, the hood on a Superbird is supposed to be flat and normal-looking. Not this one. Jerry Fry fabricated something unfathomable, and I feel like it blends the spirit of everything from the Hellcat to the Viper and Corvette.
It boasts a massive power bulge and has a scoop that’s similarly designed to the Charger Redeye. But I feel like there’s a hint of C2 Corvette in there as well. Four circular holes also make room for the velocity stacks, which are attached to an unexpected engine.
The engine is based on the grand-daddy of the muscle car era, the 426 HEMI that would have been suited for a Superbird. However, this is an all-aluminum crate motor, the $22,000 572 HEMI Long Block, probably making more than 700 horsepower of all-motor goodness. At such a large displacement, any Mopar becomes so famous that it needs a name, and its builder seems to have chosen “Mastodon”.
Jerry waited 18 months for this badass V8 to be delivered, giving him time to work on the most minute of bodywork details. That’s why everywhere you look, this Superbird has something unique on offer. The nose has an extra chin spoiler, the rear quarters add air vents and the rear appears to have exhaust tips coming out of the trunk and bumper. Is this a Batmobile?
I’m not even sure this is the standard width of the car, and the interior is about as different from a 1970 Plymouth as it gets. The dashboard looks like it’s from a 1960 Chevy Impala and the carbon-look console integrates an iPad. Have you seen the steering wheel and shifter? Yeah, Mopar purists might be sharpening their pitchforks right now, but I think it matches the Pro-Touring identity of the car.
Oh, and for the record, this Mopar enthusiasts didn’t stop at the Superbird, so here’s Jerry Fry’s reworked classic Dodge Charger Daytona for a complete winged car update.
