1970 Road Runner Superbird
In 1970, Plymouth lured Richard Petty back to racing for Plymouth in NASCAR races by building the 1970 Road Runner Superbird. In the Disney Movie "Cars", Richard Petty plays "The King", a Road Runner Super Bird. The Superbird was based upon the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona because when Richard Petty saw it, he wanted something similar. Both Dodge and Plymouth produced just enough of these cars to qualify to race them in stock car racing. It has been estimated a production Superbird could achieve speeds greater than 150 MPH. The race car version could achieve speeds of over 250 MPH.
It was originally rumored that in 1971 NASCAR outlawed both the Road Runner Superbird and Dodge Charger Daytona from racing because they were labeled specialty cars and would be limited to a 305 cubic inch engine. It appears the truth was NASCAR changed the rules about engine sizes that could be used, to keep speeds down, resulting in Plymouth dropping the Superbird since it would not be as competitive with such a small engine. Additionally since tires were not as well designed as today, many terrible crashes were seen in 1970.
In my opinion, the 1970 Road Runner Superbird is the coolest Muscle car ever built.
Quick Facts about the 1970 Road Runner Superbird
also known as the "Winged Warrior" or the "Aero Warrior"
1970 Plymouth Road Runner SuperbirdProduction Count: 1920, one for each dealership as required by NASCAR.
Top Speed: Production models can achieve greater than 150 MPH.
Top Speed: Race car versions could achieve speeds over 250 MPH.
Length: 226.5 inches, yes, over 18 feet long.
Wheelbase: 117 inches.
List Price: $4,298 (1970).
Current Price: More than $100,000 if in very good condition.
Engines:426 Hemi (475 bhp), 440 Super Commando, 440 Six Barrel
Won 38 of 48 grand national races. Tire failures kept this number at this level.
Drag Coefficient .28(better than most cars)
Reverse hood scoops were needed to support the racing tires is a myth. The scoops reduced drag by venting air from the wheel wells.
First Stock Car to average a 200 MPH lap.
Racing versions could exceed over 250 MPH.
Won 8 races in 1971 and placed very high in the others.
Was recognized as the fastest stock car in the world.
American Muscle Car
Mopar's winged wonders
Muscle Car History from HowStuffWorks.com
- History of Muscle Cars
- The How Stuff Works site has a information on the history of the muscle car era.
- Muscle Car Inventory
- How Stuff Works also has a lot of information on many of the muscle cars produced, available from the link above.
Coolest Muscle Car Plexo
Which model of Muscle Car is your favorite?
1971 Dodge Challenger Convertible
Purrrrs like a barely restrained lion.1 point
Dodge Charger Pictures and Parts
Cool pics and info on the baddest of all muscle ca more...1 point
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1160421024708856181&ei=cc5-Ssq7MM3ylQfrrcncBw&q=1967 pontiac gto&hl=en
1967 Pontiac GTO description video.
This car has the more...0 points
Superbirds Photos Published on Flickr
I've always liked the Road Runner and having the Road Runner holding a racing helmet as your logo, very nice. The Superbird is one of the first cars that were designed by engineers who used wind tunnels to identify the most aerodynamic designs.
Superbird Christmas Ornament
Actually in honor of Richard Petty.
Who could believe you can even hang a Superbird on your Christmas tree. Nice! Superbird Art with Legos
I love building stuff, especially with Legos. The picture is of my three different Road Runner Superbird Lego designs. Road Runner Superbird Resources
- Wikipedia
- Wekipedia has a nice section on this car and its history.
- Aero Warriors
- The Aero Warriors site primarily concerns itself with two of the most unusual automobiles ever produced and sold by United States auto makers, the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona and the 1970 Plymouth Road Runner SuperBird.
Check their videos section for movies from past races. - All MOPAR
- The Plymouth Superbird and Dodge Charger Daytona stories.
Superbirds on the Track
It is pretty cool to see how many people were racing Superbirds.
The lead character in the movie Cars races against "The King" a Road Runner Superbird.
Richard Petty obtained his nickname of "King Richard" in 1967 for his outstanding performance that year.
The Coolest Muscle Car I Have Owned So Far
1969 Camaro
I had the pleasure of owning a 1969 Camaro for 10 years. It was the car I was suppose to have in High School, but I did not get it until six years after graduation. The 1969 Camaro is the coolest Camaro with a meaner looking body style than a '67, '68, '70 and so on. Muscle Car Shows
- Muscle Car Television
- Produces Muscle Car, Horse Power, Power Block and a few other shows. Check their web site for availability in your areas as well as show information.
The August 24th Muscle Car episode mentioned the Year One Goldberg Superbird Project, which is attempting to build an 800 HP Superbird to reach 200MPH then send it to auciton.
Where to Find Your Superbird or Favorite Muscle Car
Specific Sites Exist to Help Locate Rare Vehicles
- LemonFree.com
- The "new way" to shop and research autos online. Take a quick look at the prices across the country for the muscle car you are looking for or if you are selling one, list it for free. The Road Runner Superbird prices on this site seem much more reasonable than those I see show up on ebay auctions. Even better, sign up for an alert if the vehicle you are looking for suddenly becomes available. A very nice feature.
- Ebay Motors
- Be sure to keep an eye out for Superbirds showing up on eBay motors.
- Muscle Car Finders .Com
- MuscleCarFinders.com is a nationwide muscle car company that works hard to put American muscle cars back on the road. Cars don't belong in museums, they were meant to be driven. So we find them, fix them, and sell them to a good home.
- Investment Motor Cars
- Investment Motor Cars was created to bring the highest quality of collector cars to the general public. We are always buying cool cars for cash!
1969 Dodge Charger Daytona
See how similar it is to a Superbird?
The Road Runner Superbird is actually more aerodynamic than a Charger Daytona, this is because Plymouth made the nose longer, adding an additional nineteen inches of length.
More Superbird Racing
Richard Petty's famous #43 Superbird shown in this video.
Other Notable Muscle Cars
There were many great muscle cars produced in the late 60's and early 70's. Below are just a few of the models I liked.
New Millenium Muscle Photos
Ford has seen high sales of its new Mustang and now the new Challenger and Charger are available once again. The new Camaro may be a little late, but as seen in the Transformers movie, should be out next year.
Best U.S. Muscle Car Manufacturer?
Suberbird Products on eBay
Variety of Superbird products on Amazon
Great Car Movies on Amazon
Check out Great Car Movies
Muscle Car Books
Other Great Car Lenses
Please Provide Reader Feedback
Drop off a note of which muscle car is your favorite.
-
Reply
-
grnidlady
Dec 14, 2011 @ 11:05 pm | delete
- great lens. once knew someone who owned two of these!
-
-
Reply
-
JoshK47
Oct 23, 2011 @ 2:05 pm | delete
- Now that's what I call a car.
-
-
Reply
-
OOPSY
Oct 11, 2011 @ 12:35 pm | delete
- I've never heard of this car, ever. I'll have to see if my hubby knows about this car, probably does! My fave car is either the Chevelle or Cuda! And the Lime green is amazing on the car for your icon photo!
-
-
Reply
-
Mosoma
Sep 8, 2011 @ 5:26 pm | delete
- Cool lens. Thanks.
-
-
Reply
-
camshaw007
Sep 7, 2011 @ 9:26 pm | delete
- Loved this lens, thankyou
-
- Load More
Muscle Car T-Shirts from CafePress
Display your favorite muscle car by wearing it on a T-Shirt
"Conclusion" or "Waiting for my next Muscle car"
Since my '69 Camaro scared my kids when they were little, they thought it was too noisy, and because I could not picture myself handing over the keys to one of them, I sold my Camaro. Maybe when they are teenagers we will build a muscle car for them to use.I hope those of you who love muscle cars, have been able to get one, hopefully your favorite one. If you have time, share your favorite muscle car by building a lens. It's easy!
Visit my Lensography for a look at other lenses I have contributed to the Squidoo community.
Thanks,
--Todd
About Me
by Edmands
Todd Edmands is an Engineer with a Masters Degree in Systems Engineering & Information Assurance and an undergraduate degree in Geography. Todd is an Affiliate... more »
- 33 featured lenses
- Winner of 9 trophies!
- Top lens » Make Wind Chimes
Explore related pages
- 2013 Chevrolet Camaro 2013 Chevrolet Camaro
- Shur Trax ... Give Your Pick Up Truck Added Traction Shur Trax ... Give Your Pick Up Truck Added Traction
- Vintage, Classic, and Retro Style Cars Vintage, Classic, and Retro Style Cars
- 2012 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible 2012 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible
- HotRods And Their History HotRods And Their History
- Best Muscle Car Ever - The '69 Camaro. Best Muscle Car Ever - The '69 Camaro.
Plymouth Muscle Cars
Get one if you can
Fetching RSS feed... please stand by