Use this resource to examine the 1970 Plymouth Superbird from nose cone to rear wing, review the factory options, and relive its glory days with Richard Petty and Pete Hamilton behind the wheel.

 

"Petty signs with Ford!" Those four words tore through the racing world like a hot knife through butter while loyalists threw their hands up in disbelief. King Richard's defection was in part because Plymouth hadn't built a Dodge Daytona counterpart for the NASCAR circuit, in addition to the fact that Petty Enterprises wanted to be the sole racing parts distributor for Plymouth at the time. Plymouth weathered the backlash publicly while privately scurrying to create a car to lure Richard back to Plymouth. That car? The 1970 Plymouth Superbird.

 

Production models languished on salesroom floors due in part to NASCAR having increased the homologation requirement from 500 units to 2,000. These cars were highly specialized, seen as being in excess in proportion to the hottest street cars of the period. Fast-forward to today, Superbirds are highly collectible and are a star attraction at car shows and auctions, pulling top dollar and generating real excitement. What a difference a few decades makes!

 

Each volume in the In Detail series provides an introduction and historical overview, an explanation of the design and concepts involved in creating the car, a look at marketing and promotion, an in-depth study of all hardware and available options, and an examination of where the care is on the market today. Also included are paint and option codes, VIN and build-tag decoders, as well as production numbers.

 

 

 

- Chapter 1: The Evolution to Aero 

- Chapter 2: Building Bigger ’Birds 

- Chapter 3: Marketing and Competition: How the ’Birds Flew 

- Chapter 4: Hardware and Factory Options: What Made the ’Birds Super 

- Chapter 5: A ’Bird in Hand: Buying, Collecting, and Restoring Superbirds

 

- Appendix I: Superbird by the Numbers 

- Appendix II: Replacement Parts List