Introduced in 1969, the Dodge Charger Daytona took the muscle car market by storm with its radical design. One year later, Plymouth launched the Road Runner Superbird, also fitted with a sharp nose cone and a massive wing atop the trunk lid.
Both features were necessary on NASCAR tracks. However, they looked a bit ridiculous on the road-legal homologation cars. And while some Mopar enthusiasts embraced the "winged warriors" as wild works of art, others stuck to driving the more common-looking Chargers and Road Runners. To the point where many Plymouth Superbirds sat on dealer lots until as late as 1972, two years after production ended.
I'm a big fan of the nose cone and the big wing, but I also think that the Daytona and Superbird make up a pair of ridiculous-looking machines. I guess I just like it when automakers go a bit extreme. But you know what's even more ridiculous than a Plymouth Superbird? A drop-top version of the same car. Because, let's face it, a massive wing on a convertible is a big no-no as far as design goes.
Wait, what? Did Plymouth make a cabriolet variant of the Superbird? Of course it didn't because it wouldn't make sense aerodynamically. But that didn't stop car enthusiasts from making their own. And there are quite a few of them out there. I'm not going to list every single Superbird drop-top I've seen in recent years, but I already told you about a cool Plum Crazy example with a Coyote V8 engine under the hood. It was spotted at a local car show in 2022.
Come 2023, and yet another one of these (let's call them) exotic muscle cars surfaced. This time around, as part of a car auction event. This one retains an authentic Chrysler engine under the hood, and it looks like it just left the Plymouth factory. But it didn't. This drop-top came out of a private shop because it's based on a 1970 Satellite.
Yup, it's not a poorly made mock-up. The Janak Repros nose cone, rear wing, and fender scoops have been integrated perfectly, while a power-operated soft top protects against the elements. It also rides on Superbird-specific Rally wheels and comes with a "beep beep" horn. The large "Plymouth" decals on the rear fenders and the road runner cartoons on the wing posts and left-side headlamp round off the package.
However, a quick look under the hood will immediately give away this Superbird as a replica. Mainly because it packs a 318-cubic-inch (5.2-liter) V8. While common on just about every Mopar in 1970, the 318 wasn't offered in the Superbird. The homologation special was restricted to Chrysler's big-block mills. Specifically, options included the 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) RB rated at 375 horsepower, the 440 "Six-Barrel" good for 390 horses, and the 425-horsepower 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) HEMI.
As much as I'd like to see a bigger V8 under the hood, this drop-top is still a fantastic build. I wouldn't take it over an original coupe, but I'd definitely ride in it just to see people's reaction to a high-wing convertible. How much do you think this car will go for at the Kissimmee Summer Special 2023? Let me know in the comments.
I'm a big fan of the nose cone and the big wing, but I also think that the Daytona and Superbird make up a pair of ridiculous-looking machines. I guess I just like it when automakers go a bit extreme. But you know what's even more ridiculous than a Plymouth Superbird? A drop-top version of the same car. Because, let's face it, a massive wing on a convertible is a big no-no as far as design goes.
Wait, what? Did Plymouth make a cabriolet variant of the Superbird? Of course it didn't because it wouldn't make sense aerodynamically. But that didn't stop car enthusiasts from making their own. And there are quite a few of them out there. I'm not going to list every single Superbird drop-top I've seen in recent years, but I already told you about a cool Plum Crazy example with a Coyote V8 engine under the hood. It was spotted at a local car show in 2022.
Come 2023, and yet another one of these (let's call them) exotic muscle cars surfaced. This time around, as part of a car auction event. This one retains an authentic Chrysler engine under the hood, and it looks like it just left the Plymouth factory. But it didn't. This drop-top came out of a private shop because it's based on a 1970 Satellite.
Yup, it's not a poorly made mock-up. The Janak Repros nose cone, rear wing, and fender scoops have been integrated perfectly, while a power-operated soft top protects against the elements. It also rides on Superbird-specific Rally wheels and comes with a "beep beep" horn. The large "Plymouth" decals on the rear fenders and the road runner cartoons on the wing posts and left-side headlamp round off the package.
However, a quick look under the hood will immediately give away this Superbird as a replica. Mainly because it packs a 318-cubic-inch (5.2-liter) V8. While common on just about every Mopar in 1970, the 318 wasn't offered in the Superbird. The homologation special was restricted to Chrysler's big-block mills. Specifically, options included the 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) RB rated at 375 horsepower, the 440 "Six-Barrel" good for 390 horses, and the 425-horsepower 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) HEMI.
As much as I'd like to see a bigger V8 under the hood, this drop-top is still a fantastic build. I wouldn't take it over an original coupe, but I'd definitely ride in it just to see people's reaction to a high-wing convertible. How much do you think this car will go for at the Kissimmee Summer Special 2023? Let me know in the comments.