Photo: Mecum Auctions
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.
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