Photo: Barrett-Jackson
I don’t know about you, but to me, it feels the glory years of homologation specials came and went decades ago, in the 1960s and 1970s. I mean, it’s almost impossible to find in today’s roster of modern cars vehicles as extreme as the Chevys and Fords of that era, made to facilitate the manufacturers' entry in NASCAR.
Case in point is the Plymouth Road Runner Superbird we have here. We stumbled upon it on the list of cars auction house Barrett-Jackson is planning to sell at the end of this month in Las Vegas, and to some of us here at autoevolution, it’s the coolest ride on offer there.
Built in response to the arrival of the Dodge Charger Daytona and its successes (this one was the first NASCAR machine to go past the 200 mph/322 kph threshold, among many other achievements), the Plymouth Superbird follows the extreme design rules of the NASCAR legend, with an extended nose up front and a purely massive wing at the rear.
Plymouth built back in 1969 a little over 1,900 of these beasts (much more than the 500 or so Daytonas made), as production requirements for NASCAR entries increased to 1,000 cars in the late 1960s. The one we have is number 1,723, but special in more ways than one.
This particular Superbird is one of 135 to have been made with the 426 HEMI under the hood. Moreover, it’s one of just 77 to pair that with the A727 TorqueFlite automatic transmission.
Despite having been restored and refinished, the car is as original as they get and retains pretty much everything, from the native engine to the Tor-Red factory paint color and black interior.
As per Barrett-Jackson, the car “features all unique supporting appearance, mechanical, and suspension components standard with a HEMI-car production order, including power steering and power front disc brakes, with 15-inch Rallye wheels and Goodyear Polyglas raised white-letter tires.”
The Superbird is offered with no reserve and accompanied by the Chrysler Production Broadcast Sheet, a formal report that certifies the rare car’s authenticity, and the listing in the MMC Detroit Global vehicle Registry.
With all that in mind, we expect this one to make quite a splash during the sale, and be sure we’ll come back to it and tell you all about it.
Built in response to the arrival of the Dodge Charger Daytona and its successes (this one was the first NASCAR machine to go past the 200 mph/322 kph threshold, among many other achievements), the Plymouth Superbird follows the extreme design rules of the NASCAR legend, with an extended nose up front and a purely massive wing at the rear.
Plymouth built back in 1969 a little over 1,900 of these beasts (much more than the 500 or so Daytonas made), as production requirements for NASCAR entries increased to 1,000 cars in the late 1960s. The one we have is number 1,723, but special in more ways than one.
This particular Superbird is one of 135 to have been made with the 426 HEMI under the hood. Moreover, it’s one of just 77 to pair that with the A727 TorqueFlite automatic transmission.
Despite having been restored and refinished, the car is as original as they get and retains pretty much everything, from the native engine to the Tor-Red factory paint color and black interior.
As per Barrett-Jackson, the car “features all unique supporting appearance, mechanical, and suspension components standard with a HEMI-car production order, including power steering and power front disc brakes, with 15-inch Rallye wheels and Goodyear Polyglas raised white-letter tires.”
The Superbird is offered with no reserve and accompanied by the Chrysler Production Broadcast Sheet, a formal report that certifies the rare car’s authenticity, and the listing in the MMC Detroit Global vehicle Registry.
With all that in mind, we expect this one to make quite a splash during the sale, and be sure we’ll come back to it and tell you all about it.
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