Younger readers may not be all that familiar with a certain Plymouth Superbird known as “The King”, but this is perhaps a good occasion to get to know Richard Petty’s own Superbird. And yes, this is the car that inspired Strip “The King” Weathers in Disney Pixar’s original Cars movie.
This is the very 1970 Superbird Petty climbed out of at the end of the 1970 NASCAR season. Petty, who has racked up 200 wins throughout his career, almost double the number of the following driver, hasn’t spent too much time in the streamlined muscle car meanwhile.
Far from having been forgotten, the Superbird has spent most of its time in museum and it can now be found in the Richard Petty Museum in North Carolina. However, this is one piece of racing history that shall be sitting no more.
This year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, which takes place between June 25th and June 27th, will see the racing driver attend together with an old friend - his Superbird. Nevertheless, the Goodwood team just couldn’t wait for the Festival to kick off, so they flew over to the museum and got the car back on the road. It's not difficult to understand them. After all, the sheer aural treats of this Plymouth are enough to please one.
This is the first time when this muscle machine gets to truly stretch its legs after 35 years and we are offered a preview in the video below, while you can head over to the Goodwood Road and Racing for a full 10-minute clip.
PS: while we're here, amazed at the Dodge Challenger Hellcat's top speed, this thing could hit 200 MPH back in 1970.
In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist. Full profile
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