Photo: malcomautos/eBay
The Plymouth Superbird is not quite as rare as the Dodge Charger Daytona, but it's a hard-to-find and expensive collectible nowadays. Finding a well-maintained example for sale is a big deal, right? Well, imagine finding a pack of three Superbirds. All in great condition.
As shocking as it may sound, it's not a figment of my imagination. Malcom Autos of Peebles, Ohio, is selling a trio of 1970 Plymouth Superbirds as we speak. They're being auctioned off on eBay with the opening bid set at $715,000.
Before we move on to discuss each "winged warrior," I need to tell you a bit about Malcom Autos. Because this is not your regular dealership. Established by Bob Malcom in 1968, this shop actually sold Superbirds when they first came out in 1969. And it's safe to assume that these Plymouths might come from the Mopar collection he amassed over the years.
There's not a lot of info on these muscle cars, but the ad describes them as "A- to B+ cars" and claims that all come with build sheets. Based on the only four photos provided by the seller, the Superbirds seem to be in excellent condition as far as bodywork goes. Sadly, there are no pictures of the interiors or the engines motivating these classics.
The trio includes a red, a white, and a metallic blue Superbird. The white one packs a 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) V8 under the hood. The mill is not the one that the car came with from the factory, but it's a dated block, which is the next best thing to a numbers-matching unit. It also features a bench seat and an automatic gearbox.
Moving over to the red example, it's pretty much identical to the white one, also featuring a 440 V8 with a dated block, an automatic transmission, and a bench seat. The ad goes on to add that it also comes with "plenty of docs," but there's no info beyond that.
Finally, there's a blue Superbird fitted with a six-barrel version of the 440 V8. This means it's the most powerful of the three because the six-barrel came with 390 horsepower on tap, while the four-barrel carb versions were rated at 375 horses.
But there's even more good news because this Superbird is also a matching-numbers car. It also sports a console shifter for the auto gearbox, which makes it even more desirable. It's also the rarest of the bunch, as Plymouth built only 716 cars (out of an estimated 1,920) with the 440 six-barrel.
So with none of these cars being a HEMI, is the $715,000 price tag worth it? Well, Superbirds with numbers-matching six-barrel V8s tend to change hands for $250,000 to $300,000 in Concours condition. The regular 440 cars aren't as expensive, but they usually fetch $200,000 when still equipped with their original mills.
With two cars sporting dated blocks and none of the three in Concours condition (according to the ad), $715,000 might be a bit too much. But it doesn't really matter because this auction is not what it seems.
Given the limited amount of pictures and the lack of info on the Superbirds (which is unusual for valuable classics), the ad is most likely supposed to lure enthusiasts to Ohio to see the cars in person. Whatever the case, it's quite rare to see three Superbirds pop up for sale in one place.
Before we move on to discuss each "winged warrior," I need to tell you a bit about Malcom Autos. Because this is not your regular dealership. Established by Bob Malcom in 1968, this shop actually sold Superbirds when they first came out in 1969. And it's safe to assume that these Plymouths might come from the Mopar collection he amassed over the years.
There's not a lot of info on these muscle cars, but the ad describes them as "A- to B+ cars" and claims that all come with build sheets. Based on the only four photos provided by the seller, the Superbirds seem to be in excellent condition as far as bodywork goes. Sadly, there are no pictures of the interiors or the engines motivating these classics.
The trio includes a red, a white, and a metallic blue Superbird. The white one packs a 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) V8 under the hood. The mill is not the one that the car came with from the factory, but it's a dated block, which is the next best thing to a numbers-matching unit. It also features a bench seat and an automatic gearbox.
Moving over to the red example, it's pretty much identical to the white one, also featuring a 440 V8 with a dated block, an automatic transmission, and a bench seat. The ad goes on to add that it also comes with "plenty of docs," but there's no info beyond that.
Finally, there's a blue Superbird fitted with a six-barrel version of the 440 V8. This means it's the most powerful of the three because the six-barrel came with 390 horsepower on tap, while the four-barrel carb versions were rated at 375 horses.
But there's even more good news because this Superbird is also a matching-numbers car. It also sports a console shifter for the auto gearbox, which makes it even more desirable. It's also the rarest of the bunch, as Plymouth built only 716 cars (out of an estimated 1,920) with the 440 six-barrel.
So with none of these cars being a HEMI, is the $715,000 price tag worth it? Well, Superbirds with numbers-matching six-barrel V8s tend to change hands for $250,000 to $300,000 in Concours condition. The regular 440 cars aren't as expensive, but they usually fetch $200,000 when still equipped with their original mills.
With two cars sporting dated blocks and none of the three in Concours condition (according to the ad), $715,000 might be a bit too much. But it doesn't really matter because this auction is not what it seems.
Given the limited amount of pictures and the lack of info on the Superbirds (which is unusual for valuable classics), the ad is most likely supposed to lure enthusiasts to Ohio to see the cars in person. Whatever the case, it's quite rare to see three Superbirds pop up for sale in one place.
Google News