The short-lived Plymouth Superbird was a highly modified edition of the company's Road Runner model. Developed by Plymouth specifically for NASCAR racing, this car was considered distinctive by some folks and downright ugly by many others, mostly because of the staggeringly tall rear spoiler and the fact that this car was about 18 feet in length.

In 1970, Plymouth took their Road Runner car, gave it several aerodynamic treatments and created the Plymouth Superbird. The Superbird might have been a little slow at top speeds compared to its rivals, but the horn sounded like the Warner Brother's Road Runner cartoon character and the car featured Road Runner graphics, both of which definitely gave the car a fun vibe.

This car was designed to replicate the racing success of the Dodge Daytona, so the engineers adopted many of the factors that made the Daytona so successful on the racetrack. The Superbird's main competitor on the track that year was the Ford Torino Talledega.

Plymouth specifically created the Superbird to be used in car races, but NASCAR required that the car makers also make a specific number of racecar models available to the public. So, Plymouth produced 1,920 Superbirds for their dealers to sell to the general public.

The increased emissions regulations put forth by the government combined with higher insurance rates for high-performance cars meant that Plymouth only manufactured the Road Runner Superbird that one year.

Engines

The Plymouth Superbirds were offered with three different engine options. Only 135 models came with a 426 Hemi V8, likely because it was more expensive to produce than the other options, so Plymouth only made enough to meet the minimum requirement. The Superbird also came with a 440 Super Commando 4-barrel engine and a 440 Super Commando 6-barrel engine.

Features

The street version of the Superbird featured a smoothed-out body, a refined nosecone and retractable headlights constructed from fiberglass. The cars also featured decals of the Road Runner cartoon character holding a racing helmet. The public either loved or hated the looks of this car.

The Superbird came with an optional Air Grabber hood that could be lowered and raised with a remote control. The stock speed was 180 miles-per-hour and came with a standard three-speed transmission, although a four-speed transmission was available as an option.

Although many car enthusiasts feel that the Plymouth Road Runner Superbird's looks have not really improved over the years, these cars are now highly collectible vehicles. The average cost of these cars runs about $150,000 today.