1970 Plymouth Superbird Rips With a 1,300 HP Twin Turbo 572 V8
While not the real thing, this Plymouth Superbird recreation is perhaps the ultimate version of that iconic machine.
The Plymouth Superbird is an icon in the world of automobiles, a wild vehicle that, in theory, should have never been sold to the public. This was, after all, a vehicle designed to dominate NASCAR racing and set new lap records – not be driven on public roads, but alas, that’s the beauty of homologation rules. These days, original Plymouth Superbird examples are ultra-rare and ultra-expensive, but that didn’t stop the owner of this gorgeous recreation from creating perhaps the baddest restomod on the planet.
Prior to hitting the Barrett-Jackson auction block a couple of years ago, this wicked 1970 Plymouth Superbird was treated to a complete and total redo, a process that started on the outside with a heavily modified body that was partially built from scratch. That process included extending the rocker panels, modifying the front nose so there’s precious little gap, and creating a rear wing from nothing more than a sheet of aluminum.
The whole thing was then covered in custom-mixed PPG Envirobased paint and a specialty satin clear coat, while the big bird rolls on a set of staggered 18- and 20-inch Budnik wheels wrapped in Mickey Thompson tires. Inside the cabin, this Plymouth Superbird recreation has been treated to a mostly original redo, albeit with a four-point roll cage, a RetroSound audio system, air conditioning, and Dakota Digital gauges for a modern touch.
The real star of this proverbial show lies under the hood, however, where you’ll find a monstrous all-aluminum Nelson Racing Engines 572 cubic-inch V8 with twin turbochargers that’s capable of churning out as much as 1,300 horsepower on race gas, though it also has a pump gas friendly tune handy that’s still guaranteed to be more than enough on the street – and there are even two gas tanks so one can switch back and forth on command. That power flows to the wheels via a paddle shifted gearbox, while the car rides on an Art Morrison chassis to boot.
The result of the thousands of hours of labor that went into this beastly ride is perhaps the ultimate Superbird tribute – a car that can be driven on the street, rack up trophies at shows, or taken to the drag strip for some ultra-quick passes. And to us, that makes it well worth the effort – and the investment.
Photos: Barrett-Jackson
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