YouTuber’s 1970 Plymouth Hemi Superbird Restomod Is Heading to Auction

By Brett Foote - October 17, 2022

Stunning 1970 Plymouth Hemi Superbird is one of just 135 produced, but there isn’t another one like it on earth.

As most Mopar fans are well aware, the 1970 Plymouth Hemi Superbird is a truly special machine, built with one purpose in mind – to dominate NASCAR. But in order to compete with the aerodynamic monster of a racer, the automaker also had to build some street-legal versions to satisfy homologation requirements, and it did just that – constructing a mere 2,000 examples of this special machine. However, just 135 of them were equipped with the R-Code 426 cubic-inch Hemi V8, and this one – owned by YouTube star Tyler Hoover of Hoovie’s Garage – is one of them. However, there is a big asterisk that goes along with the car, which is going up for grabs at Barrett-Jackson’s Houston auction later this month.

Hoover purchased this 1970 Plymouth Hemi Superbird on Bring a Trailer for a mere $130,000 several months ago, thinking that it was a cool, unique restomod that was in excellent condition. However, as regular watchers of his channel know, the car needed quite a bit of work to make it pleasant to drive, as the suspension was shot and that’s not even getting into the Superbird’s quirky history, which is what led to it becoming perhaps the only 1970 Superbird Hemi restomod on the planet.

This particular car spent its early days on the drag strip, but sadly, it got sideways in one race and was t-boned by another vehicle. It wound up sitting in storage for many years before someone decided to bring it back to life back in the 2000s, albeit with a few modern upgrades. Since the original 426 was long gone, that included the installation of a 528 cubic-inch Hemi, which generates over 500 horsepower and is mated to a Tremec five-speed manual transmission.

Fixing the ripped up body proved to be a difficult task, as the builder wound up sourcing a driver’s door and floor mid-section from a Road Runner, which is why this car is now listed in the Superbird registry as having been partially re-bodied. Regardless, it now looks good as new finished in its original shade of EK2 Vitamin C Orange, and features a custom coilover front suspension and Wilwood brakes, as well as various amenities like a modern stereo system and air conditioning inside the cabin.

With original Hemi Superbirds selling in the millions these days, this rare restomodded machine should provide someone with a far more affordable example that they can drive without fearing something might happen to it, which obviously makes it rather appealing. As far as how much it will ultimately sell for, well, that will be the real story here, because there’s nothing else like it on the planet.