1970 Plymouth 440-4 Superbird

The legendary Plymouth Superbird was a highly modified, short-lived version of the Plymouth Road Runner designed to lure Richard Petty back to the Chrysler racing fold. Closely related to the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona, the Superbird was the first American car designed aerodynamically using a wind tunnel and computer analysis — resulting in the iconic sleek low nose and enormous rear wing. The wing was mounted on tall vertical struts to put it into less disturbed air; interestingly, its exact height was not a closely guarded engineering secret but was simply designed to provide clearance for the trunk lid to open freely.

NASCAR's homologation rules demanded that race cars be sold through dealerships in minimum numbers — in Plymouth's case, 1,920 Superbirds. Due to increasing emissions regulations, an insurance spike for high-performance cars, and NASCAR's effective ban on aero cars, 1970 was its only production year. Known history begins when Dalton Vandenbogarde of Red Dirt Mopars in Oklahoma acquired this Alpine White Superbird in January 2021 from a collector in Texas who had found it stashed away in a garage.

The original 426 Hemi motor was blown up, so he performed an engine swap while retaining the original numbers-matching manual transmission — the result being the current monstrous 525-horsepower built stroker V-8 equipped with Edelbrock performance headers and roller rockers. The car was otherwise very well intact, retaining its original floorboards, trunk pan, and top, with the trunk number matching the VIN on the dash and fender tag. In the fall of 2022, Gas Monkey Garage owner Richard Rawlings took ownership — documented on his YouTube Channel episode 'The Rarest Bird In The South' — before the Grand Rapids Classics Auto Museum acquired it in the fall of 2023.

Also equipped with a Dana 60 limited-slip differential, disc brakes, MSD ignition, pistol shifter, black bucket seats, and the iconic 'MEEP MEEP' horn.