[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by The Boss

I don't know Keith, the superbird wing seems more functional.

LOL. Mother/daughter?

K

[1968firebird455]

Originally Posted by The Boss

I don't know Keith, the superbird wing seems more functional.

I'd be afraid I'd break it!....

[ta6point6]

I remember hearing the stories of these winged cars sitting in dealership lots forever because people didnt give them a second look and now they are six figure cars at auctions. If I only had a time machine

[njsteve]

The wing was made of cast metal and had stamped steel braces that went through the trunk and bolted to the trunk floor.

[1968firebird455]

Originally Posted by njsteve

The wing was made of cast metal and had stamped steel braces that went through the trunk and bolted to the trunk floor.

If only Chrysler put that much effort into the quality of the rest of the car.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by 1968firebird455

I'd be afraid I'd break it!....

They are tougher than they look.

Able to go through childbirth; put up with car enthusiast husbands, do long term househould financial planning, etc.


k

[Diego]

Originally Posted by 400 4spd.

If (you can remember) it had a vinyl top it was a Bird. The Daytona did not come with vinyl.

There are several (two?) Daytonas known with dealer-installed vinyl tops.

[400 4spd.]

Yes, dealers installed all kinds of things to make a sale, or if the customer wanted to pay extra for them. Sun roofs, pin stripes, mud flaps, etc.

[1968firebird455]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

They are tougher than they look.

Able to go through childbirth; put up with car enthusiast husbands, do long term househould financial planning, etc.


k

Seem like a good investment! I should get one, or two for the back of my Firebird

[Diego]

Originally Posted by 400 4spd.

Yes, dealers installed all kinds of things to make a sale, or if the customer wanted to pay extra for them. Sun roofs, pin stripes, mud flaps, etc.

Installing a vinyl top on a Daytona is a completely different breed, especially considering they were not built to have vinyl tops from the factory.

[MikeNoun]

The only reason the Plymouth Superbird was built was because of Richard Petty.

In 1967, Richard Petty dominated NASCAR in his Plymouth. Ford responded in 1968 with the new slippery Ford Torino and Mercury Cyclone GT fastback models. While Petty still managed to win 16 races in 1968, he was getting clobbered on the superspeedways. He asked Chrysler for an aerodynamic Plymouth Road Runner, and Chrysler responded with a Dodge Charger 500. But Petty was loyal to Plymouth, and heading into the 1969 season, he would be facing slippery Fords, and now aerodynamic Dodge Chargers.

He did the unthinkable. Petty left Plymouth and drove a Ford in 1969. The Chrysler big wigs were furious that the biggest star of NASCAR, the face of the sport, and the poster child for Plymouth products, would drive for a competitor.

The winged 1969 Dodge Daytonas did well in 1969 with talented drivers like Bobby Isaac and Bobby Allison. But the championship still went to David Pearson and his 1969 Ford (Petty still managed 10 wins in his Ford). It was a serious black eye for Chrysler as their cartoonish-like Dodge Daytonas were getting upstaged by somewhat conventional looking Ford fastbacks. Chrysler told their Plymouth division to do whatever it takes to get Petty back. They built the Superbird, and Petty returned to Plymouth in 1970.

Fearing 200+ mph speeds would be common, and tire technology had not yet advanced to keep up with those speeds (plus the added downforce of the winged cars), NASCAR changed the rules for 1971, effectively making the wing cars uncompetitive.

[salem1912]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

They are tougher than they look.

Able to go through childbirth; put up with car enthusiast husbands, do long term househould financial planning, etc.


k

LOL

[Alvin]

These two will be FS here next week April 9 - 11, 2015

- 1969 Dodge Hemi Daytona/4-Speed

- 1970 Plymouth Hemi Superbird/4-Speed

[400 4spd.]

Quotes taken from the links above -

The Daytona employed the same flush rear fastback window as the 500 to smooth airflow over the rear of the car, and the high rear wing and deep uprights added rear downforce and directional stability to achieve a theretofore unheard-of drag coefficient of just .28.


"Daytona’s aerodynamic efficiency into the Belvedere-based Road Runner was not as simple as believed, a fact that was borne out when initial wind-tunnel tests showed that using Road Runner front fenders actually increased drag. The rear window and roof design were also problematic; a new fastback design would have been cost prohibitive, requiring all new rear sheet metal, a new roof trailing edge profile and new glass.


1970 Plymouth Hemi Superbird
...............The front fender problem was solved by grafting Dodge Coronet units onto the front end. The solution to the rear window profile was somewhat less elegant: a sheet metal window surround “plug” was welded on to smooth the transition from the roof to the rear deck; one-step Plastisol filler was used to finish the welded seam, and money was saved by covering the entire affair with Black vinyl..........."

[Greg Reid]

This one came up for auction at an auction here in Atlanta last month. It was bidded up to $150K...but no sale. Reserve not met. Very nice looking car with a lot of provenance. Personally, I think they're ugly AND cool!
http://vicariauction.com/auction/lis...superbird-440/

[Alvin]

Several "Winged Warriors" on the track on the Mike Noun 1970 - 78 NASCAR Muscle Car Films video compilation
(check out the Pontiac's too )
http://youtu.be/67iEwLgaHxM

[Alvin]

Originally Posted by Greg Reid

This one came up for auction at an auction here in Atlanta last month. It was bidded up to $150K...but no sale. Reserve not met. Very nice looking car with a lot of provenance. Personally, I think they're ugly AND cool!
http://vicariauction.com/auction/lis...superbird-440/

Another ICONIC "Blew By You!" "Wing Thing" below.

Originally Posted by Alvin

Several "Winged Warriors" on the track on the Mike Noun 1970 - 78 NASCAR Muscle Car Films video compilation
(check out the Pontiac's too )
http://youtu.be/67iEwLgaHxM

[6TEE8GTO]

Originally Posted by Alvin

These two will be FS here next week April 9 - 11, 2015

- 1969 Dodge Hemi Daytona/4-Speed

- 1970 Plymouth Hemi Superbird/4-Speed

One of Tim's Mopars is under the tarp next to my Judge, and they (Wellborn Museum) recently sold "The last Hemi" Charger and it's being restored at the same place... Tim and Andrew are good friends...

[Big Mike]

Originally Posted by Alvin

These two will be FS here next week April 9 - 11, 2015

- 1969 Dodge Hemi Daytona/4-Speed

- 1970 Plymouth Hemi Superbird/4-Speed

Man that blue Plymouth superbird is a knockout!

[Jerry H.]

Just found this thread and I'll add my experience with the Superbird. In 1970 I was 17 and working part time as a 'gopher' for a very small town Plymouth-GMC dealership. He had maybe 6 or 7 new Plymouths and 5 or 6 new GMCs in stock at one time. I came to work one afternoon after school and this pointy nose, orange, Road Runner looking car with a big wing on the trunk lid sitting in the front ready to be dealer prepped. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a 440 4bbl car with an automatic on the column and a bench seat. Rally style wheels and white letter tires.

I took the car in the detail bay and pulled all the plastic coverings, etc., washed it and checked it out to get it ready for sale. As in all of the Chrysler products in those days, the paint was very iffy. About 1 in 3 cars had to have some paint work done, 1 in 5 required a complete repaint. Evidently Chrysler paid for it under warranty. When I was finished with it pulled it out and parked it with 3 other cars in a special covered display area and forgot about it.

After a few months of anguishing there the owner called me and told me to move it to the regular front line with the other new and front line used cars, hoping that by moving it someone might notice it and it might generate some interest. The office was only about 25 feet from the street with no curb. And if you have ever driven one of these cars the biggest problem is the nose. It's hard to gauge the distance in front. You can probably see where this is going. As I was maneuvering this 'Bird around I bumped the nose on the concrete building. The owner comes out ranting and raving about how he can't sell the car and now I've wrecked it and he surely won't be able to sell it now. I was scared to death.

When he cooled off he realized it was just a scratch and no problem to touch up. But that car sat around for another 5 or 6 months! I still remember the family that bought it and the lady that drove it to work at the local zipper plant every day.