![]() As the 440 was less expensive to produce, the "street" version of the 426 Hemi engine used in competition was homologated by producing the minimum number required. Only 135 models were fitted with the 426 Hemi. Superbirds had three engine options: the 426 Hemi V8 engine producing 425 bhp (431 PS 317 kW) at 5000 rpm and 490 lb⋅ft (664 N⋅m) at 4000 rpm of torque, the 440 Super Commando Six Barrel with 3X2-barrel carburetors producing 390 hp (290 kW) and the 375 hp (280 kW) 440 Super Commando with a single 4-barrel carburetor. A smaller version of the decal appears on the driver's side headlight door. "Superbird" decals were placed on the outside edges of the spoiler vertical struts featuring a picture of the Road Runner cartoon character holding a racing helmet. Due to increasing emissions regulations, combined with insurance spike for high performance cars and NASCAR's effective ban on the aero cars, 1970 was its only production year. For 1970, NASCAR raised the production requirement from 500 examples to one for every two manufacturer's dealers in the United States in the case of Plymouth, that meant having to build 1,920 Superbirds. NASCAR's homologation requirement demanded that vehicles to be raced must be available to the general public and sold through dealerships in specific minimum numbers. 426 Hemi V8 engine on a 1970 Plymouth Superbird ![]() 440 cu in (7.2 L) "Six Pack" (Super Commando Six Barrel) mid-range engine producing 390 hp (290 kW). Ground clearance was 7.2 inches (18 centimetres). For standard road going Superbirds the covers or "air extractors" were a cosmetic enhancement. On Daytonas, the scoops were actually for ventilating trapped air from the wheel wells in order to reduce under fender air pressure and lift. The rear-facing fender scoops were to hide cutouts. ![]() The actual height was set to clear the roofline so it was in clean air. In the 1990s, a retired Chrysler project engineer incorrectly claimed publicly that the height was determined in much simpler fashion: he claimed it was designed to provide clearance for the trunk lid to open freely. For nearly 30 years the mathematic formula used to determine the exact height of the enormous wing was thought to be a highly guarded Chrysler secret. The rear wing was mounted on tall vertical struts that put it into less disturbed air thus increasing the efficiency of the downdraft that it placed upon the car's rear axle. The Superbird's smoothed-out body and nosecone were further refined from that of the Daytona, and the street version's retractable headlights (made of fiberglass ) added nineteen inches to the Road Runner's original length. The Charger 500 version that began the 1969 season was the first American car to be designed aerodynamically using a wind tunnel and computer analysis, and later was modified into the Daytona version with nose and tail. History 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird (rear) Superbird with the pop-up headlights on Road Runner decal on the wing of the Superbirdĭeveloped specifically for NASCAR racing, the Superbird, a modified Road Runner, was Plymouth's follow-on design to the Charger Daytona fielded by sister company Dodge in the previous season. Superbirds equipped with the top-of-the-line 426 cu in (7.0 L) Hemi engine with a pair of four barrel Carter AFB carburetors (2x4bbl) producing 425 hp (317 kW) could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 5.5 seconds. ![]() Both of the Mopar aero cars famously featured a protruding, aerodynamic nosecone, a high-mounted rear wing and, unique to the Superbird, a horn mimicking the Road Runner's signature " beep, beep." It has also been speculated that a motivating factor in the production of the car was to lure Richard Petty back to Plymouth. The car's primary rivals were the Ford Torino Talladega and Mercury Cyclone, a direct response to the Mopar aero car. It was the factory's follow-up stock car racing design, for the 1970 season, to the Dodge Charger Daytona of 1969, and incorporated many engineering changes and modifications (both minor and major) garnered from the Daytona's season in competition. The Plymouth Superbird is a highly modified, short-lived version of the Plymouth Road Runner with applied graphic images as well as a distinctive horn sound both referencing the popular Looney Tunes cartoon character the Road Runner. ![]()
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