Plymouth Road Runner 1970 Superbird 426

Plymouth built the Superbird for one purpose: winning Richard Petty back from Ford, and NASCAR’s homologation rules forced them to build 1,920 street versions just to make the racecar legal. Only 135 of those got the top-tier 426 Hemi, conservatively rated at 425 horsepower but actually closer to 550 in reality. Owner Mike Fitzgerald bought his in 1972 and still gets emotional describing the moment he saw it returned to factory-original condition. Here’s the story behind the wing, the nosecone, and the engine underneath it.

The car’s Owner is Mike Fitzgerald. Mike purchased this car in 1972, and now gets emotional remembering his reaction when he saw the car for the first time after its restoration back to its original glory.

Richard Petty had left Plymouth for Ford, and getting him back cost the company more than money. Plymouth built an entire street car around the goal of winning him over, a homologation special so extreme that NASCAR would only allow it on the track if Plymouth built enough copies for the public to buy. That number came out to 1,920 cars for the 1970 model year, and only 135 of those left the factory with the top-tier 426 Hemi under that towering nosecone. This particular Superbird belongs to Mike Fitzgerald, who bought it back in 1972 and still gets emotional describing the moment he saw it returned to its original glory after restoration. What does it take to bring a car like that back to exactly the way it left the factory?

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Built to Win Back Richard Petty

The Superbird was Plymouth’s answer to the Dodge Charger Daytona, built to dominate NASCAR’s high-speed superspeedways and, more specifically, to lure Richard Petty back from Ford. NASCAR’s homologation rules required Plymouth to build enough street versions for public sale before the car could compete, which forced production to 1,920 units, all built during 1970. Rising insurance costs, tightening emissions rules, and NASCAR’s own rule changes against the aero cars meant 1970 would be the Superbird’s only model year.

The Hemi Under the Nosecone

Only 135 of those 1,920 cars were fitted with the 426 Hemi, backed by twin four-barrel Carter carburetors and conservatively rated at 425 horsepower at 4,500 rpm, though its true output peaked closer to 550 horsepower at 5,800 rpm, good for a 0-60 run of about 5.5 seconds. Mike Fitzgerald’s car, purchased in 1972, is one of that rare 135-car group, which helps explain why seeing it returned to factory-original condition hit him as hard as it did.

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