Honest Survivor: 1970 Plymouth Superbird

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A well-preserved version of a dream car, this 1970 Plymouth Super Bird represents nothing if not opportunity for someone who has always wanted to own a winged warrior. It’s up for sale by VanderBrink Auctions, with a current bid over $150,000 and the sale lasting another two weeks. If you want in (it’s somewhat faded; it’s not cheap), and you win, you’ll have to send a big old truck to Denver, Colorado to pick the car up. Eventually, you’ll drive it to your first cruise-in, and you can tell your own version of the high-winged Super Bird/Dodge Daytona saga.

Almost as important as what you get in the car itself is the paperwork binder(s) that come with it. There you’ll find build sheets rescued from beneath the seats and paperwork that goes back decades. This in addition to the original brochures and other authenticating evidence that is part of the deal. And if all of that isn’t enough, there’s the story itself, an oral history that recounts the one-woman ownership that prevailed for much of this Super Bird’s history.

As to the mechanicals, you’ll get a 440 V8 with Six Pack carbs. This is shifted by an automatic on the floor console, perhaps a bit of a letdown, but ultimately probably productive of a gentler, better driving experience than with a rip-roaring four-speed stick. The engine has under 58,000 original miles, and while there’s no claim of its fitness for road use, the implication is there that this car has been driven over the years—enough to keep it in useable condition, but not enough to be needing mechanical overhaul. The accompanying video shows the car backing up and moving forward again, accepting a goosing of the throttle, and pleasantly reverberating, but not producing any smoke.

Since this is a used car, you’ll also get some damage to the hood, faded front fender brake scoops, and paint that doesn’t look quite true to color, though it is assumed original. This due to the keyword “survivor” which is used a couple of times in the ad. That term can be imprecisely applied, as has been seen many times, but taken strictly, it means a car that has survived intact from the factory with mostly original body and mechanical parts. You’ll often see, “Survivor with one repaint in the factory color.” To me, that’s not a survivor, but the term is not qualified in this listing, so one presumes that the exterior finish is as delivered. The enthusiasm the ad has for the car would certainly seem to be in that direction. If your fondest car hopes have you headed to this same place, then here’s your chance. How close to a quarter million bucks is this one going to draw?

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Comments

  1. Stan StanMember

    This bird will fly.
    3.23 std ring and pinion ⚙️
    3.55 and 4.10 opt. offerings from Plymouth.

    Like 6
    • George Mattar

      Nobody wanted these in 1970 or 1971. Now, they are better than the S&P 500.

      Like 4
  2. Paulcug

    If you made decent money back in 1970’ and you had foresight man you could have bought 2 or 3 brand new and park them till now. Imagine what millionaire/billionaire would pay for a brand new 70’ Superbird. Hindsight

    Like 21
    • Peter R

      Back in 2007 at the Carlisle nationals in Pennsylvania. I was talking to a man who bought a white Hemi super bird and it’s had 3000 miles on the odometer at that time he paid $100,000 for it around 2002

      Like 10
      • Paulcug

        They’re going for $500,000 and more now. A-1 condition 1.6 million.

        Like 1
    • Grant

      There! That is the trouble with this hobby. Only millionaires and billionaires can afford the interesting cars. What does that say about the hobby? The world in general?

      Like 3
  3. Sorry

    Fly fast in that

    Like 3
  4. Jay E.Member
  5. Fred W

    The thought of a woman buying this car new in 1970 boggles the mind- it just didn’t happen. Women bought six cylinder “Mary Tyler Moore” Mustang Grandes with air. A more plausible story is that this car was still languishing on the lot in late ’71, which many were, and she was willing to overlook the wing because the car had AT and was giveaway priced.

    Like 13
  6. jimjim

    With a 440 six-pack, I think this car will be well north of $200k. That is out of my league, but I’ve been lusting after this for a few weeks. I also like the yellow 383 Barracuda in this auction.

    Like 7
  7. PRA4SNW

    This car visited Barn Finds just 2 weeks ago:
    https://barnfinds.com/57k-mile-survivor-1970-plymouth-superbird-440-6-barrel/

    This entire Mopar auction will be of interest to many BF readers:
    https://vanderbrinkauction.proxibid.com/VanDerBrink-Auctions-LLC/Mopar-Muscle-Cars-Soneff-Master-Garage-Collection/event-catalog/242404

    I know that I wish I had some extra $$ and some extra room.

    Like 1
  8. C Force

    I like the story about this guy that bought his superbird at a gov’t auction in the late 70s for only $ 500!it was used by the EPA as a chase car on runways to follow behind jets on takeoff to measure lead emissions.has painted on EPA dept logo on the doors.the exhaust pipes were moved to the center of the bumper so the cars exhaust wouldn’t interfere with the measuring equipment.was a 440 4bbl car fitted with a bigger camshaft for more power.

    Like 12

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