However, NASCAR's homologation requirement demands that vehicles to be raced have to be available to the general public and sold in sufficient numbers. In 1970, NASCAR raised the production requirement from 500 examples to one for every 2 Manufacturer's dealers in the United States; for Plymouth, that meant having to build 1,920 Superbirds. 1970 would be its only production year.

"Superbird" decals were placed on the outsides of the spoiler's vertical fins featuring a picture of the Road Runner cartoon character holding a racing helmet. A smaller version of the decal appears on the driver side headlight door. All Superbirds used for racing were fitted with the 426 Hemi engine. Street models used the 440 Super Commando with a single 4-barrel carburetor, the 440 Magnum Six Barrel with three two-barrel carburetors while only 135 models were fitted with the 426 Hemi. As the 440 was less expensive to produce, the 426 Hemi engine was homologated by producing a minimal number that was optioned in several different Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth vehicles.

On the street, the nosecone and wing made quite an impression, but the aerodynamic improvements hardly made a difference there or on the drag strip. In fact, the 1970 Road Runner was a slight touch quicker down the quarter mile. At 90 mph or greater, though, things were quite different.

In Fall 1968, Richard Petty left the Plymouth NASCAR Racing Team for Ford's. Charlie Gray, director of the Ford stock car program felt that hiring Petty would send the message that "money rules all". However, the Superbird lured Petty back to Plymouth for the 1970 season. Petty did reasonably well against strong Ford opposition on the NASCAR tracks that year, winning eight races and placing well in many more. It didn't hurt, of course, that Richard Petty, known as one of the greatest NASCAR drivers, was behind the wheel of a Superbird that year. A recent tribute Petty's Superbird was seen in the 2006 film Cars with Petty voicing "The King", a stock race car bearing a strong resemblance to a Superbird.

Every Mopar enthusiast worth a Fender Tag dreams of one day being able to open his garage door and see an abnormally long B-Body with a pointed snout and mile-high wing perched above the decklid.. The winged cars are easily Mopar's most recognizable high-performance machines of the era. By comparison, even a blind guy can see a winged car coming from a mile away, and there is absolutely no doubt as to what it is and what it's capable of.We all want one. Unfortunately, there just aren’t that many to be had, and those that got ’em generally keep ’em. This Lemon Twist 1970 Superbird, is extremely rare and BJ Motors is proud to offer both of these examples of perfection.

Superbird 8 cyl 2,783*
*Other quoted production figures are: 1,920, 1,935, 1,971

The ultimate 1970 Road Runner was the Superbird. Modeled after the 1969 Daytona Charger, the Superbird looks very similar, yet there are no interchangeable body parts. The nose cone is unique and the rear wing pedestals were racked further back. The area around the retractable headlights was painted black and there were Superbird Road Runner decals on each wing pedestal and on the left headlight panel. On each rear fender were large Plymouth emblems. All Superbirds came with a front spoiler, black vinyl roof, power steering, power disc brakes, either a black or white interior (bench seats standard, buckets optional) hood pins, simulated, rear facing, fender scoops, aerodynamic windshield moldings, the A36 Performance Axle package with automatic or A33 Track Pak with the four-speed manual, and 14" wheels were standard. The 15x7 inch Rallye wheels and F60x15 tires were optional. Color availability was limited to Alpine White, Vitamin C Orange, Lemon Twist, Lime Light, Blue Fire Metallic, Tor-Red and Corporation Blue.

Superbird engine availability was the same as the GTX's. Standard was the 375 hp Super Commando 440 with the 6-bbl 440 and 426 Hemi optional. Air conditioning and the Air Grabber intake system was not available with the Superbird.

There were 135 Superbirds built with the 426 Hemi engine while 716 were equipped with the 440 6-bbl.

The impact of the Superbird was nothing short of spectacular on the street and just as spectacular on the NASCAR circuits.

Wheelbase - 116"
Track, f/r - 59.7"/58.7"
Height - 53"
Width - 76.4"
Length - 224.5"
Weight - 4038

440 c.I. Super Commando V-8 4V Carburetor
C.R. - 10.1:1
Horsepower - 375@4600
Torque - 480@3200

C.R. - 10.5:1
Horsepower - 390@4700
Torque - 490@3200

C.R. - 10.25:1
Horsepower - 425@5000
Torque - 480@4000

Engine: 375hp 440 c.i. V-8
Transmission: Three Speed Automatic
Axle ratio: 3.55:1
Standing 1/4 mi.: 14.26@103.7 mph
Source: Road Test 04/70