There was a guy who lived on my street in Hamilton, Ontario Canada that had one of these in blue. We knew it was officially spring when it came out of the garage. Adults hated it, but the kids loved it.
I too, am from Hamilton, Ontario...back in the early '70s, the only Super Bird that I saw in the Hammer, was Yellow and wrapped around a light pole in the Centre Mall parking lot...as there was no Sunday shopping back then, I expect that buddy was testing it out and didn't count on that pole being there! Shame, though...what a waste of a great car.
Please excuse if this is too long-- I was privileged to drive one of these in 1970. It belonged to Bob Prince, the 'Voice of the Pittsburgh Pirates,' and Plymouth was his sponsor, so they provided him one. It was the hemi/automatic. Bob was a friend of my Dad, and when at our house for a party, he gave me the keys to take it for a spin. I was 23. It was Winter, so I carefully cruised through our neighborhood where the streets were still wet. Then, I turned out onto Bower Hill Rd, a 4-lane surface street, and punched it-- WOW! I had never felt anything like it-- the acceleration was so intense! Up one block to the light, where I slowly made the turn and quietly drove the one block back to the house. Headlights in my rear view mirror- sh*t! Yup, it was the black, unmarked Ford of the Mt. Lebanon police, who had been sitting in the hospital parking lot as I flew by. Gulp-- this was going to be embarrassing. But, I explained who the car belonged to, and I guess he was a fan, because the officer chuckled and let me off. Before driving away, he asked "So, how's it go?" I had to admit it was the most powerful vehicle I'd ever been behind the wheel of. Of course, I never told Bob of that near-miss.
I have personally had a hemi version of these over 160 mph.....the aerodynamics on these things not only work but are amazingly effective!! Solid as a rock at that speed. DO NOT do that with those repo bias ply tires!!! Ever!
Cool story, thanks for sharing. I remember the 1st one I saw was in Bradenton Fl (winter home of the pirates) it was yellow, from that moment i liked them and wanted one.
Who doesn't think this is one of Jay's best drives? Jeff and Jay nonstop taking about the car and everything else and smiling and laughing all the way. What a thrill to see them both having so much fun and sharing their insight with us, their like two teenagers.
I would probably do the same. Carpets are made to be walked on. Cars are made to be driven. I must admit, I thought, he is crazy. That paint on the bolts on the undercarriage is not going to be there after 1000 miles...that rotisserie restoration will go bye bye. He crayzee. But you know, you only live once. Tomorrow is not promised.
Jay Leno, because of you I got my G.E.D. I just wanted you to know this, between you and Sinbad I decided to better my life way back because of that commercial. THANK YOU JAY LENO!!!
Hi I'm a British and what I have to say probably means nothing to you guys!, but to me this is the greatest and most memorable NASCAR of all time ,absolute brute of a car in a nice way,and displays such presence !!!. Regards from an old Limey b across the pond.
Surprised anyone from across the pond even watches NASCAR. I've always considered it the McDonalds or Budweiser of motorsports. More embarrasing than anything.
NASCAR was told that the vents in the fenders were for clearance. The actual story is to reduce air pressure from the underbody. The tail was to produce down pressure. The reason it was so high was to keep the wing in the "clean air". The wing had to be above the roofline to prevent the turbulence created by the roof from interfering with dynamics of the tail. Chrysler brought a missile designer from their missile division to help with the design.
The design of the tail was 2 fold. The horizontal area was adjustable and was used for downforce. The sides were there for straight line stability. That is the reason that the Daytona Charger's sides looked different. The scientists designed the Charger sides and the design team designed the Super Bird's sides.
I was always thought the major reason the wing was so high in the air was so that the deck lid could be opened to a reasonable height. No one would buy a car with the trunk only being able to be opened a foot or so. :(
I remember going with my dad in 1971 who was a 40 yr GM employee to a Plymouth dealership. He test drove a lime green Superbird then a purple Duster. I remember practically begging him to buy the Superbird! He wound up buying a Mercury Cyclone 428cj. Many years later he would always tell me we should have brought that Superbird home!
Those Cyclones are still beauties, but man oh man, that is a mad shame he passed on the Super Bird!! What an awesome memory and experience though. There’s an older feller in my little Washington town that still has his matte black Super Bird that he bought back in the early 70s, and every year he brings it out to the local car show at our fairgrounds, and the crowds of people it attracts is amazing! Its a car he drove on the daily and I believe used to drag race, cause it has side pipes, a hood scoop, still the top-notch Cragar S/S rims, meaty tires in the back... but it isn’t overkill! And the paint is unfortunately chipped with a few dents in the car; but it gives it character and still is a mean machine that makes me drool!
That Mercury 428 CJ would have beaten either of the others in the 1/4 mile hands down. I have to admit the Superbird appreciated to super high prices making it a great long term investment. However, at the time everyone bought for the fun of it not ever thinking of the cars as an an investment. Hey, whatever floats your boat. Gary Flagg Buffalo, N.Y.
The Hemi's were not that great in pure stock. If you add open headers, that was a different story. That's why 440's were so popular with Roadrunners, GTX's and Chargers. The Hemi's weren't the substantial higher price. Today, they're worth a small fortune. Gary Flagg Buffalo, N.Y.
@@gf12 The 426 dynos at around 490hp at the crank with factory parts. They were way underrated (425hp) for insurance reasons. The Mercury 428 CJ only made 335hp and weighed the same (3,800lbs) as the Superbird. So no, the Mercury was certainly not faster. Drag times show that a factory Mercury 428 CJ would run a 13.8 while the Superbird ran a 13.5 down the 1/4 mile. The Superbird would run even quicker with modern tires. Big blocks were limited by traction back then. That's why most people would lose to a 340 4 speed Dart.
I'm getting closer to 60 and just realized that I've been doing this a lot more than I used to... and I know the reason why. I work in an environment where it's kind of loud in the workspace and it's a job I've been doing since 2000. So, with that being said, I often times can't hear the clicking sound of the blinker when I'm driving. It's a combination of minor loss of hearing from what I do and the noise of the tires I have in a car that isn't exactly the best in terms of suppressing cabin noise.
He was out of his element doing the tonight show, that was just a well paying job for him, you can tell cars are his real passion though and its always fun to see people fall into their passions. I wish I had Jay's money, I'd have a garage full of these old cars just like him.
Jeff and Jay make a great team whenever they're together on JLG. Similar sense of humor, and seem like real friends. Both are down-to-earth guys that you wish to have as friends or neighbors. I also like how both of them are never afraid to admit when there's something they don't know. No b.s. from either of them.
Mr. Dunham seems like a great guy. I agree completely with Jay, NASCAR was great back in the 60’s and early 70’s when the car that raced on Sunday looked like the car you could see on the street. People like Petty, the Allisons, Jr. Johnson were good old southern boys who like to go fast and growing up in the south back in the sixties Richard Petty was my hero. My dad drove Mopar products and King Richard talked like everyone else I knew. Thanks to Mr. Dunham for restoring this car and bringing on the show.
Be happy with what I have? I agree. There is a balance between gratitude for what you have, and ambition for more. Like anything in life it's about balance.
@Crediblesea 007 Start your own Business. Never work hard for your money. Make your Money Work Hard For YOU!!!! INVEST!!!! A a successful lawn care business makes at least $300,000 to $400,000 a year before taxes and that's just with one or two employees helping you. Then with that money you can start your dream Business. 😉 Never to late.
Jeff might be one of the most gracious and well-spoken guest on this show! I like how he engages Jay, the host, and even asks him some questions as well. Awesome!
As kids during the golden era of the Muscle Cars, we'd see a Super Bird drive by, and we'd stop dead in our tracks and admire the car until it was no longer in sight. It was a very special car for sure.
I’m 55 ys old This is, and always will be one my favorite cars, I know in my heart I will never own one, but Thanksfor showing me one of the loves of my life!
I feel your pain, when I was 10 I used to see one parked on my street at a house at the end of my block where they had an accountant business from time to time but like they said a lot of people didn't buy them because they were ugly, I think they were just over the top. I also used to see a Pantera parked at an apt. complex near my grade school. I really loved that look, classy and not too flashy. My father had a front porch barber shop and one of his customers had a Jaguar XKE too. Too much to deal with as a ten year old kid.
Vitamin C is a hip color! (High Impact Paint) Rocket Scientist, JOHN POINTER (of Chrysler's Missile Division), created the Wing & placed it that high to put it in clean air. He designed the nose/cone as well. (My Dad was a Race Car Driver, Stock 1/4 mile, all Mopar. He has Pennzoil running through my veins!) Thx for the ride along! I love & miss my Dad 💕🙏💕
N Cortez, you’re welcome. Something else not mentioned was the reason behind the vinyl top - because all real Superbirds had vinyl tops -is that that stock rear window was concave and not good aerodynamically. So they cobbled together a flush or slightly convex window in the back. Rather than taking the time to ‘pretty up’ the semi-rough transition / gap where the new window laid in, they just figured covering up the sloppiness with a vinyl top would be the most expedient thing to do.
Fun Fact: those scoops over the front tires weren't actually for wheel clearance, that's just what Dodge and Plymouth told everyone. They are actually to help relieve built up air pressure in the wheel wells, reducing drag and creating downforce. Modern cars use this trick too, just look at the front fenders of something like a Porsche 911 GT3RS or a Dodge Viper ACR. There, you know that now.
racing is like politics; secrets from opponents are advantageous; spectators must discern. I always assumed they were to relieve engine bay pressure like my 77 Trans Am. The engine compartment was not separated from the wheel wells back then, right?
I'm fortunate to own one of the special order Superbirds in Corporate Blue (Petty Blue) with a 4 speed and white buckets, so I can attest to the looks the car gets on the road AND the heavy clutch. The Winged Warrors is the Superbird, Daytona, Charger 500, and Talledega (as it's an aero car also) club and annual dues are $35. The tire clearance story is accurate as the actual race car had larger tires and they massaged the metal fenders a bit as well. Anecdotally, there is belief that it allowed air under the car to escape which improved the overall aerodynamics at race speed. A minor note of Jeff's restoration, there should be some light over spray of the factory body color on the underside, but in all Julius looks to have done a very nice restoration and NO ONE should be ragging on you for something so minor. I only mention it because Jeff is showing a sincere interest in learning about his car. 1920 is the best guess with another 15 to Canada via Export. There's some arguments that the 15 export are in the 1920 - but its close enough in either to be considered accurate. Lime Light Green, Blue Fire Metallic, Tor-Red, Vitamin C, Alpine White, Lemon Twist Yellow, were the standard colors. For an extra charge you could get Corporation Blue, more popularly known as Petty Blue,, of which there are about 50 of those. There are 2-3 Burnt Fire Metallic Superbird's that were the result of a factory "fat finger" typo error on the paint coding. This was not an offered color and was produced only in error. While the cars were produced over about an 8 -10 week period they all show as being produced on Nov 30th, 1969. No doubt to ensure that they all fell within the NASCAR production rules. In addition, there were some minor emissions rule changes that were to take effect on January 1, 1970 which likely also contributed to the 1969 build dates. It's been pretty much debunked that units were converted back to Road Runners because they were difficult to sell, In part because a dealer would NOT want to add costs to a vehicle when they could just discount it and accomplish the same effect. Consider that the Superbird has Dodge Coronet Fenders and you start to understand that its more than just bumper, grill, and headlights to do a conversion. You would also have to do fenders and hood (because the Superbird hood is unique). The reason for the vinyl roof was to hide the rear window conversion body work. That is a metal plug welded in over top the old window area. Jeff referred to that in his comments. But it was cheaper to just slap the vinyl top on than to dress out the body work to a professional finished level. Congratulations on your purchase Jeff, and thanks for rescuing another Bird. Jay, as always you do a masterful job of letting the vehicle speak for itself and thanks for showcasing the Superbird. You were right on in sayng these cars evoke memories. In my own case, I remember riding my bicycle around the neighborhood and seeing this wildly bizarre vehicle with the picture of my favorite cartoon character on the wing. I instantly said "I want one of those" and about a dozen years later, I bought that same car of my youth. Come visit me in Atlanta and I'll take you for a spin!
The Superbird is undoubtedly cool. I have much respect for Jay with his knowledge and love for cars. But, being on the track with Richard Petty is the highlight to me. Look at his reaction when they did the fist bump...like a kid again.. My favorite NASCAR driver of all-time. Jay could we trade places? Lol
I was just out of high school and working at a Chrysler Plymouth dealer, in Grand Rapids Michigan, as a wash boy when these came out. We got two of these, a yellow one and a green one. It was my job to clean them up and take it over to the gas station to put gas in them. The yellow one was the first one and when I took it out to get gas the Grand Rapids Police stopped me for driving a "race car" on the street. It took showing them the maroni sticker on the window to convince them that it was indeed a legal car for the street.
I remember an Orange one of these sitting on the dealer lot FOREVER here in Holland, MI... Not sure they ever sold it directly to a customer. Only really useful feature for the average person was you could never lose it in a parking lot at the grocery store. "Where did I park? Oh... yeah... its the one with the giant orange wing!"
It's probably the whiny SJW crowd. His material isn't compatible with today's fragile snowflakes. But also, he's more of a ventriloquist than a traditional comedian. He isn't really in the same league as some of the stand-up legends.
Good for Jeff for actually driving his car instead of just throwing it in a garage. I've always figured that garaging a nice car is a lot like marrying a supermodel and not wanting to 'fool around' with her because you want the next guy to enjoy her more.
Well said. All the guys that I’ve met that got the car they wanted and it’s beautiful and there it sits in the garage to maybe get started up once in awhile and maybe driven once a year. Life is too short to operate that way.
OK......I hate the fact that only people with a boat load of money can afford such beautiful pieces of automotive history. With that said, I sure do appreciate people like Jay and Mr. Dunham who collect and restore these works of art. Without them, these would be lost to the crushers forever....
That's the whole point of "the high price". If the speculative market never sent these into the hundreds of thousands, every average Joe woulda bought them all & beat 'em up. Not only that, try finding one today in great all-original condition. Very rare. Rarity coupled with demand will send values through the roof every time. Had your father bought one new back in the day..........kept it in great original shape to hand down to YOU...........you wouldn't be "hating" their high values........you would be "loving it".........lol.
I was 10 years old when these things hit the show room, and they were rare as hens teeth even then. I can still close my eyes and see the first one I saw in the street( and where it was in traffic) back in 1970. I was in the car with my parents at an intersection when one just like Jeff’s ( same color) was in the opposite lane of traffic, and I literally had a come apart: screaming out loud “ there’s a Super Bird”!!!! Both my parents saw the car and were astonished, but more so because of my reaction to it. I rolled down the window of our Chevy Caprice and began waving at the guy like he was a celebrity! I still see him waving back as he passed us at the intersection, as he knew he’d just made my decade. Thanks for the memory Jeff. You fortunate b$!::!!!
I've had the privilege to see 3 of these in the flesh (steel?) and they have such a presence. They're huge, outlandish, loud and impractical-and thats why its been my favorite car since I was 8.
I was 9 or 10, at the "All American car show" in Brisbane, Australia in about 1985. There was talk of a "Superbird" that was going to arrive sometime that afternoon. I'd never heard of one before but people were saying how you have to see this car. Shortly after I notice bunches of people are walking over to something and people saying that the superbird had arrived. I look up to see just the wing floating above the rooftops of the other cars as it moved slowly through the crowds. Just looked like a fighter plane or rocket something. Brilliant. Way up there on my dream car garage list.
I remember when these cars first came out. I was in my early twenties, and I said: "That's the most insane stupid looking car I've ever seen!!!..... I want one!!"
Me too, kind of.....had to get my FIRST NEW CAR:::*70 CORONET 500/383 /310,etc... really could, not, afford BIRD,OR BUICK GSX, LOADED road Runners/ GTO JUDGES., Corvette,THEN, ...
For everyone, the fender scoops were for air pressure relief, not tire clearance (made up by Chrysler to keep it a secret) And the Spoiler was tall not because of trunk clearance (Also made up by Chrysler to keep it a secret), it was to use air that was less turbulent
When I was a junior in high school, one of the seniors at our school had a yellow Superbird, but he only drove it to school for a week or so. I fell in love with it.
@@USNVA-yn6cp idk I think the stock pass time for a super bird is like 13 or 14 seconds. There’s a number of minivans that can crack that time out of the box. Doesn’t mean it’s not a cool as heck far cuz it for sure is. But they’re not fast by modern standards.
@@craigb.5902 BS no minivan can do a 13-second quarter mile and these on slicks could do low 12s and even high 11s in the quarter mile. These are still fast even by modern standards. The Hemi was really 500 Hp. it was underrated because of insurance penalties. These also had over 500 ft. lbs. of torque high numbers even by modern standards and they did this without turbos or computers!!!
@@erics9754 not trying to trash the superbird, the car is a legend and rightfully so. But a SB ran an average 13.5 on the quarter. In par with the Caravan RT, the Pacifica Hybrid and the sienna. That said the superbird has a lot more overhead to squeeze more out of it. It’s a 200+ mph car if you’ve got the money and the steel balls to make it do it. But if you had one as from the factory there are modern vans that can match it in straight line acceleration on the quarter.
Reminds me of a guy I met. I used work at a photo department and an old man dropped off some film he wanted developed and I remember packing the pictures up and the picture on top was a yellow convertible Hemi Cuda. I skipped my break so I could meet the guy when he came to pick it up as I was curious about the car and knew it was a holy grail type of car. He finally came in and I spoke to him about it, turned out he owned it until the 80s and totaled it in the rain one day. Bummer.
Thanks, yes.. also, I seen one at downtown, W LAFAYETTE INDIANA : it was a little to much DRAMA,& big for parking Spot,,and Dealers trouble selling !!!! ( I Graduated fromPharmacy School in June 1970:: buying my first” new” car in SEPTEMBER 1970(* 70 DODGE CORONET 500, in Ralley RED/ Black vinyl Top/ 383 Turquoise/auto/ deluxE INT & Console....)Admittedly,,I loved the superBIRDS, BUT only $3100 FULL price for CORONET ( it was a powerful engine/ trans/car); could not really afford /GTX/ BUICK GS/400,HEMI bird/ Road Runner loaded** , as we had lots of school driving left ,etc.( admittedly gas was some 26 to 32 cents GAL)...good times.!,
There was a Chrysler Plymouth dealership a couple miles from my house. They had about 10 of these things right out next to the road. They just couldn’t sell them. We all thought they were weird.
Thanks, enjoy comments....& different perspectives.. Anyways I seen one ay Lafayette, IN EARLY 1970, @ Lafayette INDIANA( **I was just graduating from Pharmacy School @ PURDUE U.): way to,dramatic, and kind of long for Parking Spot in downtown, etc. Finally bought my first new Car : a 1979 DODGE Coronet 500;383/310 H, in RALLEY Red XOLOR/ Black,Vinyl top.....@$3100 full Price,... a powerful car... actually the HEMI GTX/GTO RAM / BUICK Stage 3-4, Road Runners/COBRA : much more epemsive, & himMaintwmances/ gas.
That is a great way to end off the New Years Jay. Reviewing a 1970 Plymouth Superbird, Beep, Beep. Also you and your family have a Happy New Years too.
yamahonkawazuki that's right back in the real stock car days they were stock cars they may have double shocked each wheel on those and drove 200-plus miles an hour that's when they were real men driving real cars
Thanks for showing us that masterpiece when I was a kid I would walk by the Plymouth dealer on the way home from school and drool over the Superbird never owned one but had plenty of cudas Challengers and roadrunners Thanks for the Memories
Driving old performance cars is just like roller coasters. Even though the old rickety wooden ones are half as dynamic as the new state of the art rail systems, the old ones are more fun.
Lol at the guy in the Challenger. Two well known comedians in a bright orange Superbird and no Mopar love. He should be sentenced to a Toyota for the rest of his life.
@Marymesilly They were in a special edition of Roadrunner that was indeed called the Superbird. Listen to when they're in the garage, talking about how some people had taken this model and "reverted it" back to the Road Runner, by taking off things like the huge tail 'wing', the extended front bumper, etc.
The Dude from what I understand from old articles, they 'de-winged' these and the Daytonas because they simply were not selling and languishing on dealers' lots, so they would have better luck selling them as Roadrunners or Chargers.
Hi: The reason for the high wing was to place it above the turbulence into cleaner laminar air flow. It was also adjustable to create the correct amount of downforce for prevailing conditions at different tracks. Michael Rzewuski
One of the few memories I have from being 4 years old, was seeing a line of these at the dealership in Cleveland. My brother was 5 and he has the same memory.
I remember seeing at least 6 of these winged supercars sitting at a dealership back in 1970 for weeks - no one was buying them! Y'all had your chance and you muffed it! Kudos to those who did buy these cars.
Real nice Superbird... Thanks for sharing such a beautiful car. When I was in high school, in West Covina, CA. There was a gal who once in a while would drive her dads yellow Superbird to school... Those were the days.... Today I have a 1970 Hemi GTX, one of 76 built... with an auto trans... and a Dayna 60... one of 33 built, it's all there.... The car is painted in burnt orange, with black stripes, and has a black bucket interior. It is equipped with P/S and drum brakes, no power... Someone wanted to go fast, but didn't care about stopping... The odometer shows approx. 35,000 miles... My GTX is pretty flawless... It's not a Superbird, but I'm glad to have it!!
I was born and raised in a Detroit northern suburb. In 1970 I was in ninth grade and that year I remember a person who was a junior drove to school with a brand new orange hemi superbIrd. In my high school parking lot could be found about any kind of 60s muscle car, but that super bird always stood out in my mind. The other car that really stood out for me belong to another teen in my neighborhood who lived a couple doors from my parents and bought a brand new orange, hemi GTX. I stared in awe of that car every time it went by.
@ Ecosse57, & any and all MOPAR fans - ...and as everybody should know when closing the hood the latch should be held so when the hood is eased down the catch on the latch doesn't murph-up the catch ring on the latch cross bar... otherwise you end up having two skid marks where it rubs the catch ring which will eventually rust... as soon as the latch passes the top of the ring, hands can be removed from under the hood to press the hood closed from the top surface... thus no hood slam hands! I recommend this from experience having owned '68 roadrunner, '69 satellite '70 SuperBee same latch mechanically same manufacturer Mopar...
Ecosse57 i see it more of jeff being wet behind the ears, he let his end slam while Jay still had his side held. I believe Jay knew a helluva alot more than he put on to know. Modestly being respectful. Near the beginning when jeff tried to joke about the lights, i heard jay utter come on. Like that was lame. Lol
Both you guys crack me up felt like I was right in the backseat love it every time Jeff brings a car and I love your cars to Jay. Lol Thanks Bubba see you on the next one
Quite frankly I believe the old bit that "they could not sell them so some were converted back to Road Runners" is myth. I followed these cars closely since they came out. I heard so much misinformation through the years....in the mid-70s when my fellow car nuts claimed that no car was made (pre internet) until I showed them Tyco models and magazine articles (forget that I am not the only one remembering them on the streets). Then, for years it was the blathering that the nose and tails were fiberglass. Then, the "Dodge version is exactly the same car!" And on and on. Yes, I call the conversion storiest hat has been handed down through the years auto folklore, like the stuff above. I don't believe it ever happened. Think about it for a moment. I'm a dealer. I have one Superbird that nobody wants to buy. Do I discount it down to the level that it will sell, even taking a loss to do so, OR, I do the following: 1)Pull out the tail 2)Either use some ugly plugs or weld up the holes (sheet metal welding, grind off the welds, finish, prime, paint) in the rear fenders that the wing went into 3) Replace the modified Coronet fenders with Road Runner fenders 4) Replace the hood with a Road Runner hood 5) pull off the nose 6) Acquire all the parts and pieces for the RR grille, lights, radiator support, hood latch, etc 7) repaint and blend. Yeah, right. A dealer acquired all those parts, did all that labor and paint to sell a car at a loss, rather than taking LESS of a loss just discounting the Superbird. In my opinion, until I see the genuine article, that story is a fabrication.
I never heard about any conversion until now but do know they had trouble selling them 1 set behind our local dodge dealer unsold for years before it was sold. It was a 440 with an automatic and had a front bench seat. The person that bought it put a trailer hitch on it and used it to pull a trailer of all things. By that time new car HP was way down A problem that that car didn't have. Something happened to the tranny and he left it sit in his field. I moved back to the area after being away for 20 years and it's now gone. Would love to know where it is now.
ToyKingWonder you speak FACT my friend . Ive heard soooo much BS over the yrs about these cars . And yes, friends of mine owned them . Straightforward they were very interesting automobiles, a lot of Manufacturers had muscle cars but these Dodge Daytona's and Plymouth Superbirds were so very unique in their development, and the end result proved that Chrysler Corporation was absolutely Superior when it came to development at high speed. To the jealousy of the other manufacturers... Too bad. This car is Automotive History and it always will be in this country. The hemispherical head combustion engine was nothing new, but Chrysler Corporation was the first to incorporate that design into a V8 engine and put it into mass production in the fifties. The rest is merely amazing. So many stories so many wild rumors... Easy for us Mopar guys we just look at the facts
@Red Dawn Wouldn't that mean the VIN would have been different from other RR's? I've never seen a RR with a Superbird VIN.. Unless the Superbird VIN and the RR VINs were the same? Or they gave the car an entirely new VIN plate. I guess they could have done that.
@@70stunes71 your comments are too funny......Chrysler spent MILLIONS getting the superbird and Daytona ready to race...….the 1970 Debut of the superbird at riverside was humiliating.....almost all of the cars spun off the track, 3 of the top 5 spots went to Ford......ah but Daytona was next.....lolol.....Cale Blistered Daytona in his LAST years Mercury setting a track record that stood for 16 years taking the pole in dominating fashion.....Cale dominated one of the 125s and then again dominated the 500 until he blew an engine. Then Pearson had the race covered until a late tire strategy let Pete Hamilton get the win...….the videos are out there to watch them, the winged cars still had NOTHING for the slope nosed fords.
I remember my first ride in this car, I was 13 years old. It got me into muscle cars. I had a 69 Mach 1 with a 351 C, which I built, did the 1/4 mile in 10 flat and my next car was a 70 Boss 302 with the shaker hood. I got clocked on the New England Through way by a parked highway patrol officer doing 150 mph. He told me to slow down over the CB, it was 1 am. This was 1975.
I drove a street Charger (not Daytona) from that year and the guy here is right: nothing felt tight even at modest speeds in my experience. Still, such an eye-catching and memorable SuperB!
My brother had a '71 Challenger with a pistol grip shifter and it made that same noise. There were nylon bushings on the forks and they weren't tight in the holes or the on the shaft, so they vibrated. That shifter felt great in your hand, it was not hokey at all. The Challenger's shifter was just above the console, not up in the air like this example.
And in 1970 there was only 2 hundred and something that made it to dealerships because Dodge would build them , run them through the line for official count , then run the same car through again with a different Vin # so they would take the cars apart and send them to the Nascar teams because so many was getting destroyed .
For those who are interested in learning more, there are a couple of car clubs dedicated to these cars. The Winged Warriors and The Daytona-Superbird Auto Club which also recognizes the "Aero Warrior" Fords of this amazing era-the Ford Talladega and the Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II. To expand on things talked about in this episode, The vinyl roof was to cover the welding and seam scars of a special rear window surround (the Chrysler guys called it a "plug"), rear window glass and trim that provided better air flow over the roofline. But unlike the Dodge Daytona of the year before that had a special rear window roof section that was welded in, leaded, metal finished and painted the Superbird had to be built in much higher numbers, as Jeff stated. It was much more cost effective to cover 1,920 Superbird roofs with vinyl than to perform the bodywork done to the 503 Daytona's. The rear facing fender scoops touched on in this episode are also a by product of 1,920 semi-hand built cars. On the Dodge Daytona's, holes under the scoops were cut out to make sure they would be legal on the race track. For the higher volume Superbird's the holes weren't cut out but there was a printed sheet instructing the owner how and where to cut out the openings in the hope NASCAR would recognize this as legal-which they did. And truth be told the Superbird did bring bring back Richard Petty to Plymouth but his young teammate, Pete Hamilton, scored the biggest wins for Petty Enterprises in the Superbird #40 including the 1970 Daytona 500.
True I think they should have some rules and use current model/engines...atleast we would get racing development and manufacturer improvement on current models...like it did back then.
I remember seeing one in real life for the 1st time at a car show. I just stood there in silence. You don't realize how big it really is until you see it in person. I've always loved them...beautiful cars.
I was a young USAF GI in late 1971 and went to a Plymouth dealership with my dad to look for an inexpensive new car. I spied a gorgeous black with white trim 1972 340 Duster while we were there and bought it. It sported a 3-speed manual shift, dual exhausts, and rally wheels with the same Goodyear Polyglas tires. It had no power options or air conditioning. It was just a cheap lightweight go-fast muscle car...and it was fast! I drove it home for a whopping $2800 out the door, thanks to my dad haggling with (punishing) the salesman. In the showroom there was a still unsold new 1970 Superbird. The salesman said they simply couldn't sell it because the young people that wanted to buy it either couldn't get insurance or couldn't get it financed. The reason was, at the time, it was considered to be an exotic super-fast racing model and that was its downfall. That and the fact it was also very expensive.
I think he was referring to the fact that the Pontiac Trans Am has the same thing, in reference to the reverse light, to remove the ignition key; as the Plymouth.
AWESOME !!! When I was 18 (1970) I was driving a Ford 9N farm tractor, raking hay on my Dad's farm and one of these BEAUTIFUL BEASTS drove by ..... the exact same color !! Well ...... I FELL IN TOTAL LOVE WITH IT and just HAD to know what it was !! In my "humble opinion" these are the most fascinating cars EVER built...... TO THIS VERY DAY !! Lik4 SOOOOO Many of us ... I damn sure wish I had mortgaged myself into debt and bought ONE OF EACH COLOR when they were pennies on the dollar. So great to see "2 regular guys" just cruzin' and enjoying the ride !!! I'll no doubt ever get the chance but at least I got to "go for a ride with 2 great guys .... unbeknownst to them !! LOL !!
A few items that where not mentioned. The nose cone and rear wing are different from the Daytona and the Superbird. The rear wing had 2 functions one was to be high enough to catch clear air and bring the back end of the car down and a lesser known fact the sides of the wing acted like stabilizers around corners on the super speedways. Pete Hamilton (Richard Petty's teammate) won Talledega (first race won by the Superbird) by keeping the throttle pegged knowing that the rear of the car would not spin out in the turns. The scoops on the front fenders did let turbulent air out but also allowed the car to sink lower in the corners as the tires would have scraped the bottom of the fenders due to the air pushing the front spoiler and front cone down. They are correct that the only thing that kept the car back was the tire technology of that time. Tires would overheat and blow out. All Superbirds came with vinyl roofs because the rear window area was different from the standard Road Runner and it was less expensive to cover the body work/ welds required to fit the more aero rear window area than with a vinyl roof. Some dealers still had new Superbirds sitting in their lots in 1973.
28:43 - "Tach screaming at 4000" - LOL, a few years ago I took a buddy with me to a car show. We went through this town known for speeding tickets, when he told me, "You know, it is 55 through here." I just nodded and he said it again. Nodded again, and he said, "you aren't worried about the speed?" I turned and said, "Mark, I'm doing 50. You just aren't used to that 1:1 final out of the transmission. There isn't an overdrive dropping it to 1500 rpm."
The thing about the vents being there because the tires rubbed is something Dodge made up because they didn't want anyone to know that they are really there to release air from under the fender.
jaya neyon so would there be a way to control the air coming out.because if they were wide open wouldn't you make the nose "light"not trolling just a question
Steve B no just the opposite. Having the air trapped in under the fender is what made the front end light due to the nose lifting from the trapped air. Hth
Yeh, that Chryco starter noise. Iconic in itself. Watch movies and TV from the late 60s to the 80s and listen when actors start their cars. Nine out of ten times you will hear that starter sound. Probably the most over-used Hollywood sound effect. Whether it was a Ford Galaxy, AMC Ambassador or a Corvette, they almost always used that effect. I’ve pointed it out so many times watching old flicks that now when a car starts onscreen my wife just glances at me and I nod my head. Then we laugh. I always liked the sound of that starter. Call me weird or call me a car-nut!
it makes me misty eyed with joy :'-) I wonder if that old starter will fit in my '00 durango 4x4? it has leaf springs & torsion bars so..maybe add one more anachronistic but excellent attribute! lol.
Yep. Grear reduction starter, torsion bar suspension, best automatic trans. in the auto industry, well engineered engines that lasted longer before rebuild time. Big blocks with the strongest bottom ends in the business. That was MOPAR engineering. When I was growing up I couldn't figure out why my dad kept buying Chrysler Corp. cars. I was dazzled by things like the T Bird's interior but was mostly into Euro cars. Then I started getting hooked on drag racing and as I learned more about cars I understood my father's rationale for sticking with them. By and large the running gear was good for many more miles than a comparable Ford or GM product.
Amen on the stiff clutch. Had a 69 Road Runner back in the day and I recall how it was a pain to shift. No power steering or brakes either. Had an orange light under the dash that would come on when you put it in reverse.
That wing was air craft quality aluminum, you could stand on it and it wouldn't bend or break. Also, the air up at the wing was more stable which provided more down force. That wing was high for a specific reason, smoother, less turbulent air equals more down force.
dobbins2550 I read from a respectable source not all of the cars came with aluminium wings because of the cost of manufacturing just the racing and early production
+ it supplied a large amount of lateral stability, unlike most spoilers, wings. & wasn't just bolted to the sheet metal, strong steel rods run down to the sub-frame. bc thick quarter panels, not 1" wide lameness. bc muscle. bc designed in coolness and safety. bc hitting a tumble weed or other minor road hazard, animal etc wont shove the too thin sheet metal into a tire that's a 1/4" away. bc mopar.
dobbins2550 they held up 3 men, standing on them with very little deflection. 'Pot metal', say some. lol. You're correct, high strength aluminum + the Nascar wings did have one difference, they had a retention cable holding them on that ran through them in the event of a crash, they didn't want them flying into the crowds, obv. Other trolls saying 'crazy to have that power in this chassis. Huh? A very strong, over engineered Uni-body. Man, ppl have no respect. Like saying General Patton was a poor commander, lol!
Jeff Dunham seems like such a fun person to talk to. He's just a personable as he appears in his shows! I'm also pleasantly surprised to see he's such a car-fanatic! I think he stumped Leno a few times during this show, and that's quite hard to do!
I always learn something from these episodes. I never knew the front end and rear wing on these were metal; always assumed they were fiberglass. I also assumed the height of the rear wing was so that the vertical supports were bigger to add lateral stability on the track at high speed; like the rudder on a plane. I never considered that the trunk also wouldn't fully open if it were lower.
Don't forget when they were chopping off the nose and wing and throwing them in the trash top sell them as Roadrunners, think of all that metal just going to the landfill.
@@captainamerica9353 From what I could find on the internet, it's just the same steel as the rest of the body panels. 18-gauge steel from what I could find.
Road Runner i think 200 hundred on a banked track like daytona would be awsome that thing on a track like indy with basically zero banking would be scary but i would ride shotgun with ya for sure
This car wouldn't stay on the road at 200 MPH. The NASCAR versions produced roughly 240 additional HP, were lighter, lower, used modified suspensions, etc.
There was a guy who lived on my street in Hamilton, Ontario Canada that had one of these in blue. We knew it was officially spring when it came out of the garage.
Adults hated it, but the kids loved it.
Lucky guy I live in Toronto I would love to see one of these beasts
I too, am from Hamilton, Ontario...back in the early '70s, the only Super Bird that I saw in the Hammer, was Yellow and wrapped around a light pole in the Centre Mall parking lot...as there was no Sunday shopping back then, I expect that buddy was testing it out and didn't count on that pole being there! Shame, though...what a waste of a great car.
In 1970 we had one in my nabour hood of Scarborough Ontario. I think it was a blue one. This was in the Wexford area Victoria park and Lawrence.
I’ve seen this same car, he use to come down to Niagara Falls
john Manley omg, that’s the neighborhood I grew up in! What a small world.
Please excuse if this is too long--
I was privileged to drive one of these in 1970. It belonged to Bob Prince, the 'Voice of the Pittsburgh Pirates,' and Plymouth was his sponsor, so they provided him one. It was the hemi/automatic. Bob was a friend of my Dad, and when at our house for a party, he gave me the keys to take it for a spin. I was 23. It was Winter, so I carefully cruised through our neighborhood where the streets were still wet. Then, I turned out onto Bower Hill Rd, a 4-lane surface street, and punched it-- WOW! I had never felt anything like it-- the acceleration was so intense! Up one block to the light, where I slowly made the turn and quietly drove the one block back to the house. Headlights in my rear view mirror- sh*t! Yup, it was the black, unmarked Ford of the Mt. Lebanon police, who had been sitting in the hospital parking lot as I flew by. Gulp-- this was going to be embarrassing. But, I explained who the car belonged to, and I guess he was a fan, because the officer chuckled and let me off. Before driving away, he asked "So, how's it go?" I had to admit it was the most powerful vehicle I'd ever been behind the wheel of. Of course, I never told Bob of that near-miss.
Cool story. Most cops are car nuts too.
Great story...classic .
I have personally had a hemi version of these over 160 mph.....the aerodynamics on these things not only work but are amazingly effective!! Solid as a rock at that speed. DO NOT do that with those repo bias ply tires!!! Ever!
Cool story, thanks for sharing. I remember the 1st one I saw was in Bradenton Fl (winter home of the pirates) it was yellow, from that moment i liked them and wanted one.
Incredible personal story. Thank you for sharing.
Who doesn't think this is one of Jay's best drives? Jeff and Jay nonstop taking about the car and everything else and smiling and laughing all the way. What a thrill to see them both having so much fun and sharing their insight with us, their like two teenagers.
I don't
Blinker was on too long for my liking
@@giovannebeistline2575 haters lol
I’m with Jeff on old cars being better stock than resto-modded! It’s so cool to experience the car exactly as it was when sold new!
I'm glad to hear that Jeff actually drives his collected cars. I agree, cars are meant to be driven.
@David Mc Plus my old 383 got 9 mpg. That's somewhere around $3 a mile at present gas prices.
I would probably do the same. Carpets are made to be walked on. Cars are made to be driven. I must admit, I thought, he is crazy. That paint on the bolts on the undercarriage is not going to be there after 1000 miles...that rotisserie restoration will go bye bye. He crayzee. But you know, you only live once. Tomorrow is not promised.
@@Schrankerle you paying $27 per gallon? High test?
He says he drives it, but he doesn't know if the headlights work.
@@1970DAH what car guy would not know how they work [vacuum/electric] ,or at least when they work [key on, running, etc] he's a poser
Jay Leno, because of you I got my G.E.D.
I just wanted you to know this, between you and Sinbad I decided to better my life way back because of that commercial.
THANK YOU JAY LENO!!!
For a car to do 200 miles an hour with a 4-speed no overdrive gear is hella impressive even today
To be fair it was only a 4 speed transmission
@doubleheadergr 22222q2222222222222222222saw q+l
Great pot, music and muscle cars, yeah 1970 was such a drag! 😂🤣🇺🇸👍🏻
@@whitemamba1210 they would pin your head back on every gear!
@@dkompres6889 it’s only 400 hp
Jay Leno does the most realistic reviews on you tube. He never hypes anything that doesn't need to be hyped.
Hi I'm a British and what I have to say probably means nothing to you guys!, but to me
this is the greatest and most memorable NASCAR of all time ,absolute brute of a car in a nice way,and displays such presence !!!.
Regards from an old Limey b across the pond.
Look up the King cobra or the SOHC fairlane
Good to see someone from the other side of the water interested in NASCAR, or Muscle cars in general.
Glad to See that great cars are universally loved and respected no matter where they're made and no matter the country your from
Surprised anyone from across the pond even watches NASCAR. I've always considered it the McDonalds or Budweiser of motorsports. More embarrasing than anything.
Gerald Swain Richard Petty won most of his 200 career races driving the Roadrunner.
NASCAR was told that the vents in the fenders were for clearance. The actual story is to reduce air pressure from the underbody. The tail was to produce down pressure. The reason it was so high was to keep the wing in the "clean air". The wing had to be above the roofline to prevent the turbulence created by the roof from interfering with dynamics of the tail. Chrysler brought a missile designer from their missile division to help with the design.
bruticusmagnus formula 1 also had high wings in 69. But was banned there also.. They could break at high speed and caused accidents
Wayne H the trunk lid was a myth.
The design of the tail was 2 fold. The horizontal area was adjustable and was used for downforce. The sides were there for straight line stability. That is the reason that the Daytona Charger's sides looked different. The scientists designed the Charger sides and the design team designed the Super Bird's sides.
this video should clear up a few things.... th-cam.com/video/svS_loWDV0c/w-d-xo.html
I was always thought the major reason the wing was so high in the air was so that the deck lid could be opened to a reasonable height. No one would buy a car with the trunk only being able to be opened a foot or so. :(
I remember going with my dad in 1971 who was a 40 yr GM employee to a Plymouth dealership. He test drove a lime green Superbird then a purple Duster. I remember practically begging him to buy the Superbird! He wound up buying a Mercury Cyclone 428cj. Many years later he would always tell me we should have brought that Superbird home!
Those Cyclones are still beauties, but man oh man, that is a mad shame he passed on the Super Bird!! What an awesome memory and experience though. There’s an older feller in my little Washington town that still has his matte black Super Bird that he bought back in the early 70s, and every year he brings it out to the local car show at our fairgrounds, and the crowds of people it attracts is amazing! Its a car he drove on the daily and I believe used to drag race, cause it has side pipes, a hood scoop, still the top-notch Cragar S/S rims, meaty tires in the back... but it isn’t overkill! And the paint is unfortunately chipped with a few dents in the car; but it gives it character and still is a mean machine that makes me drool!
Oh the duster would have been a lot of fun too!
That Mercury 428 CJ would have beaten either of the others in the 1/4 mile hands down. I have to admit the Superbird appreciated to super high prices making it a great long term investment. However, at the time everyone bought for the fun of it not ever thinking of the cars as an an investment. Hey, whatever floats your boat.
Gary Flagg Buffalo, N.Y.
The Hemi's were not that great in pure stock. If you add open headers, that was a different story. That's why 440's were so popular with Roadrunners, GTX's and Chargers. The Hemi's weren't the substantial higher price. Today, they're worth a small fortune.
Gary Flagg Buffalo, N.Y.
@@gf12 The 426 dynos at around 490hp at the crank with factory parts. They were way underrated (425hp) for insurance reasons. The Mercury 428 CJ only made 335hp and weighed the same (3,800lbs) as the Superbird. So no, the Mercury was certainly not faster. Drag times show that a factory Mercury 428 CJ would run a 13.8 while the Superbird ran a 13.5 down the 1/4 mile. The Superbird would run even quicker with modern tires. Big blocks were limited by traction back then. That's why most people would lose to a 340 4 speed Dart.
Jay keeping the senior citizen tradition going driving around with the right blinker on
I noticed the left one, not the right one. Those turn signals are really inset in the Superbird nose.
That's really funny!! But so true. Haha
That's the left blinker! 😅
And drifting out of his lane…a lot.
I'm getting closer to 60 and just realized that I've been doing this a lot more than I used to... and I know the reason why.
I work in an environment where it's kind of loud in the workspace and it's a job I've been doing since 2000.
So, with that being said, I often times can't hear the clicking sound of the blinker when I'm driving. It's a combination of minor loss of hearing from what I do and the noise of the tires I have in a car that isn't exactly the best in terms of suppressing cabin noise.
The most insane, over the top and cool American car to ever escape from a factory assembly line. A true legend.
"The Most"? Hardly. Top 20, for sure but not the most!
GT40 is another, and an AC Cobra.
Grand national?
@@rgsimmons9067 Arguably yes. Very kool car.
wishus knight Saleen S7? SSC Aero?
Also, AC Cobra is both American AND British.
Could barely watch Jay in the Tonight Show and now he’s become my all time favorite host!
Same
Cool cars bring everyone together
Whether it's watching him do live stand up comedy or talking cars, that's where he's in his true element.
He was out of his element doing the tonight show, that was just a well paying job for him, you can tell cars are his real passion though and its always fun to see people fall into their passions. I wish I had Jay's money, I'd have a garage full of these old cars just like him.
Johnny was the best tonight show host. But Jay is doing great on this.
The most “hot wheels” car ever.
It's funny because Hot Wheels made the the Plymouth Superbird
@@michaelharris7820 yeee probably the only super bird I’ll ever get to own 😭😭😭
I have a johnny lightning superbird.
[George Barris customs have logged on]
I have 3
Jeff and Jay make a great team whenever they're together on JLG. Similar sense of humor, and seem like real friends. Both are down-to-earth guys that you wish to have as friends or neighbors. I also like how both of them are never afraid to admit when there's something they don't know. No b.s. from either of them.
Yeah, it just feels like watching two friends check out a new car one of them just got.
Mr. Dunham seems like a great guy. I agree completely with Jay, NASCAR was great back in the 60’s and early 70’s when the car that raced on Sunday looked like the car you could see on the street. People like Petty, the Allisons, Jr. Johnson were good old southern boys who like to go fast and growing up in the south back in the sixties Richard Petty was my hero. My dad drove Mopar products and King Richard talked like everyone else I knew.
Thanks to Mr. Dunham for restoring this car and bringing on the show.
man I missed out on life not being wealthy, I'll have to try it again
Try it now, buddy! It's not too late! :-)
Be happy with what I have? I agree. There is a balance between gratitude for what you have, and ambition for more. Like anything in life it's about balance.
Me and you both
@Crediblesea 007 Start your own Business. Never work hard for your money. Make your Money Work Hard For YOU!!!! INVEST!!!! A a successful lawn care business makes at least $300,000 to $400,000 a year before taxes and that's just with one or two employees helping you. Then with that money you can start your dream Business. 😉 Never to late.
God says whats the point of gaining the world and losing your soul.
Jay's not wearing a denim shirt AND jeans? I barely recognize the guy.
He's pushing his "Leno's Garage" polo shirts in the description. ;
For sure...it's either suit or straight denim
The Canadian tuxedo
He was probably on the cusp of a wash cycle ;)
Still has the chin though
Jeff might be one of the most gracious and well-spoken guest on this show! I like how he engages Jay, the host, and even asks him some questions as well. Awesome!
How do you not smile when you see this thing?
This car always gets my attention and a smile, even though I have been most happy seeing Ferrari's on the road since I was a kid.
Vince check out the King cobra it was fords answer to this theres a few videos on it if you haven't seen them
As kids during the golden era of the Muscle Cars, we'd see a Super Bird drive by, and we'd stop dead in our tracks and admire the car until it was no longer in sight. It was a very special car for sure.
I’m 55 ys old This is, and always will be one my favorite cars, I know in my heart I will never own one, but Thanksfor showing me one of the loves of my life!
On the other hand it to me feels like your rival at school is now sending you a video of him banging your high school sweetheart that got away. :
I feel your pain, when I was 10 I used to see one parked on my street at a house at the end of my block where they had an accountant business from time to time but like they said a lot of people didn't buy them because they were ugly, I think they were just over the top. I also used to see a Pantera parked at an apt. complex near my grade school. I really loved that look, classy and not too flashy. My father had a front porch barber shop and one of his customers had a Jaguar XKE too. Too much to deal with as a ten year old kid.
I love the orange.
In my youth. Late 70's, there was a guy with a orange one. He actually carried plywood home on the roof to wing.😮
Vitamin C is a hip color! (High Impact Paint) Rocket Scientist, JOHN POINTER (of Chrysler's Missile Division), created the Wing & placed it that high to put it in clean air. He designed the nose/cone as well.
(My Dad was a Race Car Driver, Stock 1/4 mile, all Mopar. He has Pennzoil running through my veins!)
Thx for the ride along!
I love & miss my Dad 💕🙏💕
What do you mean wing high to put it in clean air?
N Cortez, to get it out of a zone of turbulence kicked up / circulating on the back deck at speed. Think ‘smooth’ air.
Matt's Kustom Kreations oh gotcha 😆. Makes sense. At high speeds those wings do work.
N Cortez, you’re welcome. Something else not mentioned was the reason behind the vinyl top - because all real Superbirds had vinyl tops -is that that stock rear window was concave and not good aerodynamically. So they cobbled together a flush or slightly convex window in the back. Rather than taking the time to ‘pretty up’ the semi-rough transition / gap where the new window laid in, they just figured covering up the sloppiness with a vinyl top would be the most expedient thing to do.
All true, and I miss my dad also, alot!!!
Fun Fact: those scoops over the front tires weren't actually for wheel clearance, that's just what Dodge and Plymouth told everyone. They are actually to help relieve built up air pressure in the wheel wells, reducing drag and creating downforce. Modern cars use this trick too, just look at the front fenders of something like a Porsche 911 GT3RS or a Dodge Viper ACR. There, you know that now.
Daniel Waldron Not according to Petty
th-cam.com/video/svS_loWDV0c/w-d-xo.html
racing is like politics; secrets from opponents are advantageous; spectators must discern.
I always assumed they were to relieve engine bay pressure like my 77 Trans Am. The engine compartment was not separated from the wheel wells back then, right?
@@josephkutta599 you think a racer is going to tell the truth ?? LOL
you must hang out with bruticus whats-his-name......same BS story.
I'm fortunate to own one of the special order Superbirds in Corporate Blue (Petty Blue) with a 4 speed and white buckets, so I can attest to the looks the car gets on the road AND the heavy clutch.
The Winged Warrors is the Superbird, Daytona, Charger 500, and Talledega (as it's an aero car also) club and annual dues are $35.
The tire clearance story is accurate as the actual race car had larger tires and they massaged the metal fenders a bit as well. Anecdotally, there is belief that it allowed air under the car to escape which improved the overall aerodynamics at race speed. A minor note of Jeff's restoration, there should be some light over spray of the factory body color on the underside, but in all Julius looks to have done a very nice restoration and NO ONE should be ragging on you for something so minor. I only mention it because Jeff is showing a sincere interest in learning about his car.
1920 is the best guess with another 15 to Canada via Export. There's some arguments that the 15 export are in the 1920 - but its close enough in either to be considered accurate.
Lime Light Green, Blue Fire Metallic, Tor-Red, Vitamin C, Alpine White, Lemon Twist Yellow, were the standard colors. For an extra charge you could get Corporation Blue, more popularly known as Petty Blue,, of which there are about 50 of those. There are 2-3 Burnt Fire Metallic Superbird's that were the result of a factory "fat finger" typo error on the paint coding. This was not an offered color and was produced only in error.
While the cars were produced over about an 8 -10 week period they all show as being produced on Nov 30th, 1969. No doubt to ensure that they all fell within the NASCAR production rules. In addition, there were some minor emissions rule changes that were to take effect on January 1, 1970 which likely also contributed to the 1969 build dates.
It's been pretty much debunked that units were converted back to Road Runners because they were difficult to sell, In part because a dealer would NOT want to add costs to a vehicle when they could just discount it and accomplish the same effect. Consider that the Superbird has Dodge Coronet Fenders and you start to understand that its more than just bumper, grill, and headlights to do a conversion. You would also have to do fenders and hood (because the Superbird hood is unique).
The reason for the vinyl roof was to hide the rear window conversion body work. That is a metal plug welded in over top the old window area. Jeff referred to that in his comments. But it was cheaper to just slap the vinyl top on than to dress out the body work to a professional finished level.
Congratulations on your purchase Jeff, and thanks for rescuing another Bird. Jay, as always you do a masterful job of letting the vehicle speak for itself and thanks for showcasing the Superbird. You were right on in sayng these cars evoke memories. In my own case, I remember riding my bicycle around the neighborhood and seeing this wildly bizarre vehicle with the picture of my favorite cartoon character on the wing. I instantly said "I want one of those" and about a dozen years later, I bought that same car of my youth. Come visit me in Atlanta and I'll take you for a spin!
Thank you for your knowledge sir! Really interesting!
My pleasure
Are you sure you are an owner? I would think that an owner would know Super Bird is spelled as two words.....
J
@@rickmansberger4136 99501 (if you are asking what I think you are asking)
The Superbird is undoubtedly cool. I have much respect for Jay with his knowledge and love for cars. But, being on the track with Richard Petty is the highlight to me. Look at his reaction when they did the fist bump...like a kid again.. My favorite NASCAR driver of all-time. Jay could we trade places? Lol
I was just out of high school and working at a Chrysler Plymouth dealer, in Grand Rapids Michigan, as a wash boy when these came out. We got two of these, a yellow one and a green one. It was my job to clean them up and take it over to the gas station to put gas in them. The yellow one was the first one and when I took it out to get gas the Grand Rapids Police stopped me for driving a "race car" on the street. It took showing them the maroni sticker on the window to convince them that it was indeed a legal car for the street.
Sounds like race-ial profiling to me.
Sounds like dumb cops to me.
It sounds like the Dodge Sheriff commercials Mopar ran with a guy who played a southern sheriff in a couple of the Roger Moore James Bond movies.
I remember an Orange one of these sitting on the dealer lot FOREVER here in Holland, MI... Not sure they ever sold it directly to a customer. Only really useful feature for the average person was you could never lose it in a parking lot at the grocery store. "Where did I park? Oh... yeah... its the one with the giant orange wing!"
IcantSignIn Brilliant 😂😂😂😂
The footage of Jay with The great Richard petty was awesome.
Agreed the sound the original was immense too :)
Why are people hating on Jeff Hunham so much? He has a positive attitude which obviously Jay enjoys being around.
It's probably the whiny SJW crowd. His material isn't compatible with today's fragile snowflakes. But also, he's more of a ventriloquist than a traditional comedian. He isn't really in the same league as some of the stand-up legends.
Geoff Stuntham is a tool that Jay Leno uses to boost his ratings
Good for Jeff for actually driving his car instead of just throwing it in a garage. I've always figured that garaging a nice car is a lot like marrying a supermodel and not wanting to 'fool around' with her because you want the next guy to enjoy her more.
Well, now that you put it THAT way. It puts "Let's go for a ride" in a different perspective! 🤣
Well said. All the guys that I’ve met that got the car they wanted and it’s beautiful and there it sits in the garage to maybe get started up once in awhile and maybe driven once a year. Life is too short to operate that way.
OK......I hate the fact that only people with a boat load of money can afford such beautiful pieces of automotive history. With that said, I sure do appreciate people like Jay and Mr. Dunham who collect and restore these works of art. Without them, these would be lost to the crushers forever....
That's the whole point of "the high price". If the speculative market never sent these into the hundreds of thousands, every average Joe woulda bought them all & beat 'em up. Not only that, try finding one today in great all-original condition. Very rare. Rarity coupled with demand will send values through the roof every time. Had your father bought one new back in the day..........kept it in great original shape to hand down to YOU...........you wouldn't be "hating" their high values........you would be "loving it".........lol.
I purchased mine for 500 dollars i asked him why so cheap he said it was too fast for his son
Another reason for you to work harder now...
Tony Simsek scratch off as many lottery tickets as you can buy😂😂😂
P-and-A Photos you can always get a replica
I had a garage like Jay Leno's. Then I woke up.
Ya? I had a hot wife then I woke up.
It would be nice having what Jay Leno has. I'd live in that garage.
@ Patrick O'Donnell Yepp. I'll go for the garage and the second hottest woman on Earth.It's a slam dunk
Too phunny!
@@Vamanaswastika that's no garage, it's a compound!
Hey its good to see my work appreciated. I also worked on futher development of your Chrysler.
I was 10 years old when these things hit the show room, and they were rare as hens teeth even then. I can still close my eyes and see the first one I saw in the street( and where it was in traffic) back in 1970.
I was in the car with my parents at an intersection when one just like Jeff’s ( same color) was in the opposite lane of traffic, and I literally had a come apart: screaming out loud “ there’s a Super Bird”!!!!
Both my parents saw the car and were astonished, but more so because of my reaction to it.
I rolled down the window of our Chevy Caprice and began waving at the guy like he was a celebrity!
I still see him waving back as he passed us at the intersection, as he knew he’d just made my decade.
Thanks for the memory Jeff.
You fortunate b$!::!!!
Same here. I was 10 standing outside of my apartment building on Vanowen & Costello in Van Nuys, Ca.
I've had the privilege to see 3 of these in the flesh (steel?) and they have such a presence. They're huge, outlandish, loud and impractical-and thats why its been my favorite car since I was 8.
I was 9 or 10, at the "All American car show" in Brisbane, Australia in about 1985. There was talk of a "Superbird" that was going to arrive sometime that afternoon. I'd never heard of one before but people were saying how you have to see this car. Shortly after I notice bunches of people are walking over to something and people saying that the superbird had arrived. I look up to see just the wing floating above the rooftops of the other cars as it moved slowly through the crowds. Just looked like a fighter plane or rocket something. Brilliant. Way up there on my dream car garage list.
Couple in my town, Montecito, Ca. But so are just about every other dream car. Never been in one though.
Just Beautifull And All American Heavy Steel...When Cars Were Built To Last!
David Garon the ironic thing is that a lot of these are rusting away 😟
"huge, outlandish, loud and impractical" It's American ;)
I remember when these cars first came out. I was in my early twenties, and I said: "That's the most insane stupid looking car I've ever seen!!!..... I want one!!"
I was 12, blew me away. Never saw anything even close to it.
Me too, kind of.....had to get my FIRST NEW CAR:::*70 CORONET 500/383 /310,etc... really could, not, afford BIRD,OR BUICK GSX, LOADED road Runners/ GTO JUDGES., Corvette,THEN, ...
It honestly used to be my favourite car of all time Out of any car
I said this in 1997 when I first saw the Plymouth Prowler.
This was the first (and only) car, as a High School kid where my jaw dropped and said "Wow"
Seeing it on the highway brings tears to my eyes. Iconic. And when Jay merges on the highway right next to a Challenger. Ha!
For everyone, the fender scoops were for air pressure relief, not tire clearance (made up by Chrysler to keep it a secret) And the Spoiler was tall not because of trunk clearance (Also made up by Chrysler to keep it a secret), it was to use air that was less turbulent
they was also to help direct the air over the wing . i read that in a book back in the day wrote by the folks that made them
the people who designed the body said otherwise- i would tend to believe them
I love your garage shows Jay, this Covid19 has me watching lots of them, my favorite videos right now. This Superbird is great!
Tell me about it! I think I've watched about 20 in 2 days 😂
So sad that I'm still watching so much of this show because of covid, and its 9 months later.
When I was a junior in high school, one of the seniors at our school had a yellow Superbird, but he only drove it to school for a week or so. I fell in love with it.
That would have been awesome to be that fella driving into school
25:35 Lol that man was embarrassed that he owned a v6 and was to scared to look over at the big boy 🤣
That V6 is probably faster. If not you could order a computer chip for it and I promise you it would destroy that Daytona in the 1/4 mile.
@@USNVA-yn6cp idk I think the stock pass time for a super bird is like 13 or 14 seconds. There’s a number of minivans that can crack that time out of the box. Doesn’t mean it’s not a cool as heck far cuz it for sure is. But they’re not fast by modern standards.
@@craigb.5902 BS no minivan can do a 13-second quarter mile and these on slicks could do low 12s and even high 11s in the quarter mile. These are still fast even by modern standards. The Hemi was really 500 Hp. it was underrated because of insurance penalties. These also had over 500 ft. lbs. of torque high numbers even by modern standards and they did this without turbos or computers!!!
@@erics9754 not trying to trash the superbird, the car is a legend and rightfully so. But a SB ran an average 13.5 on the quarter. In par with the Caravan RT, the Pacifica Hybrid and the sienna. That said the superbird has a lot more overhead to squeeze more out of it. It’s a 200+ mph car if you’ve got the money and the steel balls to make it do it. But if you had one as from the factory there are modern vans that can match it in straight line acceleration on the quarter.
I love how Jay never, EVER sticks to his lane lol.
I also love how he has the same car but get to do this with a friend because they're friends:)
When I was in high school somebody showed up with a brand new one and we all laughed at it. We're not laughing now.
Same... Just another ugly and slow Blowpar. 🤣🤣🤣
O hope he kept it
Reminds me of a guy I met. I used work at a photo department and an old man dropped off some film he wanted developed and I remember packing the pictures up and the picture on top was a yellow convertible Hemi Cuda. I skipped my break so I could meet the guy when he came to pick it up as I was curious about the car and knew it was a holy grail type of car. He finally came in and I spoke to him about it, turned out he owned it until the 80s and totaled it in the rain one day. Bummer.
Thanks, yes.. also, I seen one at downtown, W LAFAYETTE INDIANA : it was a little to much DRAMA,& big for parking Spot,,and Dealers trouble selling !!!! ( I Graduated fromPharmacy School in June 1970:: buying my first” new” car in SEPTEMBER 1970(* 70 DODGE CORONET 500, in Ralley RED/ Black vinyl Top/ 383 Turquoise/auto/ deluxE INT & Console....)Admittedly,,I loved the superBIRDS, BUT only $3100 FULL price for CORONET ( it was a powerful engine/ trans/car); could not really afford /GTX/ BUICK GS/400,HEMI bird/ Road Runner loaded** , as we had lots of school driving left ,etc.( admittedly gas was some 26 to 32 cents GAL)...good times.!,
There was a Chrysler Plymouth dealership a couple miles from my house. They had about 10 of these things right out next to the road. They just couldn’t sell them. We all thought they were weird.
I remember seeing one in Cowley Middlesex England in the early 70s. That vision has stayed with me to this day.
Thanks, enjoy comments....& different perspectives.. Anyways I seen one ay Lafayette, IN EARLY 1970, @ Lafayette INDIANA( **I was just graduating from Pharmacy School @ PURDUE U.): way to,dramatic, and kind of long for Parking Spot in downtown, etc. Finally bought my first new Car : a 1979 DODGE Coronet 500;383/310 H, in RALLEY Red XOLOR/ Black,Vinyl top.....@$3100 full Price,... a powerful car... actually the HEMI GTX/GTO RAM / BUICK Stage 3-4, Road Runners/COBRA : much more epemsive, & himMaintwmances/ gas.
That is a great way to end off the New Years Jay. Reviewing a 1970 Plymouth Superbird, Beep, Beep. Also you and your family have a Happy New Years too.
absolutely. the nascar comments in video, this was from a day when the sc in nascar meant that... stock car
yamahonkawazuki that's right back in the real stock car days they were stock cars they may have double shocked each wheel on those and drove 200-plus miles an hour that's when they were real men driving real cars
Hell yea, also Richard Petty was my favorite stock car racer.
Jerry Johnson II I
I bought one in Springfield Oregon for $895.00 back in 1974. I let it go like so many other nice rides. Beautiful job on the restoration Jeff.
I feel your pain. Been there, done that.
Oooof. That damned thing called hindsight.
Thanks for showing us that masterpiece when I was a kid I would walk by the Plymouth dealer on the way home from school and drool over the Superbird never owned one but had plenty of cudas Challengers and roadrunners Thanks for the Memories
Driving old performance cars is just like roller coasters. Even though the old rickety wooden ones are half as dynamic as the new state of the art rail systems, the old ones are more fun.
That’s a great way to put it!! And there’s still a lot of speed involved. 👊
Lol at the guy in the Challenger. Two well known comedians in a bright orange Superbird and no Mopar love. He should be sentenced to a Toyota for the rest of his life.
Mustang. The blue car that messed with them was a Mustang.
trrrewr Hahahahahahaha!!! Funny
Seriously.
@Marymesilly They were in a special edition of Roadrunner that was indeed called the Superbird. Listen to when they're in the garage, talking about how some people had taken this model and "reverted it" back to the Road Runner, by taking off things like the huge tail 'wing', the extended front bumper, etc.
The Dude from what I understand from old articles, they 'de-winged' these and the Daytonas because they simply were not selling and languishing on dealers' lots, so they would have better luck selling them as Roadrunners or Chargers.
Hi:
The reason for the high wing was to place it above the turbulence into cleaner laminar air flow.
It was also adjustable to create the correct amount of downforce for prevailing conditions at different tracks.
Michael Rzewuski
I remember all those shifters making that grinding noise. Yes I was around back then! Lol!
It's 2AM January 1st and got the notification, the best way to start 2018. HNY Jay!
Jay and Jeff. Thank you both for sharing that awesome Superbird . WOW 😮 Now that’s an automobile!
One of the few memories I have from being 4 years old, was seeing a line of these at the dealership in Cleveland. My brother was 5 and he has the same memory.
Sumpthin poetic about putting a "Roadrunner" on a rotisserie.
Mystic Virgo Particularly if one is a Coyote.
*snurk, giggle
a "Roadrunner" on a rotisserie.....well said, made me burst out laughing,...damn good one.
Taste like chicken
@@scottr6394 could be! I'm not "the voice of experience", however!! LOL.
Now that is a true American Icon!
I remember seeing at least 6 of these winged supercars sitting at a dealership back in 1970 for weeks - no one was buying them! Y'all had your chance and you muffed it! Kudos to those who did buy these cars.
Real nice Superbird... Thanks for sharing such a beautiful car.
When I was in high school, in West Covina, CA. There was a gal who once in a while would drive her dads yellow Superbird to school... Those were the days....
Today I have a 1970 Hemi GTX, one of 76 built... with an auto trans... and a Dayna 60... one of 33 built, it's all there.... The car is painted in burnt orange, with black stripes, and has a black bucket interior. It is equipped with P/S and drum brakes, no power... Someone wanted to go fast, but didn't care about stopping... The odometer shows approx. 35,000 miles... My GTX is pretty flawless... It's not a Superbird, but I'm glad to have it!!
I love hearing about the beer cans in the back and I just think to myself someone drove that car the way it was meant to be driven
Joe Dirt!!!
Couple brews to get the throttle foot loose!
@@patkane761 YEEHAW
Drunk???
Drinking is the way you should drive. I did it too many times.
Beautiful throwback. And yes, screams 'The King,' even without the Petty Blue paint.
I have the blue paint matchbox of the king still in the package
Tbh if I owned a roadrunner, the horn would be burnt out within a week of owning it....
@Matrox One The joke is he'd overheat it from honking it all the time.
mine would smell like pu--y
MEEP MEEP
"burned"
Me Me!
I was born and raised in a Detroit northern suburb. In 1970 I was in ninth grade and that year I remember a person who was a junior drove to school with a brand new orange hemi superbIrd. In my high school parking lot could be found about any kind of 60s muscle car, but that super bird always stood out in my mind. The other car that really stood out for me belong to another teen in my neighborhood who lived a couple doors from my parents and bought a brand new orange, hemi GTX. I stared in awe of that car every time it went by.
@13:15 jeez guys close the hood from the center. you can see as they jam the hood pins in the hood latch isn't secure.
Ecosse57 I was thinking the same thing.
@ Ecosse57, & any and all MOPAR fans - ...and as everybody should know when closing the hood the latch should be held so when the hood is eased down the catch on the latch doesn't murph-up the catch ring on the latch cross bar... otherwise you end up having two skid marks where it rubs the catch ring which will eventually rust... as soon as the latch passes the top of the ring, hands can be removed from under the hood to press the hood closed from the top surface... thus no hood slam hands! I recommend this from experience having owned '68 roadrunner, '69 satellite '70 SuperBee same latch mechanically same manufacturer Mopar...
Ecosse57 i see it more of jeff being wet behind the ears, he let his end slam while Jay still had his side held. I believe Jay knew a helluva alot more than he put on to know. Modestly being respectful. Near the beginning when jeff tried to joke about the lights, i heard jay utter come on. Like that was lame. Lol
That's because, The hood is supposed to open up every time you stop and get out...LOL...
*I thought Jay had scratched the hood, when he removed the hood pin.*
13:15 that was the roughest most hard to watch hood close in my life.
Hey you, yeah you random person scrolling the comments, Happy New Year!
And to you , happy new year!
QQTrick1QQ happy new year. May the new year bring you cheap gas and empty roads.
Happy New Year
Happy New Year!!
Happy New year from South Africa. 🇿🇦
Both you guys crack me up felt like I was right in the backseat love it every time Jeff brings a car and I love your cars to Jay. Lol Thanks Bubba see you on the next one
Jeff’s cowlick
Vinyl roof was on there to hide the welds for the different rear window
@@majestical5331 The Daytona had a Rear window Plug as well.
Quite frankly I believe the old bit that "they could not sell them so some were converted back to Road Runners" is myth. I followed these cars closely since they came out. I heard so much misinformation through the years....in the mid-70s when my fellow car nuts claimed that no car was made (pre internet) until I showed them Tyco models and magazine articles (forget that I am not the only one remembering them on the streets). Then, for years it was the blathering that the nose and tails were fiberglass. Then, the "Dodge version is exactly the same car!" And on and on.
Yes, I call the conversion storiest hat has been handed down through the years auto folklore, like the stuff above. I don't believe it ever happened. Think about it for a moment. I'm a dealer. I have one Superbird that nobody wants to buy. Do I discount it down to the level that it will sell, even taking a loss to do so, OR, I do the following: 1)Pull out the tail 2)Either use some ugly plugs or weld up the holes (sheet metal welding, grind off the welds, finish, prime, paint) in the rear fenders that the wing went into 3) Replace the modified Coronet fenders with Road Runner fenders 4) Replace the hood with a Road Runner hood 5) pull off the nose 6) Acquire all the parts and pieces for the RR grille, lights, radiator support, hood latch, etc 7) repaint and blend.
Yeah, right. A dealer acquired all those parts, did all that labor and paint to sell a car at a loss, rather than taking LESS of a loss just discounting the Superbird. In my opinion, until I see the genuine article, that story is a fabrication.
Wow. That does make alot of sense when you put it that way.
I never heard about any conversion until now but do know they had trouble selling them 1 set behind our local dodge dealer unsold for years before it was sold. It was a 440 with an automatic and had a front bench seat. The person that bought it put a trailer hitch on it and used it to pull a trailer of all things. By that time new car HP was way down A problem that that car didn't have. Something happened to the tranny and he left it sit in his field. I moved back to the area after being away for 20 years and it's now gone. Would love to know where it is now.
ToyKingWonder you speak FACT my friend . Ive heard soooo much BS over the yrs about these cars . And yes, friends of mine owned them . Straightforward they were very interesting automobiles, a lot of Manufacturers had muscle cars but these Dodge Daytona's and Plymouth Superbirds were so very unique in their development, and the end result proved that Chrysler Corporation was absolutely Superior when it came to development at high speed. To the jealousy of the other manufacturers... Too bad. This car is Automotive History and it always will be in this country. The hemispherical head combustion engine was nothing new, but Chrysler Corporation was the first to incorporate that design into a V8 engine and put it into mass production in the fifties. The rest is merely amazing. So many stories so many wild rumors... Easy for us Mopar guys we just look at the facts
@Red Dawn Wouldn't that mean the VIN would have been different from other RR's? I've never seen a RR with a Superbird VIN.. Unless the Superbird VIN and the RR VINs were the same? Or they gave the car an entirely new VIN plate. I guess they could have done that.
@@70stunes71 your comments are too funny......Chrysler spent MILLIONS getting the superbird and Daytona ready to race...….the 1970 Debut of the superbird at riverside was humiliating.....almost all of the cars spun off the track, 3 of the top 5 spots went to Ford......ah but Daytona was next.....lolol.....Cale Blistered Daytona in his LAST years Mercury setting a track record that stood for 16 years taking the pole in dominating fashion.....Cale dominated one of the 125s and then again dominated the 500 until he blew an engine. Then Pearson had the race covered until a late tire strategy let Pete Hamilton get the win...….the videos are out there to watch them, the winged cars still had NOTHING for the slope nosed fords.
I remember my first ride in this car, I was 13 years old. It got me into muscle cars. I had a 69 Mach 1 with a 351 C, which I built, did the 1/4 mile in 10 flat and my next car was a 70 Boss 302 with the shaker hood. I got clocked on the New England Through way by a parked highway patrol officer doing 150 mph. He told me to slow down over the CB, it was 1 am. This was 1975.
Jim Giordano 89 Mustang lx 5.0 3:08 , 5 speed...150mph stock..💨👍
I drove a street Charger (not Daytona) from that year and the guy here is right: nothing felt tight even at modest speeds in my experience. Still, such an eye-catching and memorable SuperB!
That rattle is from change stuck under the ash tray dish, that's my 2 cents.
Well done
ha!
I was wondering if anyone was going to address the rattle comment... I wonder what it really is?
My brother had a '71 Challenger with a pistol grip shifter and it made that same noise. There were nylon bushings on the forks and they weren't tight in the holes or the on the shaft, so they vibrated. That shifter felt great in your hand, it was not hokey at all. The Challenger's shifter was just above the console, not up in the air like this example.
Damn, I thought it was Peanut trying to get out of the trunk.....
what's up with the volume
you mean what's down?
Paktra-- WAY DOWN
Jay is either not mic'd or at least poorly
It's like no one watches these videos with sound after they edit them.
The horn at the end blew my ears off !
Awesome car Dunham. That moves you up a level in my book. Level 1.
I remember seeing that car at the dealership in 1970 for around 3900. I was only 10 at that time and fell in love with it
Same here and it is still my Dream car
Plymouth said (to Petty) what does it make to have you drive for us, Petty said "a wing"
There were 505 Daytonas made in 69
As he puts the pin in backwards
And in 1970 there was only 2 hundred and something that made it to dealerships because Dodge would build them , run them through the line for official count , then run the same car through again with a different Vin # so they would take the cars apart and send them to the Nascar teams because so many was getting destroyed .
so they only made 505 unsellable cars in '69- they wish....
For those who are interested in learning more, there are a couple of car clubs dedicated to these cars. The Winged Warriors and The Daytona-Superbird Auto Club which also recognizes the "Aero Warrior" Fords of this amazing era-the Ford Talladega and the Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II. To expand on things talked about in this episode, The vinyl roof was to cover the welding and seam scars of a special rear window surround (the Chrysler guys called it a "plug"), rear window glass and trim that provided better air flow over the roofline. But unlike the Dodge Daytona of the year before that had a special rear window roof section that was welded in, leaded, metal finished and painted the Superbird had to be built in much higher numbers, as Jeff stated. It was much more cost effective to cover 1,920 Superbird roofs with vinyl than to perform the bodywork done to the 503 Daytona's. The rear facing fender scoops touched on in this episode are also a by product of 1,920 semi-hand built cars. On the Dodge Daytona's, holes under the scoops were cut out to make sure they would be legal on the race track. For the higher volume Superbird's the holes weren't cut out but there was a printed sheet instructing the owner how and where to cut out the openings in the hope NASCAR would recognize this as legal-which they did. And truth be told the Superbird did bring bring back Richard Petty to Plymouth but his young teammate, Pete Hamilton, scored the biggest wins for Petty Enterprises in the Superbird #40 including the 1970 Daytona 500.
Don Amadio self explanatory, thanks for sharing the info!
Still better than any of the new nascars
True I think they should have some rules and use current model/engines...atleast we would get racing development and manufacturer improvement on current models...like it did back then.
I agree! Now its just kit cars that have no resemblance to the real production mods.
They still call it stock car racing...LOL, Nothing stock about them!
Daniel...It should be like the old days.....they have to build 2,500 copies for the street for it to qualify for racing;-)
I miss those days, real stock cars are gone forever.
I remember seeing one in real life for the 1st time at a car show. I just stood there in silence. You don't realize how big it really is until you see it in person. I've always loved them...beautiful cars.
I was a young USAF GI in late 1971 and went to a Plymouth dealership with my dad to look for an inexpensive new car. I spied a gorgeous black with white trim 1972 340 Duster while we were there and bought it. It sported a 3-speed manual shift, dual exhausts, and rally wheels with the same Goodyear Polyglas tires. It had no power options or air conditioning. It was just a cheap lightweight go-fast muscle car...and it was fast! I drove it home for a whopping $2800 out the door, thanks to my dad haggling with (punishing) the salesman.
In the showroom there was a still unsold new 1970 Superbird. The salesman said they simply couldn't sell it because the young people that wanted to buy it either couldn't get insurance or couldn't get it financed. The reason was, at the time, it was considered to be an exotic super-fast racing model and that was its downfall. That and the fact it was also very expensive.
Yep, the 340s sold like hotcakes.
'Pontiac and Plymoth are the same thing' -Jeff Dunham, owner of $300,000 Superbird.
I think he was referring to the fact that the Pontiac Trans Am has the same thing, in reference to the reverse light, to remove the ignition key; as the Plymouth.
I thought the same thing I'd never mix up Pontiac and Plymouth
Yea I think he was talking about the reverse lockout I think it's called to remove the key.
Is it me or does Jay have trouble staying in his lane!!
the old geezer’s gonna have to retire from driving soon
Jay often strays over the lane lines.
His giant chin sometimes moves back and forth so much it vibrates his brain and throws off his judgment and vision.
Big Mur , he is a scary driver , always crossing lanes.
It's okay, that's why he leaves his blinker on for miles at a time.
AWESOME !!! When I was 18 (1970) I was driving a Ford 9N farm tractor, raking hay on my Dad's farm and one of these BEAUTIFUL BEASTS drove by ..... the exact same color !! Well ...... I FELL IN TOTAL LOVE WITH IT and just HAD to know what it was !! In my "humble opinion" these are the most fascinating cars EVER built...... TO THIS VERY DAY !! Lik4 SOOOOO Many of us ... I damn sure wish I had mortgaged myself into debt and bought ONE OF EACH COLOR when they were pennies on the dollar. So great to see "2 regular guys" just cruzin' and enjoying the ride !!! I'll no doubt ever get the chance but at least I got to "go for a ride with 2 great guys .... unbeknownst to them !! LOL !!
Jay Leno: the king of not using turn signals when changing lanes, and driving over the line.
Trizzy Nahhh yeah, but then, he IS Jay Leno...
And for a bit there, he was driving straight with the left signal on. LOL!!
Some people just like to complain.
@@roberthill7335 ever drive a car from this era? Sometimes when changing lanes, the wheel rotation isn't enough to click off the signal.
Jay is following A lead car You can see the refection when they are stoped at left turns.
A few items that where not mentioned. The nose cone and rear wing are different from the Daytona and the Superbird.
The rear wing had 2 functions one was to be high enough to catch clear air and bring the back end of the car down and a lesser known fact the sides of the wing acted like stabilizers around corners on the super speedways. Pete Hamilton (Richard Petty's teammate) won Talledega (first race won by the Superbird) by keeping the throttle pegged knowing that the rear of the car would not spin out in the turns.
The scoops on the front fenders did let turbulent air out but also allowed the car to sink lower in the corners as the tires would have scraped the bottom of the fenders due to the air pushing the front spoiler and front cone down. They are correct that the only thing that kept the car back was the tire technology of that time. Tires would overheat and blow out. All Superbirds came with vinyl roofs because the rear window area was different from the standard Road Runner and it was less expensive to cover the body work/ welds required to fit the more aero rear window area than with a vinyl roof.
Some dealers still had new Superbirds sitting in their lots in 1973.
Dunham and Jay put on a good show. The car is a total hoot. Very enjoyable.
Rotisserie Super Bird
28:43 - "Tach screaming at 4000" - LOL, a few years ago I took a buddy with me to a car show. We went through this town known for speeding tickets, when he told me, "You know, it is 55 through here." I just nodded and he said it again. Nodded again, and he said, "you aren't worried about the speed?" I turned and said, "Mark, I'm doing 50. You just aren't used to that 1:1 final out of the transmission. There isn't an overdrive dropping it to 1500 rpm."
"hilarious" video
have watched seceral times
cracks me up every time
love how friendship shows through
great stuff
The thing about the vents being there because the tires rubbed is something Dodge made up because they didn't want anyone to know that they are really there to release air from under the fender.
jaya neyon so would there be a way to control the air coming out.because if they were wide open wouldn't you make the nose "light"not trolling just a question
Steve B no just the opposite. Having the air trapped in under the fender is what made the front end light due to the nose lifting from the trapped air. Hth
Too small for the tire bit; perfect for releasing air pressure.
Yeh, that Chryco starter noise. Iconic in itself. Watch movies and TV from the late 60s to the 80s and listen when actors start their cars. Nine out of ten times you will hear that starter sound. Probably the most over-used Hollywood sound effect. Whether it was a Ford Galaxy, AMC Ambassador or a Corvette, they almost always used that effect. I’ve pointed it out so many times watching old flicks that now when a car starts onscreen my wife just glances at me and I nod my head. Then we laugh. I always liked the sound of that starter. Call me weird or call me a car-nut!
It was a reduction gear starter.
it makes me misty eyed with joy :'-) I wonder if that old starter will fit in my '00 durango 4x4? it has leaf springs & torsion bars so..maybe add one more anachronistic but excellent attribute! lol.
@@gzuzsavz lol
Yep. Grear reduction starter, torsion bar suspension, best automatic trans. in the auto industry, well engineered engines that lasted longer before rebuild time. Big blocks with the strongest bottom ends in the business. That was MOPAR engineering. When I was growing up I couldn't figure out why my dad kept buying Chrysler Corp. cars. I was dazzled by things like the T Bird's interior but was mostly into Euro cars. Then I started getting hooked on drag racing and as I learned more about cars I understood my father's rationale for sticking with them. By and large the running gear was good for many more miles than a comparable Ford or GM product.
Amen on the stiff clutch. Had a 69 Road Runner back in the day and I recall how it was a pain to shift. No power steering or brakes either. Had an orange light under the dash that would come on when you put it in reverse.
That wing was air craft quality aluminum, you could stand on it and it wouldn't bend or break. Also, the air up at the wing was more stable which provided more down force. That wing was high for a specific reason, smoother, less turbulent air equals more down force.
dobbins2550 I read from a respectable source not all of the cars came with aluminium wings because of the cost of manufacturing just the racing and early production
Nope, not aluminum. Restored a barn find superbird last yr with a shop i use 2 work with. It seems more like pot metal. Extremly heavy 3 piece
It was also adjustable
+ it supplied a large amount of lateral stability, unlike most spoilers, wings. & wasn't just bolted to the sheet metal, strong steel rods run down to the sub-frame. bc thick quarter panels, not 1" wide lameness. bc muscle. bc designed in coolness and safety. bc hitting a tumble weed or other minor road hazard, animal etc wont shove the too thin sheet metal into a tire that's a 1/4" away. bc mopar.
dobbins2550 they held up 3 men, standing on them with very little deflection. 'Pot metal', say some. lol. You're correct, high strength aluminum + the Nascar wings did have one difference, they had a retention cable holding them on that ran through them in the event of a crash, they didn't want them flying into the crowds, obv. Other trolls saying 'crazy to have that power in this chassis. Huh? A very strong, over engineered Uni-body. Man, ppl have no respect. Like saying General Patton was a poor commander, lol!
Jeff Dunham seems like such a fun person to talk to. He's just a personable as he appears in his shows! I'm also pleasantly surprised to see he's such a car-fanatic! I think he stumped Leno a few times during this show, and that's quite hard to do!
hazards280 Totally agree. I would say Leno was actually annoyed at certain moments like 'don't take the lights from me' 😁
hazards280 You must be an extremely annoying person.
Hmmph....I find him very annoying.
matrox extremely
ventriliquist at 55 years old! CRINGE!
I always learn something from these episodes. I never knew the front end and rear wing on these were metal; always assumed they were fiberglass. I also assumed the height of the rear wing was so that the vertical supports were bigger to add lateral stability on the track at high speed; like the rudder on a plane. I never considered that the trunk also wouldn't fully open if it were lower.
Don't forget when they were chopping off the nose and wing and throwing them in the trash top sell them as Roadrunners, think of all that metal just going to the landfill.
I used to think they were plastic. But what kind of metal were they?
@@captainamerica9353 From what I could find on the internet, it's just the same steel as the rest of the body panels. 18-gauge steel from what I could find.
@@ace3indiana , then it sounds like these were heavy cars!
Once i went to a carshow in Harriet Island near Minneapolis and there were a dozen Superbirds and Daytonas there. I about fainted!
This car - yes!
This is how to bring in 2018.
I would love to do 200 mph and hit that friggin' horn.
Road Runner i think 200 hundred on a banked track like daytona would be awsome that thing on a track like indy with basically zero banking would be scary but i would ride shotgun with ya for sure
This car wouldn't stay on the road at 200 MPH. The NASCAR versions produced roughly 240 additional HP, were lighter, lower, used modified suspensions, etc.
Yes, that car can't even go 200. Maybe 160 or so at sea level on a cool day.
@@amc401nash6 those cars would hit 150 to 160
I live in Zanesville dr. Smith is my veterinarian. He told me the story about selling the car to Jeff
I live in Zanesville, Dr. Smith is my father and Jeff is my uncle.
@Vavazelus I'm Dr Smith's dog. I was there when he sold his car to Jeff. And I one bit that mailman.
I have a doctor Smith in my town!
@@druidofthefang I would never live in Zanesville.
My dog used to work on Dr. Smith. Good times....
If I had a 1970 Superbird, I`d be so happy.