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Оглавление1969 Plymouth Superbird Prototype
By Wes Eisenschenk
Of all things to transpire after the 1968 Grand National (NASCAR) season, the defection of Richard Petty from Plymouth to Ford is perhaps one of the most overlooked separations in the history of motorsports. After nearly a decade of dominance, Petty, who had led the charge for Plymouth since switching from Oldsmobile during the 1959 season, was headed to the Blue Oval, and Plymouth had to go back to the drawing board.
In hindsight, 1968 wasn’t that terrible of a year for King Richard and his Plymouth Road Runners. In fact, Richard closed the year with 16 wins (two in his 1967 Plymouth) and finished strong with 5 wins in his last 10 races. Throw out his DNF at Charlotte (third-to-last race) and his average finishing position over those last 9 contests was 1.88.
Creative Industries of Detroit grafted a new nose onto a 1969 Plymouth Road Runner to construct the Superbird and began the process of luring Richard Petty back to Plymouth. (Photo Courtesy Richard Padovini and Winged Warriors Car Club)
He started the 1969 campaign in his 1968 Road Runner and ended up 1st at Macon and 2nd at Montgomery, finishing behind Bobby Allison, also driving a Plymouth. So why would Richard want to leave the auto manufacturer with whom he had so much success and who had seemingly been offering him competitive equipment?
The Dodge Influence
The answer was happening over at Dodge. Before the 1968 campaign, Dodge had rolled out an all-new Charger. Aesthetically, the car looked unbeatable. Competitively, it was a turd. It was so bad aerodynamically that in mid-1968 Chrysler began to rework the body at Creative Industries of Detroit in order to make the car more competitive for 1969. By adding a flush nose (donated from the Coronet) and removing the sail panels from the roofline, the Chargers became more cooperative at the high speeds on the superspeedways.
Dodge would have to build 500 production copies to make the car eligible for competition in NASCAR for the 1969 season. Rumors persist that when NASCAR officials visited Creative to count how many cars were constructed, employees simply drove around the building and through the entrance again so they were counted twice. The final tally was 392 Charger 500s built with NASCAR apparently none the wiser.
Obviously, the willingness of Dodge to help make the Chargers faster while Plymouth sat on its hands didn’t sit well with the Pettys. In truth, they weren’t getting the factory support that they felt they needed, whereas it appeared the Dodge drivers were. For 1969, Plymouth had indicated to Petty that he would be campaigning the reworked Road Runner that he had driven in 1968. This proved to be the proverbial nail in the coffin for Richard and his days at Chrysler.
On November 25, 1968, Richard announced that he would be headed to Ford for the 1969 Grand National season. For 1969 Ford Motor Company planned to debut the new drop-nosed Talladegas and Cyclone Spoiler IIs.
Charger Daytona Debut
With an ever-increasing transition from dirt ovals to paved super-speedways in NASCAR’s premier series, “aero” was the new term that everyone in the garage had to adhere to. Dodge began making the transition with the Charger 500 in 1968 but took things to a whole new level in 1969 because it just wasn’t satisfied with its race cars.
In early 1969, Dodge began work on the Charger 500’s successor, the Dodge Charger Daytona. The car was to debut in 1970, but plans changed when the Ford Talladega and Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II debuted at the Atlanta 500. This forced Chrysler to contract Creative Industries again to quickly begin production of the 503 copies for street use and NASCAR homologation.
In September at Talladega, the Charger Daytona debuted with its extended beak and grafted wing and with replacement driver Richard Brickhouse. Why Richard Brickhouse? Because 16 regulars, led by Richard Petty (head of the Professional Drivers Association), boycotted the race because of safety concerns.
With Brickhouse behind the wheel, the aero-sensitive machine ran laps consistently in the 197-mph range. The Daytona went on to win the race and ultimately ushered in Chrysler’s dominance, placing Chrysler on the throne for the next season and a half.
The prototype wing is applied to the rear quarter panels of the 1969 Road Runner at Creative Industries of Detroit. Similar to the 1969 Dodge Charger 500, a smaller rear window is also affixed to this Bird. (Photo Courtesy Richard Padovini and Winged Warriors Car Club)
Road Runner to Superbird Concept Car
In June 1969, Chrysler CEO Lynn Townsend began the changes that brought Richard Petty back to Plymouth by creating the winged car. Petty also requested that all of Plymouth’s racing program go through Petty Enterprises. The deal was done and Petty signed a contract to return Plymouth after the 1969 racing season.
With a 1969, not a 1970, hardtop Road Runner donated by Chrysler, Creative Industries of Detroit began the task of building the Superbird. This donor car was either Alpine White or Sunfire Yellow based on the photos saved by Dick Padovini. Options appear to have included V7X Black Longitude Stripe, V1 Vinyl Roof, V21 Performance Hood Paint, G31 OS RH Manual Standard Mirror, C55 Bucket Seats, U64 F70-15 White Stripe Tires, W15 Deep Dish Wheel Covers, and M25 Wide Sill Molding.
The front clip featured a clay-molded nose with simulated fender scoops and what appears to be filled-in side markers, although the location isn’t quite where the stock markers were. Out back, the aero Bird’s rear glass was removed and fitted with a smaller piece to make it more aerodynamic. The Bird’s primitive, clay-molded rear wing wasn’t adjustable and had to be braced for stability. The 1970 Superbird was a resounding success with Richard, who notched 18 total victories across 40 races, although he also competed in his Road Runner hardtop. It may have been a championship season for King Petty had he not been involved in a violent crash at Darlington that sidelined him for eight contests. The Superbird also notched key victories in superspeedway races at Talladega and Daytona, including a coveted win at the Daytona 500.
The clay is well massaged and smooth and braces provide stability for the new nose cone. The hood features pre-fabbed fender scoops. (Photo Courtesy Richard Padovini and Winged Warriors Car Club)
NASCAR eventually handicapped the Chrysler winged cars with engine-size restrictions, which rendered them uncompetitive. Today, Superbirds, especially those with the Hemi engine option, routinely sell for more than $300,000.
What happened to the 1969 Superbird concept car? Virtually nothing is known about its status. Whether it was destroyed, converted back to 1969 Road Runner specs, or let loose to the general public remains a mystery. So, if you see a funky-looking 1969 Road Runner sporting a nose cone and a rear spoiler, don’t mock the car or the owner. You might well be looking at one of the most important cars in the history of motorsports.
Chrysler also called on Creative Industries of Detroit for the development of the 1969 Charger Daytonas. Note the Charger hoods and Daytona nose cones still lying around at Creative. (Photo Courtesy Richard Padovini and Winged Warriors Car Club)
Held up by bracing, the 1969 Superbird nose cone looks the part of an aero warrior. On the wall in the background are sketches of the prototype. I’ll take one, please! (Photo Courtesy Richard Padovini and Winged Warriors Car Club)
