The Plymouth Superbird was the awesome car that lured Richard Petty back into the carmaker’s NASCAR team. Chrysler built around 2,000 Superbirds to homologate the model as a production car. Jennings Wing Cars has one of them in its collection. But it’s not just any Superbird, but a rare Petty Blue Superbird survivor.
A True Petty Blue 1970 Plymouth Superbird
Bob of Jennings Wing Cars discussed a bit about the history and authenticity of this car, which they acquired from Mecum Auction. He remarked that Petty Blue Superbirds are very rare, simply because Plymouth built just 50 examples of them. Petty Blue – a.k.a. Corporate Blue – was the exact same color that Petty Enterprises employed on the racing circuit.
Apparently, there’s a way to know whether this is an original Petty Blue Superbird – by looking at the fender tag under the hood.
The fender tag has six lines bearing several numbers and letter, some of them are proof of the authentic story of this 1970 Superbird. The second line from the bottom reveals the number 999, which was a code the Chrysler used to indicate that the model came with a special color. Then, there’s the code C37, which indicates that this model comes finished in Corporate Blue.
Fender Tag Tells More Superbird History
There’s more that the fender tag can tell about this Petty Blue Plymouth Superbird. For instance, the bottom-most line reveals the VIN RM23 V0A 172660. ‘RM23’ stands for the Superbird while V’ indicates that it’s an original six-pack car (with a trio of two-barrel carburetors). The 172660 is its serial number. Bob says Plymouth only built 20 six-pack cars.
On the top of the serial number is ‘J99533.’ The ‘J’ is present in all Penny Blue Superbirds, with the first one numbered 99 500. Jennings Wing Cars’ example is number ‘99 533. Sold new in Tennessee, this car comes with V-code 440 six-BBL V8 engine. The V8 mill sends 360 hp of max output to the wheels via an A727 TorqueFlite automatic transmission.
A Superbird Survivor For Over 50 Years
This Plymouth Superbird is a true survivor as it lived more than 50 years without undergoing restoration. It remains in its original condition, including its Petty Blue paint finish, sheet metal, drivetrain, black top and white interior.
According to Bob, their aero-car is the single finest unrestored example of the Superbird. He, however, remarked they had replaced or repaired some minor things such as burned out bulbs and a blown fuse.
Source: Jennings Wing Cars on YouTube