Of the 1,935 SuperBirds built, 135 were Street Hemis, 1,084 were 440 four-barrels, and 716 had the 440 six-barrel, like this one. A column-shift TorqueFlite car, it's also got the 831/44 Sure Grip rear axle. There's an arm-long list of local guys pursuing this car. Our guess is the owner will eventually wise up and sell it.
Before their recent explosion on the collector-car scene, Plymouth Road Runners were serious blue-collar hot rods. They were perfect second- and third-hand party machines for the Led Zeppelin generation. With a four on the floor-and a fifth under the seat-they were cheap, common, and brutal machines that often died horrible deaths-sometimes along with their passengers. But in the two decades since nostalgic baby boomers started restoring and collecting the musclecars of their youths, the Road Runner has risen to the top of the heap, and now everybody wants one. So imagine our shock and surprise to discover this pair of ravaged Runners on a recent trip to the East Coast. No, these aren't vintage scrapbook photos from the late '70s (when sights like these were common), nope, these shots were taken in the summer of 2006. Scope 'em out!
Groovy Factoids
*The '73 Road Runner was more than 7 inches longer than the '72 thanks to its federally mandated 5-mph bumpers.
*It is believed that just over 1,000 SuperBirds exist today, an approximate 50 percent survival rate.
Though a sliding metal sunroof was optional on the '73, some goon hacked the roof for an aftermarket add-on. A look underneath revealed an 811/44 rear axle instead of the hoped for 831/44, not surprising, as falling compression ratios and power allowed the use of family-car axles with no fear of breakage. The original-issue strobe stripe is super cool. | 
We'll spare the owner of this '70 SuperBird a ton of grief by not revealing its location. We asked and no, it's not for sale. Having owned the car since the '70s, he's going to restore it . . . someday. Better get on it soon, pal, 'cause the rust is extensive and that cheap plastic tarp keeps as much moisture in as it keeps out. |
Found at Curboy's Auto Wrecking in Sturbridge, Massachusetts (508/347-9650), this '73 Road Runner has power disc brakes, power steering, and (happily) no A/C. At first, the 318 two-barrel fooled us into thinking it had the lame new-for-'73 170hp 318 engine, but the H-code woke us to the fact it was originally built with the optional 240hp 340. 1973 was a strong sales year, with 17,443 sold-nearly three times the 6,159 Road Runners sold in 1972. | |