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Richard Petty’s Plymouth Superbird Becomes The Most Expensive Stock Car In The World

We don’t get to see much of NASCAR in the UK. To be honest, I know very little about the sport. But if there’s one thing I do know about, it’s the Plymouth Superbird that was raced successfully by Richard Petty during the 70s.

Its large rear wing towered beyond any other car on the track, and its aerodynamics were unmatched due to the slippery nature of its body. It had a powerful engine as well, in the form of a 7.0-litre Hemi V8, which produced 425bhp, and shovelled that through a four-speed. It could reach 60mph in just 5.5 seconds, and would top out at over 200mph. This thing was an innovative weapon.

And it still is, after a complete restoration by Petty’s very own garage team. Only fully-original parts were used during this nut and bolt restoration, to the point where the team used photos to check the position of each individual rivet. But this wasn’t so it could be driven hard again, it’s so it could sell at the the 2019 Harrisburg automotive auction hosted by Mecum Auctions.

Bidding began at $10 million optimistically, but no one bit, so it was reduced to $1 million, and several bids later sat at $3.5. Unfortunately, that wasn’t close to the reserve price, so the car never sold. The car is going to be sat in current owner Todd Werner’s garage for the time being.

It wasn’t all bad luck for Werner however, as he did sell a 1971 Plymouth Road Runner that Petty successfully raced at the Daytona 500 for $412,500.

Richard Petty's Plymouth Superbird Becomes The Most Expensive Stock Car In The World

Let me know what you think the undisclosed reserve was. $15 million? $20 million? I feel as though someone was a little too optimistic when deciding it, so don’t hold back!

Alex Harrington

Alex started racing at a young age so certainly knows his way around a car and a track. He can just about put a sentence together too, which helps. He has a great interest in the latest models, but would throw all of his money at a rusty old French classic and a 300ZX. Contact: [email protected]

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