The Superbird Wing Was Not "Idiotically-Ineffective" or "Dumb"

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I agree, first NASCAR to go over 200, I think the aero package worked just fine. BTW, the only reason it was soo tall was so the truck lid could be opened. I believe the aero was developed at Kansas state wind tunnel. Hey, aircraft manufacturers dont know a thing about aerodynamics, right?.....
 
But,

Don't you think it was a 'tad' too much for a street driven car.

Many of the Plymouth Dealerships couldn't unload these
Banana Boats during 1970.
 
69 Cuda 440 said:
But,

Don't you think it was a 'tad' too much for a street driven car.

Many of the Plymouth Dealerships couldn't unload these
Banana Boats during 1970.
Click to expand...

They had to build a certain number of "street" cars in order to be allowed to use it in nascar. I don't think it was a matter of, "is it too big for the street?"

And as already mentioned it had to be that tall in order for the trunk lid to open.
 
Even the wright brothers used a wind tunnel. In fact they practically invented them. You don't need high math and computers to do impirical experiments and interpret results

Having said that I do think these cars are butt ugly.
 
Back when "stock cars" were basically stock cars. Not like what they have today. Impalas, which are FWD on a RWD chassis...... Nope, just ain't the same. Other makes are just as guilty.
 
MileHighDart said:
They had to build a certain number of "street" cars in order to be allowed to use it in nascar. I don't think it was a matter of, "is it too big for the street?"

And as already mentioned it had to be that tall in order for the trunk lid to open.
Click to expand...

That number was 200 to the public back in 1970, I wish NASCAR would set that rule again, they would have a 100 times bigger fan base :banghead:
Good recall MileHighDart :glasses7:
 
The wing was not that tall so the trunk could open, it was that tall to get it up in to the "clean" air. One of the two guys that came up with the design said the trunk opening wasn't even a worry. It's an old wives tale, like the ducts over the fenders. The ducts where there to vent the air from the wheel wells, not to provide additional clearance for the tires like was told. Most likely these were believable white lies told by Ma Mopar as to not reveal the actual science and strategy behind the actual uses.
 
Superbird

Fun Filled Fact #21

Superbird's were 'never' equipped with a Factory installed Hood Scoop.
* 440/375 HP
* 440/390 HP 'Six-Barrel'
* 426/425 HP 'Street Hemi
 
omahamoparguy said:
I agree, first NASCAR to go over 200, I think the aero package worked just fine. BTW, the only reason it was soo tall was so the truck lid could be opened. I believe the aero was developed at Kansas state wind tunnel. Hey, aircraft manufacturers dont know a thing about aerodynamics, right?.....
Click to expand...


Minimum requirements was 500 for the Daytona in 1969 and 1,920 for the Superbird in 1970. More details on this is a few paragraphs down in the article along with wing and fender scoop info.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth_Superbird
 
greymouser7 said:
I read some where that the race teams switched the horizontal stabilizer to upside down for it to be effective.

Is that where this is coming from?
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According to the article the wing airfoil was already upside down. BTW, the rear stabilizer on helicopters is also an "upside down" airfoil.

From the article: "The cross-sectional shape is an inverted Clark Y airfoil which is a highly efficient negative force generator within the 12 deg adjustment range provided.”
 
Funny that this thread came up today. I saw one yesterday on my way home from work. In fact, it was the same color as the one o.p. posted from the article. I think it was the first time I've actually seen one on the street.
 
Petty made the comment that these cars were easy to save when the car would start to spin.
He attributes that to the upright stablizers.

I remember back around 1972, My Dad was looking at Chrysler Newports, there were two Super Birds there, 2200.00 each.

My Dad wouldn't even look at them.
 
We have a 70 383 4 speed bird in town, Just saying ..
 
DNasty777 said:
The wing was not that tall so the trunk could open, it was that tall to get it up in to the "clean" air. One of the two guys that came up with the design said the trunk opening wasn't even a worry. It's an old wives tale, like the ducts over the fenders. The ducts where there to vent the air from the wheel wells, not to provide additional clearance for the tires like was told. Most likely these were believable white lies told by Ma Mopar as to not reveal the actual science and strategy behind the actual uses.
Click to expand...

:cheers: And those small fender ducks pushed the front of the car down (Down Force) help in the turns as well as let the air pass threw the fender :glasses7: Agree and herd these things in the past :color:
 
This is why I like MoPar's.
They always seemed to have the least budget to work with, but always Engineered a way to win.

I would love to have a Wing car.
No other mfg. was this bold.
 
mikedevore said:
This is why I like MoPar's.
They always seemed to have the least budget to work with, but always Engineered a way to win.

I would love to have a Wing car.
No other mfg. was this bold.
Click to expand...

Mike Devore,

Go to Class Racer.com

See the 'in-depth' thread I wrote about Jack Werst's {SS/EA} Hemi Superbird.

That Superbird was a 'Skunkworks Project' at Chrysler. They built it for Jack, to
crush the SS/EA National Record at the 1970 Indy Nationals.

They wanted Ray Allen's 'coolie' in his 1970 1/2 'SS-454' Chevelle 'convertible'.
 
Louie70Dart said:
Back when "stock cars" were basically stock cars. Not like what they have today. Impalas, which are FWD on a RWD chassis...... Nope, just ain't the same. Other makes are just as guilty.
Click to expand...

Actually, the Chevy in Sprint Cup racing is an "SS" which in real life is a RWD car from GM-Holden in Australia. Not that any NASCAR race car uses any "stock" parts anymore anyways.
 
The actual production was:

392 Charger 500
505 Daytonas
1971 Superbirds


The requirements for Nascar on 69 was for a 500 units built.

They took the last of the Charger 500 and had them converted to Daytonas, so they didn't have to pay for the difference to be made for the Daytonas, since the Charger 500 was the base for the Daytona.

(We're talking the one year only 69 Charger 500, not the trim package Charger 500 available in later years. True Charger 500's had the back window to be flush with the back of the back pillars, not recessed like all other production Chargers which was send out and done after the factory)

Chrysler played "hide-the-coconut" with Nascar officials. They had the Charger 500's parked in a few different lots. While they were counting cars in one lot, they would move them to another lot to be counted again. Some cars were counted twice to fudge for the difference in the Nascar requirement and how many they had actually shipped/sold.

In 1970 Nascar changed the requirements to one per dealer. There were 1,921 dealers in the US, and 50 dealers in Canada for a total production of 1,971 Superbirds.
 
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