Here's Where Richard Petty's Legendary Plymouth Superbird Is Today

Richard Petty's legendary Plymouth Superbird was up for sale on popular auction site Bring a Trailer (BaT). While the bidding rose to a high of $385,000, the reserve on this vehicle was not met, and it went unsold. And while this car had a modicum of the Petty aura, it was not an original Richard Petty race car or even a street Superbird that he had owned since it was new. 

Let's clarify. The Plymouth Superbird was made for one year only and was created to take on its sister car, the Dodge Charger Daytona, with a total of 1,920 Superbirds produced for the 1970 model year. This particular car packs a 440 cubic-inch V8 with a four-barrel carburetor. It's not the best engine spec compared to the HEMI Superbird, one of the most desirable muscle cars, of which only 135 were made. 

According to the information provided at the time of the auction, this Plymouth Superbird was purchased by Petty in 1982 and displayed during the 1990s in his museum in Level Cross, North Carolina. Some years later, in 2013, Petty sold the car to the present owner, who commissioned Petty's Garage to do $21,500 worth of work on the car. This included removing the engine and transmission, plus everything else attached to the inner fenders and firewall. The undercoating was removed, and all paint was stripped in preparation for a repaint in the original Alpine White color. Topping it all off was a new vinyl top. After owning the Superbird for 12 years or so, the present owner decided to sell it.

Based on the comments accompanying the BaT listing of Richard Petty's Plymouth Superbird, the seller who consigned it had listed it in November 2025 at a price of $699,995. This represents quite a large Petty premium for this legendary Plymouth Superbird that got its name from a cartoon character. Based on sales of Superbirds in original condition on Classic.com over the past year, cars with the 440 4-barrel engine have sold for between $165,000 and $286,000. HEMI Superbirds are a whole other deal, with original cars on Classic.com hammering down from $396,000 to $803,000. Quite a difference, and one that may indicate that the seller of the Petty car was being overly optimistic.

The Petty car's failure to sell could also have something to do with the current lack of strength in the collector car market. According to Hagerty, its Market Rating has fallen for six months in a row, losing a quarter of its value since it had peaked late in 2022. Median sales prices have dropped to an all-time low when inflation is taken into account, while prices paid by private parties have gone down as well. Values are steadily contracting, as buyers are paying less for the cars they purchase, meaning that classic cars perfect for collectors on a budget are out there. Hagerty is not optimistic about the near future, as inflation continues to take a toll on its list of macroeconomic indicators. Upcoming big auctions in Arizona and Florida should tell the tale.