Richard Petty raced with the Superbird in 1970. (The Enthusiast Network via Getty Images/Getty Images)
It was so good that the series changed its rules to slow it down and make its radical design obsolete.
Fewer than 2,000 of the street versions were made, and they soon faded into obscurity, with many ending up at the junkyard.
The Superbird was based on the more conventionally styled Road Runner. (VanDerBrink Auctions)
Now, one that is not perfect but is almost perfectly original is coming up for auction.
The car has the 440 cubic-inch "Six Barrel" V8 option, automatic transmission and belonged to a Kansas City family from 1970 to 2018, until it was purchased by Denver classic car specialist Soneff’s Master Garage.
The Superbird's signature wing was designed to improve its performance on speedways. (VanDerBrink Auctions)
The "Vitamin C Orange" coupe still has chalk marks inside that were added by workers as it moved down the assembly line a half-century ago. It shows 57,178 miles on the odometer, has a few scrapes and dents and the paint on its fender-top vents is faded.
"People never got used to how long that nose was," Soneff said.
(VanDerBrink Auctions.)
That figure will be at least $110,000, however, which was the high online bid placed at the time this story was written.
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Already quite the appreciation from its original price of around $5,000.
Gary Gastelu is Fox News Digital's automotive editor.