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A rare Plymouth Superbird, parked for decades by its original owner, returns to the road after a painstaking father-son restoration.
For most muscle car fans, seeing a Plymouth Superbird in person is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. For Mike Hill and his son, Michael, it turned into something far more personal — a promise fulfilled and a decades-old legend brought back to life.
The Hills recently completed the restoration of an Alpine White 1970 Plymouth Superbird, a car they purchased directly from its original owner after it had spent decades sitting in a backyard. The deal came with an unusual stipulation: the seller would only part with the pair of Superbirds if father and son each kept one.
The Superbird was Chrysler’s answer to NASCAR’s aero wars of the late 1960s, built to lure Richard Petty back to Plymouth and homologated through a short production run of about 1,935 units. With its towering rear wing, aerodynamic nosecone, and flush rear window, the car could top 200 mph on the track while turning heads on the street.
When the Hills first saw their future car, time had not been kind. Years of outdoor storage had left its panels rusted, paint faded, and structure weakened. Still, the pair recognized its significance — and its potential. They turned to the team at Graveyard Carz in Springfield, Oregon, for a complete restoration.
The project became a meticulous recreation of factory-correct details, from period-specific welds and rivets to accurate panel alignment. Even the subtle mismatch in paint shades between the body and aero components — a quirk of original production — was preserved. Under the hood, a correct RB-block 440 V8 was installed with care, ensuring authenticity matched performance.
When the restored Superbird was unveiled, the original owner was stunned. The Hills then embarked on a 4,500-mile road trip home, proving the car wasn’t just a showpiece but a driver — exactly as intended in 1970.
For the Hills, the journey was more than a restoration. It was the continuation of a story that began decades ago in a quiet backyard, now written across America’s highways.
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