Restoration of Richard Petty’s Plymouth Superbird lets this rare blue legend spread its wings again

Richard Petty’s Plymouth Superbird is one of the most legendary cars of all time.

The Petty Blue No. 43 Plymouth Superbird was so successful that it forced NASCAR to change its very rules.

An expert Mopar restorer recently received a phone call about a possible project.

And it turned out to be none other than an incredibly rare, road-legal tribute to ‘The King’.

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Richard Petty’s Plymouth Superbird gets a makeover

Today’s story comes courtesy of the guys in charge of the Graveyard Carz YouTube channel.

Mark, Dougie and Royal from Graveyard Carz recently received a very interesting phone call.

Someone on the other end of the phone said that he had a very special car stashed away in his garage.

Curiosity was piqued when the car in question was described as being in, ‘pretty nice shape, not bad’.

But when the car was revealed as being a ‘1970 Plymouth Superbird in Petty Blue’, Mark knew this was something special.

This turned out to be one of the most famous street-legal cars that has ever been built.

It is a one-of-43, 1970 Plymouth Superbird finished in Petty Blue – a tribute to ‘The King’ himself.

The beating heart of this Pymouth Superbird is the iconic 440 cu-in Super Commando Six Barrel V8.

This engine, of course, is famed for producing 390bhp and 490lb-ft of torque in 1970.

When the guys finally got to meet the car, they were slightly disappointed.

Despite still being a true stunner, the car had been affected by age when inspected close-up.

Some body panels don’t align, and the engine and paintwork require some TLC.

After several tries, Mark and the guys couldn’t get the Plymouth Superbird started.

It was eventually determined that the fuel pump had given up after years of sitting idle.

Once the fuel pump was replaced, the Plymouth Superbird roared back into life.

It rolled down the road with the aggression and swagger it first displayed back in 1970.

‘The King’ remains the icon of a generation and a sport

Of course, the only thing more special than Richard Petty’s Plymouth Superbird is the man to whom it pays tribute.

Richard Petty is, in the eyes of many, the single greatest NASCAR driver to ever live.

‘The King’ himself is actually the son of NASCAR royalty, with his father, Lee Petty, being a legendary driver in his own right.

Richard Petty actually made his NASCAR debut all the way back in 1958.

He would quickly go on to win NASCAR’s Rookie of the Year award the following year in 1959.

‘The King’ remains the first-ever driver to win the Grand National Series/Winston Cup Series seven times.

But it was Petty’s Plymouth Superbird that would, in many ways, come to define him.

The Petty Blue No. 43 Petty Enterprises Plymouth Superbird remains arguably the most iconic NASCAR car of all time.

In the eyes of many, it is perhaps equalled only by the No. 3 Chevrolet Monte Carlo of Dale Earnhardt.