Written by independent automotive journalist Steve Magnante

If ever there was a car with an interesting tale to tell, this 1970 Plymouth Superbird – known as the “EPA Bird” – is it. The famous car will be crossing the block at the 9th Annual Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas Auction, October 13-15, 2016.

Muscle cars and jet airplanes have a long intermingled history. The pilot parking lots of U.S. Air Force bases in the ’60s were notably packed with GTOs, Road Runners, Cobra Jets, 442s, Stage 1s, Charger R/Ts and, of course, the darling of NASA test pilots like Chuck Yeager, the 427 Corvette. It’s still like that today, with sky pilots generally driving to and from stations aboard quicker, faster machinery than mere earthbound mortals. Beyond that, there are many recorded instances where these land-based missiles assisted their airborne brethren on the actual tarmac runway.

That’s the story of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superbird. Founded in 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency was charged with studying and regulating man-made sources of pollution. Concerned that the ever-growing volume of passenger travel by jet aircraft was contributing to several forms of pollution, a program was devised to study the direct, on-site impact of airliner exhaust fumes and the dust generated as their brakes and tires wore during service.

Initially the plan was to test jet engines in load cells and build simulation fixtures for the landing gear. But this lacked many real-world factors, which couldn’t be properly simulated in those pre-computer days. A more practical approach was called for: load an automobile with sensitive testing equipment and follow actual Boeing, Lockheed, McDonnell-Douglas and other jetliners on the runway as they became airborne at 120 mph.  At the head of the EPA program was former Dow Chemical executive John Moran. Before joining the EPA, Moran was a liaison between Dow and NASCAR legend Ray Nichels, whose #99 Daytona stock car the company sponsored.

When Moran sought a suitable contract partner to whip up a car capable of sniffing the tails of Boeing 737s at 120 mph, he knew where to go: Nichels Engineering in Griffith, Indiana, home of numerous championship-winning Dodge and Plymouth NASCAR race cars. As required by most government programs, Nichels had to forward a bid to the EPA before work commenced. He did the math and decided that $25,000 would be enough to obtain a suitable car and modify it for safe 140 mph sprints loaded with test equipment and sensors. After approval, Nichels moved quickly.

Though the 1970 Plymouth Superbird proved to be a slow seller – with many of the 1,920 built lingering on dealer lots well into 1971 – by the time of the 1972 EPA program launch, Nichels was forced to hunt down a used example. After a brief search, an Alpine White ’Bird with under 1,300 miles was purchased, and preparation work began. The factory-installed 440 Super Commando 4-barrel engine was deemed potent enough with its 375 horsepower, but the column-shifted TorqueFlite automatic transmission and front bench seat were exchanged for a Chrysler A833 4-speed manual transmission to allow more accurate control of vehicle speed, and 1970 Dodge Charger high-back bucket seats replaced the bench. A second alternator was fitted to the 440 via fabricated brackets to provide an abundance of current for the many electrically operated instruments added for the highly specialized mission.

The rear seat was discarded for a flat panel loaded with electrical inverters, three auxiliary batteries, an air compressor, two-way radio equipment and other equipment. In the trunk went the EPA’s “Anderson samplers,” which consisted of stacks of 4-inch diameter stainless-steel rings that attracted airborne particle and vapor samples. With help from a scanning electron microscope, these samples yielded needed data.  A partial roll cage, multi-point driver and passenger seat harness, and radio headsets were added, along with a rather hasty respray of semi-gloss medium blue – the color used for EPA test fleet vehicles – over the original Alpine White paint. The factory-applied black vinyl roof remained, and EPA door logos were applied.

Moran and the EPA took delivery in May 1972, and one of the most amazing test programs in civilian aviation history commenced. With full official approval to enter the runways of the Washington (D.C.) International Airport, Moran positioned the sensor-laden Superbird directly behind Eastern Airlines jetliners as they prepared for takeoff ‒ and waited. Back then, standard liftoff protocol consisted of the pilot making a full stop at the head of the runway, then applying maximum wheel braking effort against full throttle. Once the jets were spooled to maximum thrust, the brakes were released and takeoff commenced.

All the while, Moran – again, with full approval and permission from the powers that be – held his left foot firm on the clutch pedal, placed the Hurst shift handle in first gear and prepared to chase the jetliner all the way down the strip. Here’s the rub. Since a typical Pratt & Whitney turbofan developed over 14,000 pounds of thrust, Moran and the Plymouth were rocked by 100 mph-plus winds – standing still. This is where the wisdom of choosing the NASCAR-proven Superbird body was validated. Unlike a blunt-nosed Road Runner, which would have trapped and resisted the flowing jet thrust, the Superbird’s wind tunnel-designed nose cone calmly accepted the jet blast.

Better still, the Superbird’s vertical tail stabilizers helped keep Moran on the straight and narrow during the high-speed 40-second data-gathering chase. And while the horizontal spoiler spanning the vertical wings delivered helpful downforce during each run, more importantly, the elevated surface was a perfectly unobstructed place to mount gas-sniffing probes directly in the stream of the jet blast passing over the Plymouth’s body.

Elsewhere, Moran tested the EPA Superbird at Research Triangle Park in Atlanta, Georgia, and Charlotte Motor Speedway, with sample ducts affixed to the brake drums and around the tires to gather data on brake and tire dust propagation and dispersal. One result of the tire test was the realization that the average passenger car tire produced a half-gram of particulate matter (rubber dust) per mile, about twice as much solid matter as was produced by the exhaust pipe. As a solid material that could be ingested by human lungs, this data concerned the EPA and likely played a role in the reformulated rubber compounds used in modern tires. Gasoline and exhaust emissions testing in this car also contributed to anti-smog regulations.

After a few years of generating useful data for the EPA, the tired but solid winged warrior was put into storage. In 1979 a government auction catalog listed it merely as a “1970 Plymouth car,” which minimized pre-auction interest. That’s how a high school auto shop teacher named Wilbur Walker managed to buy it for a whopping $500. Walker decommissioned the EPA test gear (but wisely kept it) and reapplied the original Alpine White finish.

Twenty years of caring ownership followed until it was sold to its current owner in 2005. Interestingly, part of the agreement between seller and buyer was the proviso that it be restored to its EPA configuration. Since all of the specialized testing equipment was included in the deal, Brian Chaffee of Everything Muscle based in Middlefield, Connecticut, was able to return it exactly to the way it appeared when it chased Boeing 707s before thousands of gawking, bewildered air passengers so many years ago. One detail that is certain to change is the selling price at the Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas Auction in October. As a piece of muscle car, EPA and aviation history, it’s safe to assume a bit more than the 1979 winning bid will be required to fly this one home!

For up-to-date information on this vehicle, click HERE.