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Product:
Plymouth SuperBird Road Runner (25721)
Manufacturer:
Carrera |
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I've
driven down many a high street and only just managed
to scrape past an on coming Volvo - well imagine
trying to get past someone who's more concerned
with how they look and is driving a small truck.
This is what I imagine trying to get past a Chrysler
Plymouth SuperBird is like. Well in the good old
US of A during the 70's and 80's the bigger the
better (especially in less environmental friendly
states than California), thus the site of a hulking
performance car growling down your street was not
uncommon.
Pedigree of an American Icon
The race going Chrysler Plymouth SuperBird had an
enviable pedigree being raced in the 1970 NASCAR
series against its Chrysler sister the Dodge Daytona
and Fords Torino Talladega and their Mercury Cyclone
Spoiler II. The 1969 and 1970 NASCAR series have
been affectionately termed the Aero Wars because
these two seasons saw the manufacturers concentrate
on aerodynamics rather than just the brute horsepower
of before. This led to the characteristic wedge
shaped with a huge aero-wing.
Well it is commonly remembered that in 1970 Chrysler
and the SuperBird kicked-butt. During this season
the Plymouth SuperBird won more races in fewer appearances
than its winged brother the Daytona, bringing home
eight of Chryslers 21 victories. The Plymouth was
considered a great success, although ironically,
Bobby Isaac won the 1970 Grand National Championship
driving a Dodge. In 1971 NASCAR, because of the
total dominance of the aero cars, reduced the engine
size limit which basically banned all the aero cars
from completing from then on.
It is thought about 2000 SuperBird road version
were produced and it is estimated about half of
them still surviving today. These cars have quick
-huge engines, a wedge shape and a massive aerofoil
on the back to provide some form of cornering stability.
Like the cartoon its reputation was one of nothing
(not even a wile coyote) could catch a RoadRunner
and to own one was to be every boy racers dream.
However both the Dodge Charger Daytona and the Plymouth
SuperBird were out of production less than eighteen
months after the first one rolled off the assembly
line. Why? Well emission requirements were becoming
much tighter (not good for a high performance motor)
and insurance premiums were rocketing. Boy racers
who often struggled to find the cost of the car
were finding the premiums unaffordable.
However these aero cars and especially the SuperBird
are American icons
How Does It Look?
First thing you notice is how big it is. Carrera
produce a larger than average perspex box and this
car fills it. On removal I immediately noticed the
new chassis that is now used with all Carrera models.
It comes with two magnets, including the ingenious
sliding magnet, and a second one placed just before
the rear axle. Anyway more on that later.
Comparing it to pictures of the SuperBird I can
say Carrera have really captured the lines and look
of the real thing. The colour that is impregnated
in to the plastic, which I don't think pictures
do justice to, is a turquoise aqua marine (i.e.
blue!) and is actually quite stunning. The roof
mimics a convertible soft-top although this one
does not actually come off. There are a few tampo
printings including two bonnet latches and the distinctive
RoadRunner logo on the bonnet (hood), and on both
sides of the wings.
Plymouth is emblazoned on the sides at the rear
and in corporate style just above the rear bumper
(fender) area. The 'BA ZONG' plates front and back
are clearly visible. All the printing is ultra crisp
and all the words can be made out with the naked
eye. Overall although it looks sparse, compared
to a race liveried car, I found myself really liking
it - it is a real grower and the sparseness makes
the excellent RoadRunner logo stand out.
Looking inside the cabin you see the cool dude with
black raybans, a closely cropped hairstyle and dark
suit. The rest of the interior is minimal although
you can make out reflection in both the wing mirrors
and rear view mirror. It is just like a road version
should be and you can just imagine the Beach Boys
blaring out as this guy drives down a Californian
highway.
What Makes It Go?
I found the wheels and tires, with Goodyear clearly
printed on the sidewall, nice and true although
the tyre compound was quite hard. I trued all tyres
a little and this did help performance but I did
not gain a huge improvement - basically this car
drove exceptionally well straight out of the box.
The chassis is the new breed from Carrera. In addition
to the standard sliding magnet they have included
a powerful magnet just in front of the rear axle.
I found than on placing the car on the track (flat
Sport track), the rear magnet was so close to the
track it really struggled to get round and where
there was a slight track bump it grounded unwilling
to move. I don't like magnets and I felt this was
way over the top, so I removed the rear magnet and
found there was a shim in the bracket that made
the magnet sit that much closer (i.e. too close)
to the track. I removed the shim and reinstalled
the magnet. Now the car went very smoothly round
the track, although it was still rather too stuck
down for my liking.
Also of note is that now the chassis has snugly
fitted brass bushings both on the front and rear
axle. On both axles there was only minimal movement
in them, which is excellent. The only issue you
will have especially if you run on less than even
surfaces (e.g. Scalextric Classic, SCX or Ninco
track) is the lack of vertical movement in the front
axle could result in some deslots over bumps as
the front wheels ride over them pushing the guide
out of the slot. However, if you run on a flat track
then this lack of vertical movement is, in my opinion,
optimal. The gearing is really smooth and Carrera
have (as always) gone that extra touch and thoroughly
greased it which is ideal for a newbie as the car
won't need any maintenance for quite a while.
Previously the gear ratio Carrera used was 2.6:1
which gave a good top end speed but it took a while
to get there and braking was poor - good for long
flowing tracks but not good for most homeowners
short and twisty tracks. Now they have changed the
ratio to 3:1, which gives the car better acceleration
and braking. On the GS test track I did not notice
a lack of top speed compared to previous Carrera
cars as I never got them up to top speed. Overall
the chassis is an excellent development and has
made Carrera cars much more competitive.
One thing to note, if you are not familiar with
the Carrera chassis, is that it has a reversible
switch that allows you to change the direction the
car travels - I've had it knocked over in racing
on my bumpy Classic track with humourous results.
The motor is a good powerhouse chucking out 26k
rpm and the guide while a little bit sloppy sits
in the slot of the track all the way.
On the track
Putting the monster on the track after removing
the rear magnet shim I managed 50 very quick laps
- straight out of the box I managed 5.46seconds
on the standard GS test circuit, which is superb.
I then trued the tyres a little, cleaned them and
added a touch more lubrication to the axles. After
another 100 laps I managed a best time of 5.35 seconds
and was consistently lapping at about 5.40 seconds.
I had a number of big offs and although the rear
wing came off it did not break and was easily just
clipped back on.
I took the rear magnet out and put the variable
sliding magnet in its rear most position and what
I got was a much more satisfying drive. The car
power slid through corners nicely and with the over
all speed much reduced I only came off a couple
of times in the 100+ laps. When I did come off I
did so much more gently with no damage. The best
time I posted was 5.82 seconds and was consistently
at the 6-second mark.
I did not test it without a magnet but my feeling
was it would take a lot of work to get it to run
quickly as it was very high and the tyres were narrow
and quite hard.
Sum-up
When these were released they never took my fancy,
as they had never been a part of my motor sport
experience. However the look of this monster has
really grown on me and its track performance, whilst
not scintillating is, for the size and weight of
the car, extremely good. I actually plan to try
and tune this car up for non-magnet racing and enter
it in to my clubs NASCAR series.
There are a number of models available if you want
a line-up of these however I quite like cruising
this round my circuit with the Beach Boys blaring
in the background imaging all the bikini clad girls
watching me! Well imagination is a great thing.
Tucker Rating
| Quality |
Work
Req. to run |
Performance |
Desirability |
Total |
% |
| 8 |
9 |
6 |
8 |
31 |
78% |
| Good
= High |
Little
= High |
Good
= High |
Desirable
= High |
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