Stolen Submerged SuperBird

[Dave Kanofsky]

Sorry if this is a repost, did a search and didn't find anything...

Popped up on a Pontiac board a co-worker follows:

"Stolen new from Rowe motors East Lorain street Chrysler Plymouth dealer in Oberlin Ohio. Can you see the wing? Vintage Oberlin Police Dept. Photo."

Wonder if it's the one in the ad below?

[tan top]

 

[Alaskan_TA]

Wile E. Coyote was the suspected thief, but he blew himself up with some TNT before he could be questioned.

[odcics2]

Sorry if this is a repost, did a search and didn't find anything...

Popped up on a Pontiac board a co-worker follows:

"Stolen new from Rowe motors East Lorain street Chrysler Plymouth dealer in Oberlin Ohio. Can you see the wing? Vintage Oberlin Police Dept. Photo."

Wonder if it's the one in the ad below?

A Bird in the water from "ROWe" Motors?  Ya gotta be kidding me Dave!   

[Dave Kanofsky]

A Bird in the water from "ROWe" Motors?  Ya gotta be kidding me Dave!   

Good One!!! 

[moparstuart]

caption this photo  ......    man you will never believe this , I caught a Big one   

[Redbird]

Just a quick look at the passenger window suggests: Photoshop.

[odcics2]

If it was stolen when new, there would be no leaves on the trees.     

[DAY CLONA]

If it was stolen when new, there would be no leaves on the trees.      

May have languished on the lot for some time?...but still "new"

[aerolith]

It was a clever plan from the thieves!

As metal rusts much slower in water than exposed to damp air, it was gonna be stored under water for fifty years and then recovered when the values went back up!!!

But they mis-calculated the depth of the pond and the height of the wing so got caught-out and their plan was scuppered...

Lucky the peeps at ROWe had a boat and had already fitted AIR-Bag suspension to the Birdie.
A few pumps from an airline and she was afloat and free to fly back to the NEST!
Time to crack open a SIX-PACK after a TORRED day...

Enough frivolity, WHERE IS SHE NOW???

[ksquared]

caption this photo  ......    man you will never believe this , I caught a Big one   

Isn't the old saying, "A bird in the pond is worth two in the bush?"

It was a clever plan from the thieves!

As metal rusts much slower in water than exposed to damp air, it was gonna be stored under water for fifty years and then recovered when the values went back up!!!

But they mis-calculated the depth of the pond and the height of the wing so got caught-out and their plan was scuppered...

This reminds me of the 1925 Bugatti:
https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/hsx/2011/02/The-Bugatti-from-the-Lake---1925-Bugatti-Type-22-Brescia/3695551.html

[RallyeMike]

If it was stolen when new, there would be no leaves on the trees.      scratchchin

Good eye... got me looking a little closer....  the wing looks excessively wide.... No driver vertical to be seen 

[62 Max]

If it was stolen when new, there would be no leaves on the trees.      

May have languished on the lot for some time?...but still "new"

One sat on a lot 20 mi from me from new until mid 1972.

[billssuperbird]

I remember seeing an article on one that went into a swimming pool

[moparstuart]

I remember seeing an article on one that went into a swimming pool

there are pictures floating around of it too

[nascarxx29]

http://www.wwnboa.org/poolbird.htm

[ACUDANUT]

If it was stolen when new, there would be no leaves on the trees.     

It could have been sold new anytime of the year.

[PettyMower]

September 26, 1971

Superbird in pool.

[aerolith]

ERR why would you get out into the pool?

Some pictures don't tell the whole story???

[rainbow4jd]

Good Lord now we'll have a bunch of "pond find" Birds popping up

[DAY CLONA]

ERR why would you get out into the pool???

Maybe the driver" bailed" out the driver's door before it hit the pool?

[70 sublime]

ERR why would you get out into the pool???

Maybe the driver" bailed" out the driver's door before it hit the pool?

Or maybe there was alcohol involved 

[Ryan.C]

Sorry if this is a repost, did a search and didn't find anything...

Popped up on a Pontiac board a co-worker follows:

"Stolen new from Rowe motors East Lorain street Chrysler Plymouth dealer in Oberlin Ohio. Can you see the wing? Vintage Oberlin Police Dept. Photo."

Wonder if it's the one in the ad below?

How funny! I am originally from the next town over, I wonder if anyone was caught 

[PettyMower]

Latest news on the NEW Rowe Motors Superbird that was stolen and run into a reservoir.
(August 4, 1970)
Credit to father & son, Bill Wiley & Bash Wiley

[Baldwinvette77]

wow, neat stories, i imagine both cars were crushed, but it would be cool if they were still out there somewhere 

[F8-4life]

Something about the radical design of a wing car must have clicked with the crazies back in the day.

[Bob Carter]

  My cousin Scott was the person who put that Lemon Twist Super bird in the pool and it's become a lot of fun joking about it over the years considering what these cars are valued at. Scott's father was close friends with the dealer that allowed Scott to trade his 442 for that Bird, back in the day you could take cars off the lot without registration or insurance and he was just a teenager at the time. Scott lived right around the corner from where the Super Bird landed in the pool and was headed home when this incident happened, there  is a long stretch of road that ends in a "T" where the pool is located (18th St.), Scott said he was going around 120 when the brakes failed so he began to downshift until he literally ran out of road and went through bushes ending up in the pool. The shot you see in the newspaper article is after the tow truck began pulling out the totally submerged bird. The bird actually went back to the dealership where they put it in a paint booth (heated) to dry it out then repaired and resold it. Last year I was able to put Scott in touch with the police officer who was there that night, oddly enough the officer now owns a Super Bird. I'm curious if Scott's Super bird still exists and if it does do the current owners know the history of it ?

[PettyMower]

Thanks for the update, Bob.

I was about to post the information about the color being Yellow.

Last night, I spoke with Larry (the police officer there that night), and he sold his 'Bird over 10-years ago.

Larry's 'Bird was a numbers-matching, Tor-Red, 440+4, automatic, console car. He swapped the engine for an NOS 1970 528 Hemi he found in Brazil. It was sold, along with the original engine, to a collector in Connecticut.

[5hunert]

Latest news on the NEW Rowe Motors Superbird that was stolen and run into a reservoir.
(August 4, 1970)
Credit to father & son, Bill Wiley & Bash Wiley

A convertible with high back fins?  Stuart?

[moparstuart]

Latest news on the NEW Rowe Motors Superbird that was stolen and run into a reservoir.
(August 4, 1970)
Credit to father & son, Bill Wiley & Bash Wiley

A convertible with high back fins?  Stuart?

I HAVE NEVER BEEN SUBMERGED     all you can see is the black vinyl top maybe they thought it was a convert  ?

[odcics2]

Latest news on the NEW Rowe Motors Superbird that was stolen and run into a reservoir.
(August 4, 1970)
Credit to father & son, Bill Wiley & Bash Wiley

A convertible with high back fins?  Stuart?

I HAVE NEVER BEEN SUBMERGED     all you can see is the black vinyl top maybe they thought it was a convert  ?

Why not?  Some magazines back in the day said the nose was made of fiberglass!   

[aerolith]

They should have been made of FLUBBER...

I heard the local police chased them in, oops...