Lowe's give-away Superbird ~ New information!!!

[PettyMower]

John Meniefield won the Superbird from Lowe's in 1970. Melvin Proffit (Lowe's) took the company plane to Virginia to pick up John & his wife, took them to Petty Enterprises to pick up the Superbird, and they drove it home.

The car has white interior, automatic on the column. (More info. to come!)

It was his daily driver until passing away in 2000. Four or five years later, the car was sold to a family friend.

Attached pic is John receiving the keys from Richard near the race shop. (Lee's house in the background)

It appears to be B5. Although this was supposed to be a 999 car, we had a feeling it was actually B5 because of a pic of a B5 in the 1970 or 1971 Lowes Annual report that surfaced a few years back.

[bannedbird]

Good job tracking that down!

This has been a cold case for years.  In past few weeks I've been thinking of doing more research into that car.  I think you and I are the only ones that are searching for the car still (anyone else on the "Lowes Giveaway Bird" quest, please chime in so we don't do duplicate work!). 

For those new to this car (I think there are 2 other threads on this forum about it), my 'Bird was B5 and from the area Mr. Meniefield lived.  I found out about the Lowes giveaway while searching for info on my car.  After talking to Mr. Meniefield's daughter a few years ago, it did not sound like it was my car.  So I put a low priority on researching the Lowe's Giveaway Bird.

One of my theories was that it was a factory B5 car that was repainted Petty Blue by Petty Enterprises for the Giveaway.  The Lowe's annual report shows a B5 car (as you can see in above post), but it could have been a stock photo of Richard Petty and a 'Bird (I searched the Internet a long time for Richard in a drivers suit standing next to a stock B5 'Bird and never found one).  PettyMower has now conclusively proven it was B5 blue and not Petty Blue at time of giveaway.

-Superbird Steve

[hemi68charger]

Nice story !!!! 

[taxspeaker]

Thanks for the info and research, it is very interesting.
Bob

[PettyMower]

Someone in Virginia has a B5 car that's the only REAL Superbird won from Lowe's / Richard Petty.

It's hard to believe that it has not surfaced with it's interesting history. Hopefully we'll eventually get a VIN, and more pics.

[nascarxx29]

Great story

[200MPH]

great story !

[bannedbird]

All; what can we tell from the photo at top of this thread? Besides that Richard was painting something yellow?

#43-A) Car is B5 blue and not "999" as many may assume a "Petty" giveaway car to be (the ads I saw only said it was "blue"). [edit 7/6/2019: incorrect statement and noted later in this thread: "Petty Blue Superbird" was in at least 2 ads]
#43-B) Black Vinyl top (as expected, but could have been blue with a "43" on it).
#43-C) White interior.  Can we tell if bench or buckets from the rear seat pattern or the driver's headrest?
#43-D) Chrome drivers mirror. Didn't the 'Birds have 2 choices for the driver side mirror?
#43-E) Rally rims (brushed or bright trim rings a choice for 'Birds?)
#43-F) Can we say these are F70-14 white letter Goodyear's? If so, does that tell us anything about motor and transmission?
#43-G) A long shot, but someone may mention this so I will list it:  Anything that shows it could be the 'Bird from the 2-page magazine ad in Petty's shop?
#43-Z) Anything I missed in way of a build option?

If we want to figure out when the car was built, we only know it was given away before 8/26/1970.  It could have been purchased any time before then.  The first ad for the "giveaway car" I know of was 3/31/1970, so no help there.  Anything in the photos tell us if it was an early or late build?

As some of you may ask, this is the BEST quality picture we have at this time.  PettyMower posted the best image he had and also emailed it to me: no difference in quality.  We have only the image above to work with.

Thanks - SB Steve
I forget the options and codes I used to have memorized, so I apologize for some of my questions that I should already know.  But, it is still good for me to ask rather than assume my "facts" from 30-years ago are really factual.

[Alaskan_TA]

B - Black was the only color available for Superbirds.

C - Bench seat headrest.

D - Manual  driver side mirror standard, remote driver side mirror extra cost. Dual mirrors with driver side remote also extra cost.

[6bblgt]

Besides that Richard was painting something yellow?

(the "yellow" is stuck to the picture, not original to it)

#43-A) correct, "blue fire metallic" EB5
#43-B) correct, BLACK V19
#43-C) correct, WHITE bench H2XW
#43-D) correct, G33 remote LH mirror
#43-E) correct, W21 "rallye" wheels 14x5.5" (only 1 available trim ring w/14" - brushed w/polished lip)
#43-F) correct, T87 F70-14 Goodyear Polyglas (available with 440HP, 440 6bbl & HEMI)
#43-G) the shop ad is a racecar - the barn ad is 15" "rallye" wheels & BLACK interior
#43-Z) not that I see from the one image

[bannedbird]

Ahhh. The yellow is ON the picture. - LOL  Looked like it was on his knee beside the big line on the car door. 

Let me read the rest....

[bannedbird]

#43-G) the shop ad is a racecar - the barn ad is 15" "rallye" wheels & BLACK interior

I've never been sure the Petty Shop car ad was an actual race car. Certainly not a "Body in White".  And why paint "43" on the black vinyl top?

I had thought it was a test mule or early production car made by Plymouth ... wait... is there a thread on the magazine ads?   If so, can someone post it so that I can see it?  Maybe the answers are already there.  Like what date the ad first came out.  Thanks!

(sorry about "rally" typo)

[bannedbird]

#43-C) correct, WHITE bench H2W

Is H2W different than H2XW?  I'm used to 4 digits for the seat code.  Maybe deluxe vs standard? Thx.

[PettyMower]

The ads DID specify the color to be Petty Blue.  Although we now know it didn't happen as planned.

[bannedbird]

#43-E) correct, W21 "rallye" wheels 14x5.5" (only 1 available trim ring w/14" - brushed w/polished lip)

Were 15" rims/tires on all the Dana cars, or only Danas's with the "better" rear end option?

What were wheel options for 'Birds? Rallye (14" and 15"), painted steel (14" only?), and Road Wheels?  Thx

[bannedbird]

PettyMower, you must have that memorized, lol.  Thx for correcting me.

[bannedbird]

I see on this forum the 14" Rallye as being referred to as both 5.5" and 6".  Was there a width change at a certain point in time, or just people rounding numbers?  thx.

[6bblgt]

#43-C) correct, WHITE bench H2W

Is H2W different than H2XW?  I'm used to 4 digits for the seat code.  Maybe deluxe vs standard? Thx.

sorry, I missed a digit H2XW is correct

[6bblgt]

#43-E) correct, W21 "rallye" wheels 14x5.5" (only 1 available trim ring w/14" - brushed w/polished lip)

Were 15" rims/tires on all the Dana cars, or only Danas's with the "better" rear end option?

What were wheel options for 'Birds? Rallye (14" and 15"), painted steel (14" only?), and Road Wheels?  Thx

there wasn't a rear axle OPTION on a Superbird - automatics got (A36) 3.55:1 ratio in an 8-3/4" axle & 4-speeds got (A33) 3.54:1 ratio in a 9-3/4" (DANA60) axle

[6bblgt]

no specific wheel tire combination was reserved for Superbird (same as Road Runner)

STANDARD = 14x6.0" body colored steel wheel with hub cap (dog dish) & (T86) F70-14 Goodyear Polyglas "white streak"

OPTIONAL TIRES:
(T87) F70-14 Goodyear Polyglas "RWL"
(U84) F60-15 Goodyear Polyglas GT "RWL" (with STANDARD painted 15x7.0" wheels/hub caps or OPTIONAL "rallye wheels")

OPTIONAL WHEELS:
(W11) full wheel covers on 14x6.0" black wheels
(W15) wire wheel covers on 14x6.0" black wheels
(W21) "rallye wheels" available in 14x5.5" & 15x7.0"
(W23) "road wheels" (AKA "Magnum 500") available in 14x5.5"

14x6.0" "road wheels" became available for the '71 model year (for b-body w/G70-14 tires)
14x6.0" "rallye wheels" became available for the '73 model year (for b-body w/G70-14 tires)

[bannedbird]

6bblgt: great info - thank you!

[bannedbird]

I was thinking there were (3) rear end options for 'Birds: (1) for 8-3/4, and (2) for Dana (maybe A33 & A34?). So some Dana cars had 14" rims and others 15"?  Maybe I am thinking the 440-6 'Birds having different wheels/rear ends between "Automatic" vs "Manual".

As I said earlier, it's been decades since I worked with 'Bird options and codes.  Thx for clarifying and updating me.

[bannedbird]

Anyone have new info? -Thank you.

[6bblgt]

all '70 Superbirds have:
AUTOMATIC A36 = 3.55:1 axle package (8-3/4")
4 - SPEED A33 = 3.54:1 axle package (DANA60)

[Aero426]

While it is not B5, the "race car" in the ad is a street car mocked up to look like a race car.   

[bannedbird]

RE: Petty Ad.  Vent windows stump me.  I wonder if there was any "photoshoping" done?  Back in 1969 lingo, Airbrushing, or touching up a print was done, then shooting that artwork for the ad.   So I looked at the ad thinking what could have been added by the art department and what could have been physically done to the car.  On the actual car I can imagine not too hard to add decals, windshield clips, stick a 3" pipe under passenger door, part of a roll cage, and add trim around the headlight opening.  Maybe they pulled out the seats (can't tell).  But why take off the passenger door vent window?  It would have been extra work not really needed to get the "race car" effect for the ad.  So, maybe some items were erased from an actual photo?

They kept the vinyl top on; maybe too hard to edit it out?

Is there a thread on this ad or both the 2-page Bird ads?  Thx

[Alaskan_TA]

Whatever artwork may have been done, they missed the radio antenna base.


From a historical perspective, the alleged 1971 Challenger T/A was airbrushed from a 1970 model into a 1971 model, so they were doing that back then.