CARS Magazine Flamed Superbird (PICS)

[Old Moparz]

Typical for me these days, I spend hours looking for something & never find it. When I am looking for something else, I find those other things I couldn't find by accident.      Over the winter there was a discussion of a black Superbird with a flame paintjob on it. I knew I had the Hi-Performance CARS magazine it was on, but couldn't find it when I wanted it. It's the March 1982 issue for $1.75, and here is the cover, the story & all the photos from that issue.

The story says it's an original six pack car & the owner at the time was Dennis Loeffler of Winona, Minnesota. I wonder what it looks like currently, & who owns it if it's still around. This car has been in the back of my mind for years, & might be the reason I want to paint my Daytona replica black & flame it. My daughter loved this Superbird with flames & said, "That's exactly what I was talking about, Daddy. We need flames on the car just like this!" Can't argue with a 7 year old. 

[69_500]

I'll dig through some photos' I have here but I know i have some shots of the same car from the early 80's.

[nascarxx29]

Its still was Dennis car last I heard .I think it was a FJ5 lime car originally

[bull]

Looks good but it makes that front end look even longer.

[nakita7]

Wow, I remember that magazine when that came out!

[Big Kahuna]

They should have made black Superbirds!

[69_500]

You could have ordered one, just the same way as people ordered the FK5 Superbirds, or at least that is my understanding. could have had a FM3 Superbird as well.

[mikepmcs]

Thats the magazine I was talking about a few months ago. Wow, thanks for posting the artical about it. I found a magazine a few weeks ago also at a garage sale but had no change even in my car to buy it, the guy wouldn't hold it for me either. He wanted  5 bucks for it, I offered him 20 bucks for it if he would hold it for me til I get back in 30 minutes, he said nope, and when I got back in 22 minutes, he said he sold it after I left, what a jerk! You don't want to sell the magazine by chance do you? haha.......
Thanks again Old Moparz.
Mark

I'd a gave it to you, but anyways, read this article by this guy Joe Oldham who says he worked for HPM, and after you get done throwing up and cussing him cause of what he says, email him(right next to his name at the top) and see if he knows where to get the back issues.
Just a thought.
I just got done cussing him or I'd a replied sooner.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Columns/articleId=105526/subsubtypeId=216

v/r
Mike

[JimShine]

That was a great read! Thanks for posting that link!

[mikepmcs]

You notice the last line where it says "but if someone were to give him one..."
yeah, that's what i thought mister oldham

[Ghoste]

I'm going to be sticking my neck out on the flame line here, but I don't entirely disagree with him.  The Mopars were often a more cheaply built car back then.  That isn't entirely a bad thing but examine from a magzine writers point of view.  GM gives you a car with air conditioning and am/fm radio, power windows, and a ringer engine.  Mopar gives you tranny leaks (just thinking of Oldhams experience with the red vert there)
When it comes to the Hemi, it was far from the ideal streeet engine then and in many ways remains so today.  It is a RACE engine detuned.  It is out of tune when you get it.  The wedge was a hopped up passenger car engine so even when it was out of tune, it would still run okay.  An out of tune Hemi was a pos and there were very very few guys who knew how to keep them tuned and running sharp on the street.  If you knew how to make them run and didn't mind the maintenance, you could be king of the stoplight drags.  A lot of Hemi cars sold on track victories got spanked on the streeet and traded in for other cars.
Mopar didn't have the cushy seats of a GM or the softer ride and the guys who were clued in didn't want or need that but remember, the vast majority of musclecars soldin the 60's were sold on image.  Guys didn't care so much about actually being the fastest in town as much as being percieved as the fastest.  It wasn't much different than it is with the ricers today.  If everyone thinks you are the coolest, you will get the girls and that is all any of us want anyway.

[BigBlockSam]

very few guys who knew how to keep them tuned and running sharp   

  they just didn't stay in tune.

[Hemi Man]

Hello Old Moparz,

I just found this forum and your post while working on a new website for a customer that stores and sells old and rare Mopar's in Minnesota.
I want to answer your questions if you have not already had them answered.
I am from Winona, Minnesota and know Denny Loeffler well.  I met him back in the 80's when I joined the Lakeside Street Machines (local Winona car club). We used to show our cars at the same car shows and events.
He still owns this beauty and it looks just as good as it did in the 80's. 
I have attached a pic from the video of our local car show last month.

Thank you,
Brad

[cdr]

    

[wingcar]

It just happens to be on the front cover of this month's Mopar Collector's Guide  (Feb Issue)
*(If it's not the same.....then there are two Black Superbirds with frames....... )

[sccachallenger]

Always love a good frame, er flame job on a black car!
Very happy she hasn't been restored!

[gtx6970]

Hello Old Moparz,

I just found this forum and your post while working on a new website for a customer that stores and sells old and rare Mopar's in Minnesota.
I want to answer your questions if you have not already had them answered.
I am from Winona, Minnesota and know Denny Loeffler well.  I met him back in the 80's when I joined the Lakeside Street Machines (local Winona car club). We used to show our cars at the same car shows and events.
He still owns this beauty and it looks just as good as it did in the 80's. 
I have attached a pic from the video of our local car show last month.

Thank you,
Brad

I remember seeing that magazine cover. I think Ive seen the Bird in person.
Either way, its cool just like it is

[Old Moparz]

Hello Old Moparz,

I just found this forum and your post while working on a new website for a customer that stores and sells old and rare Mopar's in Minnesota.
I want to answer your questions if you have not already had them answered.
I am from Winona, Minnesota and know Denny Loeffler well.  I met him back in the 80's when I joined the Lakeside Street Machines (local Winona car club). We used to show our cars at the same car shows and events.
He still owns this beauty and it looks just as good as it did in the 80's.  
I have attached a pic from the video of our local car show last month.

Thank you,
Brad

Hey Brad, welcome to the forum.  

I think it's great that the car is still the same with the flames. Anytime I get into a discussion about what color I will paint my Charger I always think of this black bird with the flames & still want to do something similar to it.

The flames I'd like to have done on mine are the ones that have more of a realistic look, like these.....

[alfaitalia]

Yep...that's where I'm going....but my "real" flames are going to be light blue.

Bit like this but not so far back down the car.

https://www.justairbrush.com/pics/t/2351.jpg

Still think that old skool flames still look great on old skool custom cars like that SB though!

[tan top]

Hello Old Moparz,

I just found this forum and your post while working on a new website for a customer that stores and sells old and rare Mopar's in Minnesota.
I want to answer your questions if you have not already had them answered.
I am from Winona, Minnesota and know Denny Loeffler well.  I met him back in the 80's when I joined the Lakeside Street Machines (local Winona car club). We used to show our cars at the same car shows and events.
He still owns this beauty and it looks just as good as it did in the 80's. 
I have attached a pic from the video of our local car show last month.

Thank you,
Brad

hello & welcome 

[Old Moparz]

Yep...that's where I'm going....but my "real" flames are going to be light blue.

Bit like this but not so far back down the car.

https://www.justairbrush.com/pics/t/2351.jpg

Still think that old skool flames still look great on old skool custom cars like that SB though!

The blue flames look cool. 

[pettybird]

Very cool that the car hasn't been restored!