This Plymouth Superbird was sold for $1.65 million in 2022. It recently fetched $418,000 at auction.

      Mecum

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      In 2022, car enthusiast Bobby Knudsen purchased a 1970 Plymouth Superbird—recognized for its enormous rear wing—for a record-setting $1.65 million (including buyer’s fees). Regrettably for Knudsen’s family, its worth significantly plummeted when they sold the matching-numbers muscle car at the Indy Mecum Auction over the weekend without reserve, fetching only $418,000 from the new owner.

      Knudsen passed away last December, leading his family to liquidate 25 vehicles from his collection, which included several racing Pontiac Catalinas, a 1959 Nash Metropolitan, and, of course, the mentioned Superbird.

      It’s hard to find another classic car that has seen as drastic a drop in value as Knudsen’s Plymouth. This steep decline might stem from the fact that he grossly overpaid for it three years back. Despite its remarkable unrestored condition, featuring 33,085 original miles and a rare automatic transmission (only 77 units were produced with this feature from the factory), this Superbird wasn’t worth the $1.5 million Knudsen bid.

      When he made his bid in July 2022, the highest-priced Superbird on record was $990,000, according to Hagerty. During the auction, this Superbird appeared to be on track to sell for around $1.1 million until Knudsen abruptly raised his bid to $1.5 million to finalize the purchase. It seems improbable that the car's value increased by half a million dollars in those six months, but he was clearly eager to secure it, even at an inflated price.

      Knudsen’s Superbird wasn’t the only one that sold at the recent Mecum auction in Indy; another Superbird went for $550,000 and had just under 21,000 miles on the odometer. His family appears to have received a fair market value for their car, highlighting the sharp decline in values over just three years.

      Mecum

      With its brief NASCAR legacy, a formidable 426 cubic-inch Hemi V8, and its signature tall wing, it's easy to see why the Superbird is so coveted. Nevertheless, this car's journey serves as a sobering reminder that everything has its price, regardless of how appealing it may be to an individual.

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