The Suprabird was conceived by Rutledge Wood, the former host of Top Gear USA. It is a Toyota GR Supra 3.0 Premium, which features a body kit inspired by the iconic Plymouth Superbird. The paint scheme honors NASCAR driver Richard Petty, in honor of a collaboration between Toyota Gazoo Racing and Legacy Motor Club (formerly known as Petty GMS). The Suprabird will come in the form of a Hot Wheels die-cast car. Anyone can recognize a Petty car, whether they’re a NASCAR fan or not. Lee Petty drove in a unique blue Plymouth in the 1950s. Since then, the family’s stock cars have always done well. When Toyota joined forces with Legacy Motor Club (formerly Petty GMS Motorsports) for the 2024 NASCAR Cup season, it made sense to honor their relationship by creating a Petty Blue car for the 2024 SEMA show. Rutledge Wood, who used to show Top Gear USA and be a Toyota brand ambassador, suggested putting a GR Supra with the 1970 Plymouth Superbird, which is Richard Petty’s most famous car. “The goal was to recreate the aesthetic of the famous Superbird in the form of a present-day GR Supra,” Wood explains. When it came out in 1970, Plymouth’s Superbird was designed to match the Dodge Charger Daytona’s great performance on superspeedways the previous year. The aero-cars set records on the track, but they couldn’t be sold on the street because they had huge front and back wings. NASCAR slowed down the cars after the 1970 season because they were doing so well, but not before Petty won 18 races and forever changed racing fans with his long, low profile. Wood and Toyota made the Suprabird with the goal of making it a winner and having an impact for a long time. It started as a stock GR Supra 3.0 Premium that had a cat-back exhaust and a cold-air intake added to make the six-cylinder engine sound more sporty. Under the Supra, stronger springs were added, and all four sides were held in place by specially designed 19-inch three-piece wheels that are, of course, bright blue. The main changes are clear, and the body kit pays homage to the famous Plymouth without being too specific. However, it’s not an attempt to add a sharp cone to the front or slap the Superbird’s shelf-like wing onto the Supra’s back. It has a huge wing and a bigger splitter. More simple is the paint job, which has standard Petty blue lettering and Richard’s #43 racing number. Fans will be able to bring one home, if only in a small size. The Suprabird won’t be able to race on the high banks of Daytona, though. Hot Wheels will sell die-cast copies of the Supra-Plymouth for people who still need to get one in their Tom Petty collection.
