The EPA Plymouth Superbird
Muscle cars and jet airplanes have a long intermingled history. The pilot parking lots of U.S. Air Force bases in the ’60s were notably packed with GTOs, Road Runners, Cobra Jets, 442s, Stage 1s, Charger R/Ts and, of course, the darling of NASA test pilots like Chuck Yeager, the 427 Corvette. It’s still like that today, with sky pilots generally driving to and from stations aboard quicker, faster machinery than mere earthbound mortals. Beyond that, there are many recorded instances where these land-based missiles assisted their airborne brethren on the actual tarmac runway.
That’s the story of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superbird. Founded in 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency was charged with studying and regulating man-made sources of pollution. Concerned that the ever-growing volume of passenger travel by jet aircraft was contributing to several forms of pollution, a program was devised to study the direct, on-site impact of airliner exhaust fumes and the dust generated as their brakes and tires wore during service.
Article by Barrett Jackson
