By Rose White
WEST BRANCH – Do you remember the Road Runner cartoon character appearing out of nowhere uttering these famous words: beep, beep? Ken Snider, owner of Snider’s Car Care, remembers a couple other Road Runners from 1970 appearing out of nowhere, only they were honking the famous beep, beep.
Specifically, two 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbirds; one orange, owned by his dad, William, and another blue owned by his grandpa, Wilburn;
“Dad’s Superbird had a wing on the back and nose cone in the front with a Road Runner sticker on the headlight and fin. Instead of a normal horn the 1970 Plymouth Road Runner sounded like the iconic Road Runner ‘Beep, beep,’” Snider said.
Snider recounts a time, when he was about six year old, going to Lewiston, when his dad let him drive. Well, drive as much as he could by sitting on his dads lap. His legs were too short, so he couldn’t reach the pedals. Every time he tried to push down on the gas pedal, the car would jump forward. He wasn’t sure how many times his dad let him try; all he knows is he must have given his dad a whiplash each time.
In 1974, his dad gave the Superbird to his brother, Kevin, for as a graduation gift. A few years later, after starting a family, Kevin sold it back to his dad.
“After a couple of years, dad wanted to sell, I begged him to keep it until I got my driver’s licenses in 1982, but he sold it in 1980,” Snider said.
Ken knows his dad regretted selling the Superbird after finding out how much it’s worth. His dad paid between $3,300-$3,600 dollars in 1970, and most Superbirds, depending on the condition, are worth over $100 thousand dollars.
According to Sildrome Gasoline Culture website, “The 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird is one of the most iconic American cars ever made, they were only produced in 1970 due to NASCAR’s homologation requirement that manufacturers build one street legal version of their race car every two manufacturer’s dealers in the United States. For Plymouth, this meant they had to build 1,920 Superbirds.”
His dad was always buying new cars, whereas Ken loves fixing them. Snider’s passion for everything mechanical began when he was eight after repairing his motorcycle. Figuring out how things work, taking them apart and putting them back together has always fascinated him. If anyone needs some mechanical advise, look Ken up at Snider’s Car Care, especially should you have a 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird.
