Posted

Jan 22nd 2008

Mood

Shaky

Just something I decided to write for fun, the backstory of a "Cursed" car. I'm putting it in the journal because I don't really consider it a serious writing. I used the stories of James Dean's "Little Bastard," and the "Devil-Z" Nissan Fairlady 240Z used in "Wangan Midnight" as inspiration. and perhaps gave the car a little of Herbie "The Love Bug's" jealousy complex.

I referenced a few other things: see If you can catch them.

The legend of the BlueBird

Plymouth Superbird #1468 was supposed to be a special car for Richard Petty. The car was optioned as a full-house 4-Speed, Hemi engine Corporation Blue, Dana 60 car with front bucket seats and a black vinyl top. The car was ordered by Petty as a street car...but things seemed to go awry from the start.

The car was painted in an improper mix, being closer to London North Eastern Railway Garter Blue than the proper Corporation Blue. As well, the serial badge, with its series number, was misprinted 4468 instead of 1468. Even so, the car was shipped from the factory...but that wasn’t the end...

On the truck ride to the dealership, the chains on #1468 came loose, damaging the taillight of a regular Plymouth Road Runner. The car was chained again, but the car somehow escaped from them as it pulled up to the dealership, rolling along behind the car hauler, and running into it as it stopped. The car did not receive any damage either time.

Petty soon took delivery of his slightly-wrong-color Superbird, but, within a week, it was back on the dealer’s lot with a deeply discounted price. Petty had taken it out on the highway, and apparently took it back to the dealership, stating, "Somethin' ain’t right with that there car. It wants to take off." A mechanic, suspecting a sticking throttle, took the car out for a ride, and promptly wrecked it. He stated that the car’s throttle didn't stick, but that he felt a strange urge to make the car go faster...

The car was rebuilt and sold to a customer who started using the car to street race. The car won a few main street drags, but taking it out on the highway, the driver decided to see what it could do. The driver was killed after a violent wreck.

Even so, the car was not damaged badly enough to total, and another driver purchased it. Reportedly, the car was involved in another high speed crash, this one sparing the driver, but forcing him to sell the car again.

A fourth and fifth owner also crashed the car, the fifth owner getting killed. By now, the car had begun to garner a reputation...drivers felt the car calling to them, often driving beyond their limits, which caused the frightening crashes. Adding to this was the modifications the car obtained. The Hemi engine had been modified with a new cam, carb, and set of headers, among other things, and was making over 575 HP. The rear end had been made taller, allowing a higher top speed. The suspension had been gone over, and new brakes had been installed. The car had been given two nicknames: the Demon Plymouth, and, more famously, BlueBird.

By now BlueBird was in the hands of a rich collector, and rarely driven. One night, the car was parked behind a brand new Ferrari F40...and the next morning, the F40's bodywork had been badly damaged, by the BlueBird rolling into it. Again, the BlueBird did not have significant damage, but the F40 required costly repair to its rear decklid (Which, Ironically, had a similar wing on it to the Superbird's.) BlueBird was up for sale again.

This time, the car went to Japan. For the first time, the car was street raced successfully, on the Wangan highway, for more than a year by a Japanese tuner. During this time, the car got a further upgraded suspension, better tires, and, most importantly, more power (Around 700HP) to destroy the popular Porsche 930/964 Turbos at the time. For awhile, it seemed, the car’s killer instinct had been tamed...but one night, the car clipped one Porsche, sending it into the dividing barrier, for no apparent reason, as the Porsche was keeping to its lane. BlueBird’s driver was ashamed, and sold the car.

The car was sold to another Wangan racer (who, ironically, had just gotten rid of another supposedly "Cursed" car, a Blue 240Z) who happened to crash it, and sent it to a junkyard. BlueBird sat for ten years, awaiting the Crusher, delayed only when a buyer expressed interest in it. The title never actually changed hands, until one day, when a certain fox found the car, and decided to rescue it...