YearOne has teamed up with Evernham Racing and former pro wrestler/TV host/car collector Bill Goldberg to create an updated legend—a NASCAR Superbird. “Goldberg said he wanted it to be as close to a real NASCAR as possible; for the street,” said YearOne project designer Phil Brewer. “It’s pretty much going to be an old-school NASCAR, in particular, how we’re going to handle the body.”



To help with the direction of the build, cars from the Talladega Motor Speedway museum were photographed extensively. Period-correct NASCAR modifications will include raising the trans tunnel, moving the rear spring pockets further up into the floor, a stout X-brace to tie the subframes together, wheel tubs installed and a generous radius of the wheel openings. While the originals moved the torsion-bar cross member up into the floor, a more modern coil spring approach is going to be employed, which will simplify things and get the nose down. A full roll cage and early NASCAR-esque bare bones interior (with two seats) will pretty much sum-up the office space. “Goldberg mentioned that he might want to do some top-speed stuff with the car, so it’s going to be built as though it is a competition car,” Brewer said.



While the body is all retro, the power is all modern. Evernham Motorsports is contributing a NASCAR-spec 358ci Dodge, without the NASCAR-spec restrictions. Producing close to 750 horsepower, the engine has been de-tuned enough to run on pump gas, but is otherwise pretty much off-the-shelf NASCAR. Backing it is a featherweight Tex Racing 4-speed manual trans feeding an 8 ¾-inch rear. At this point, the biggest problem with the design of the car is a wheel and tire package, as finding the right tires is proving difficult. “You can’t really run NASCAR slicks on the street,” Brewer said. “And modern tires just don’t look right."



The car started with a complete Satellite that was an older, poorly done restoration. Though the car was complete and “finished,” it was obvious the paint hid very poor bodywork. From a dozen feet away, it was clearly visible where the new quarter panels had been laid over the old metal and welded in place. Several areas had large rust holes under the paint. A trip to the blaster revealed junk quarters, tail panel, passenger floors and trunk floor. Fortunately, with a project this involved, it’s just as easy to start from Square One.

The YearOne Superbird will hit the show circuit for a few months and then run through the Barrett Jackson Auction in 2009, with proceeds going to the Darrell Gwynn Foundation to benefit research of spinal cord injuries. Former NHRA driver Gwynn launched the foundation after suffering a sever spinal cord injury following a horrific 1990 accident. Making the most of his contacts in motorsports, The Darrell Gwynn Foundation is dedicated to injury prevention, with special emphasis on programs targeting children, and is the official charity of Barrett Jackson and the NHRA.