The Superbird may not be much of a looker, but it does have an interesting history from what I've read.
This car was built specifically to dominate NASCAR races. It was also the car that lured Richard Petty back from his brief, but successful 1-year affair with Ford. To compete with Ford, Plymouth and Dodge figured out that either they had to find 85 more HP out of the Hemi, or decrease drag by 15%. The HP increase wasn't feasible, so they cut the drag. Yes, the tacked on aerodynamics are functional, giving the similar Dodge Charger Daytona a drag coefficient of only 0.28, the Superbird slightly higher, better than most of today's cars.
For homologation, NASCAR dictated that at least one car per dealer had to be produced, so 1935 Superbirds were shipped to U.S. dealers according to Chrysler. Its first season's success varies from doing well to domination, depending on who you ask. Plymouth did win the manufacturing championship in 1970, the Superbird winning 8 of Plymouth's 21 victories. Mopar fans will credit the Superbird, but how much of the success can be credited to Petty’s driving or Ford's 75% reduction of its racing budget?
The Superbird's success was brief, as NASCAR effectively banned it after only one season, placing a 305 ci engine limit for all winged cars (not just Chrysler). There are several opinions/theories about why NASCAR did this, but of course Mopar fans will tell you it was because of the Superbird. The Hemi was a 426, and the 305 was tried, but drivers could not make up the difference and did not win with the 305.
So why would Jenn's friend be willing to pay >$100,000 for a Hemi Superbird? There’s the nostalgia for its glorified racing history, and also only 135 of the 1935 had the Hemi engine. Who knows how many of those 135 still exist 34 years later, and with matching numbers?
I’m beginning to understand why Dodge uses the word “Hemi” in what seems like every damn Dodge commercial I see.