Introduced in 1965, the street-spec 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) HEMI V8 engine found its way into 10,000 to 11,000 cars through 1971. It was offered in no fewer than 13 Dodge and Plymouth nameplates, and all of them are quite rare and highly desirable nowadays.
But while gearheads are willing to pay six or even seven-figure sums for a HEMI-powered Mopar nowadays, these rigs were treated like common vehicles back in the day. Some of them were raced and crashed or had their original engines blown. Others ended up in junkyards and barns after a few years of use.
All told many HEMI cars are still missing. Some were probably crushed and are gone for good, but others are still waiting to come out of storage and get a second chance at life. This 1968 Dodge Super Bee is one of those rigs.
Documented by YouTube's "Auto Archaeology," this Mopar had a rough life. And it didn't spend a lot of time on the road either. The Super Bee was stolen sometime in 1971, and its original HEMI V8 and three-speed automatic transmission were removed. Recovered without the factory drivetrain, it was fitted with a 318-cubic-inch (5.2-liter) small-block V8 and driven like that for a couple of years.
The vehicle was then retired in the owner's "personal junkyard," where it remained for about 20 years. The Super Bee was rescued from the yard in the mid-1990s and parked in a warehouse for another 25 years. Apart from an appearance at the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN) show, which hosts a barn find section, this Super Bee has been sitting for nearly 50 years.
But amazingly enough, the Mopar is still in pretty good condition. Sure, it's missing a few more parts besides the drivetrain, but it's still in one piece. And those rust issues shouldn't stop a classic muscle car enthusiast from giving it the makeover it deserves.
This Super Bee is still wearing the Sunfire Yellow coating it received from the factory. You can also see traces of the white rear stripes, as well as pieces of the original black vinyl top. The interior is ratty but complete.
Restoring such a rig is obviously difficult and expensive, but period-correct parts are still available, and 426 HEMI V8s aren't impossible to get. With this Super Bee being one of only 94 HEMI/automatic cars (that's only 1.2% of the total production in 1968), a rotisserie restoration is definitely the way to go.
Fingers crossed that it will get as lucky as the 1970 Coronet R/T parked next to it, which was restored after this footage was shot. Until that happens, hit the play button below to see it sitting as an unrestored classic.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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