Introduced in 1968 as the company's low-priced muscle car, the Dodge Super Bee remained in production for only four years. Originally based on the two-door Coronet, the nameplate became part of the Charger lineup in 1971, its final year on the market.
Available with V8 engines exclusively, the Super Bee is now a sought-after classic. And it's also quite expensive when fitted with the 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) HEMI V8 because only 355 customers ordered this Dodge with the mighty powerplant.
Super Bees equipped with the 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) RB V8 are also hard to find with only a few thousand built across four model years. This leaves the 383-cubic-inch (6.3-liter) as the more common V8. In 1969, the Super Bee's best-selling year, a whopping 25,727 examples left the assembly line with this mill under the hood.
Yup, it's far from rare, but not all 383-equipped Super Bees are common and affordable. Some units were ordered with all sorts of rare and even unique options that make the cars extremely desirable more than 50 years later. The 1969 Super Bee you're about to see below is one of those cars.
Founding sitting in the bushes with some sort of carport covering its front section, this Mopar spent a few good decades off the road. But amazingly enough, it took all those years of sitting like a champ, without significant rust issues and with most of its original components still in place.
Sure, some body panels have a few dings and dents and the original seats have been swapped at some point, but these are common and easy-to-fix issues when it comes to barn finds. What's more, this Super Bee still has its numbers-matching 383 V8 and three-speed TorqueFlite automatic gearbox.
In addition to that, it comes with a few cool options, including a Ramcharger hood and the Dodge Spring Special package. The latter includes hood tie-down pins like on the A12 models, upper door frame moldings, and the Light and Carb Fresh Air packages.
It's also dressed in one of the coolest colors that Mopar offered at the time, B7 blue, paired with a two-tone blue interior. But the most intriguing thing about this car is that the original white stripe was redone with a floral lace pattern. It's only visible in a few places due to the heavy weathering, but it's something you won't see on another Super Bee anytime soon.
Saved by "Shade Tree Vintage Auto" from a sad life in the bushes, the 1969 Super Bee already has a new owner. Yup, he sold the car before he got a chance to advertise it online, which speaks volumes of the Super Bee's popularity when fitted with certain options. Even if the V8 under the hood is not a HEMI.
And the good news is that the Super Bee went to someone who's planning on restoring it to its original specifications. Hopefully, we will get to see it on the road soon.
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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