Photo: rolindse_9/eBay
Dodge's take on the Plymouth Road Runner, the Super Bee, debuted in 1968 as the company's low-priced muscle car. But even though it was the most affordable way into HEMI ownership, muscle car enthusiasts weren't very eager to pay the 33% premium. As a result, only a few Super Bees left the factory with the mighty 426, which makes the HEMI a rare bird (or should I say bee?) nowadays.
Discontinued after the 1971 model year, the Super Bee survived for only four years on the market. During this time, it spawned only 355 HEMI cars. The 1971 HEMI is by far the rarest with only 22 units, but the 1970 version is not far behind with just 42 examples. In 1969, Dodge sold only 166 of them.
This brings me to the 1968 Super Bee HEMI you see here, one of only 125 units built that year. This figure alone makes it a rare classic, but the fact that it comes with a four-speed manual transmission narrows it down even further to only 31 examples.
But wait, there's more. This muscle car is painted Burgundy Metallic, a hue that wasn't particularly popular in 1968. And apparently, only this car was ordered in color, which makes this Super Bee a one-of-one gem.
There is a catch, though. The 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) HEMI under the hood is not the car's original, numbers-matching unit. But there's some good news, as the mill is period correct, and the four-speed manual shows matching numbers.
The HEMI engine was rebuilt in 2015, so it's basically brand-new, while the body was repainted in the correct Burgundy Metallic hue. The interior also appears to be in excellent condition except for a small tear in the side of the driver’s seat cushion. The car is currently fitted with an AM/FM radio, but the original unit is included in the sale.
The only downside beyond the non-original HEMI is the fact that the listing has only four pictures. But this didn't stop potential buyers from raising the bid up to $75,300 as of this writing. There's no reserve, and the auction hosted by eBay's "rolindse_9" is set to end on June 15, so this Super Bee could move closer to the $100K mark. Not exactly affordable, but fitting for such a beautiful Mopar.
This brings me to the 1968 Super Bee HEMI you see here, one of only 125 units built that year. This figure alone makes it a rare classic, but the fact that it comes with a four-speed manual transmission narrows it down even further to only 31 examples.
But wait, there's more. This muscle car is painted Burgundy Metallic, a hue that wasn't particularly popular in 1968. And apparently, only this car was ordered in color, which makes this Super Bee a one-of-one gem.
There is a catch, though. The 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) HEMI under the hood is not the car's original, numbers-matching unit. But there's some good news, as the mill is period correct, and the four-speed manual shows matching numbers.
The HEMI engine was rebuilt in 2015, so it's basically brand-new, while the body was repainted in the correct Burgundy Metallic hue. The interior also appears to be in excellent condition except for a small tear in the side of the driver’s seat cushion. The car is currently fitted with an AM/FM radio, but the original unit is included in the sale.
The only downside beyond the non-original HEMI is the fact that the listing has only four pictures. But this didn't stop potential buyers from raising the bid up to $75,300 as of this writing. There's no reserve, and the auction hosted by eBay's "rolindse_9" is set to end on June 15, so this Super Bee could move closer to the $100K mark. Not exactly affordable, but fitting for such a beautiful Mopar.
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