Photo: marshdawgs/eBay
A short-lived nameplate, the Dodge Super Bee was sold from 1968 to 1970 as the company's entry-level muscle car. Originally based on the Coronet, it was also sold in 1971 as a low-priced variant of the Charger. Come 2022, and the Super Bee is a rare classic, especially with a Hemi engine under the hood.
Dodge built 51,148 Coronet-based Super Bees from 1968 to 1970. However, only 333 of them were ordered with the mighty 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) Hemi V8. The 1970 Hemi is by far the rarest, with just 42 examples delivered. Most Hemi cars were coupes, which leaves the 426 convertible not only the rarest Super Bee out there, but also one of the rarest Dodge vehicles from the muscle car era.
But while the company did deliver a few Hemi drop-tops in 1968 and 1969, no such cars were ordered in 1970. Yup, the Super Bee you're looking at is not an authentic Hemi car but a tribute to a setup that was never ordered back in 1970 due to higher insurance rates for performance cars. It's not even a Super Bee, as the base of this project was a Coronet.
Granted, I'll always take a factory original over a replica, but this thing not only looks like the real deal, but it's downright gorgeous. So it's definitely worth a closer look.
Described as a rotisserie build that's "not perfect," this Super Bee is no longer painted in its factory color. But this burnt orange-like hue looks amazing, especially when combined with the white top and the matching graphics on the rear fenders.
The chrome looks just as good as the paint, and the seller claims there's no rust or mud to worry about. He also says that he poured around $30,000 in bodywork alone, which included new floors, trunk pans, and quarter panel repairs, as well as welded in frame rail connects. The interior has also been rebuilt, and the soft-top is new.
The seller also admits that the car is no longer in pristine condition. Both the fuel pump and the breaks need work, while the underside of the hood is burnt from a small fire. The A/C was never finished.
Unlike all the other Super Bee Convertibles built for 1970, this one rocks a 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) Hemi V8 under the hood. But that's because the seller opted to replace the original mill with a Mopar Performance Hemi of the modern variety.
Fitted with ceramic-coated headers, a radiator with dual electric fans, and connected to a Tremec five-speed with a pistol grip shifter, the Hemi cranks out a solid 465 horsepower. That's exactly 40 horses more than the original 426 Hemi offered by Dodge in 1970.
Overall, it might not be an authentic Hemi Super Bee Convertible (which would be worth a fortune right now), but it's a nicely made tribute that's only a few tweaks away from becoming a Concours-winning classic.
And not surprisingly, it's getting a lot of attention on eBay, where five bids have taken the price up to $41,300. This is a no-reserve auction that will end in two days and will probably break the $50,000 mark.
But while the company did deliver a few Hemi drop-tops in 1968 and 1969, no such cars were ordered in 1970. Yup, the Super Bee you're looking at is not an authentic Hemi car but a tribute to a setup that was never ordered back in 1970 due to higher insurance rates for performance cars. It's not even a Super Bee, as the base of this project was a Coronet.
Granted, I'll always take a factory original over a replica, but this thing not only looks like the real deal, but it's downright gorgeous. So it's definitely worth a closer look.
Described as a rotisserie build that's "not perfect," this Super Bee is no longer painted in its factory color. But this burnt orange-like hue looks amazing, especially when combined with the white top and the matching graphics on the rear fenders.
The chrome looks just as good as the paint, and the seller claims there's no rust or mud to worry about. He also says that he poured around $30,000 in bodywork alone, which included new floors, trunk pans, and quarter panel repairs, as well as welded in frame rail connects. The interior has also been rebuilt, and the soft-top is new.
The seller also admits that the car is no longer in pristine condition. Both the fuel pump and the breaks need work, while the underside of the hood is burnt from a small fire. The A/C was never finished.
Unlike all the other Super Bee Convertibles built for 1970, this one rocks a 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) Hemi V8 under the hood. But that's because the seller opted to replace the original mill with a Mopar Performance Hemi of the modern variety.
Fitted with ceramic-coated headers, a radiator with dual electric fans, and connected to a Tremec five-speed with a pistol grip shifter, the Hemi cranks out a solid 465 horsepower. That's exactly 40 horses more than the original 426 Hemi offered by Dodge in 1970.
Overall, it might not be an authentic Hemi Super Bee Convertible (which would be worth a fortune right now), but it's a nicely made tribute that's only a few tweaks away from becoming a Concours-winning classic.
And not surprisingly, it's getting a lot of attention on eBay, where five bids have taken the price up to $41,300. This is a no-reserve auction that will end in two days and will probably break the $50,000 mark.
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