The Super Bee came out in 1968 as Dodge’s first “budget” muscle car, like the Road Runner was for Plymouth. Raw power was the order of the day and top dog was the 426 Hemi engine. 125 of those motors went into the Super Bee coupe in 1968, as the seller’s car is so presented. It’s a beautiful machine that appears to have been restored at some point, but the Hemi engine’s block is not original (it’s from 1969). Located in Temple/Belton, Texas, this deep red Super Bee is available here on craigslist for $102,000. Thank you, Rocco B, for this tip.
Some have said that the Super Bee is one of Dodge’s forgotten muscle cars. The name was derived from the B-body platform it rode on and it was a “super” car! The Bee would be around for just four model years (1968-71), although Dodge saw fit to resurrect it some 40 years later. Within the Chrysler stable, Dodge was always thought to have the edge when it came to performance. So, when Plymouth announced their Road Runner, Dodge quickly followed suit and the Super Bee was born. It was be based on the popular Coronet coupe and hit the market a few months after the fleeing bird did.
The version of the Super Bee that saw the least production was one equipped with the 425 horsepower Hemi, probably because it added nearly $1,000 to the car’s price tag. It came with minimal amenities, but Dodge did add heavy-duty suspension and brakes, wide oval tires, racing stripes surrounding the tail, and a giant “Super Bee” emblem on the rear fenders. 31 pillared Super Bee coupes were built with a Hemi and a 4-speed in 1968, plus another 94 with the automatic, like the seller’s car.
If a Super Bee were factory equipped with a Hemi, the car would be designated with a J-code. The cowl code on the seller’s car is stamped with a J. For whatever reason, the original engine block is no longer there, replaced with one from the following year. The body and deep red paint look exceptional, and all the trim, glass and stripes look right to me. The mileage claim is but 47,000, so if that’s accurate, perhaps the original engine had issues early on that required a new block.
The seller indicates a willingness to do a partial trade but doesn’t tell us what he would consider. Here’s the big question: is this a $100,000+ car? Since the number of them built this way was few to begin with, it’s hard to find a comparable car for sale. I did locate a ’68 Road Runner hardtop online with a Hemi and 38,000 miles going for $111,000.
I like the Super Bee over the Road Runner in looks. Really like the color on this as well. Doesn’t surprise me the original engine is gone. These were not bought to be babied. Maybe the original engine developed an issue and was changed out early in life at the dealer. Just I used to do working at the dealer.
I’m not sure how much numbers matching effects the resale on one of these. To me it’s not a big issue.
Actually, numbers matching when it come to a MOPAR hemi is a BIG issue. As you stated, the majority of the hemi cars were bought for the purpose of racing, which caused an early demise for most hemi engines.
Having a numbers matching hemi is very rare.
If I remember correctly, in 1968, the Hemi cars were sold with no engine warranty. If it quit at 10 miles it was up to you to correct the problem. Chrysler knew these cars were most likely bought to race, at the strip or on the street, therefore no engine warranty
A lot of auto executives drove more of the high end or dressed up muscle cars , true with GM and Ford also
NOM means non Orig Motor.
I guess that means only 100K.
Buy a real super bee 🐝 matching numbers.
Nice car, but not for that price. I had a Cornet with a 318, really liked that car.
Numbers matching is good, but very few survived. Also I’ve seen restamped blocks to look original so how many really still are correct?
Hmmm. So many have been cloned, yet here we have one that was born a Hemi but STILL a controversy. If it was a car that had the block replaced under warranty and everything else is according to tags and paperwork does that make it unworthy ? Thoughts gentlemen ?
There was no warranty on the Hemi, so it can’t be a warranty replacement block.
Presents well and despite the “issue” of a non-matching block will likely bring a fair bit of coin. But $100,000+? I don’t know. At this point, and in this condition it really isn’t a driver, so it becomes a piece of art. I think I would rather take that $100,000 and buy something new that I really liked and maybe buy a driver of something I would not be afraid to have in the rain. Even if it only brought $80,000 I could find 2 things I want to drive.
Hemi prices will never be what they were in the boom years of 2005 and 2006, when they were selling for hundreds of thousands. I prefer 69 Bee over 68, not that the 68 isn’t a good looking car. To me, if a car is safe to drive, not a pile of body filler and cardboard and looks like this, it’s a win. All the comments here are correct. I worked at a Chrysler Plymouth dealer back in the day. Most of these engines blew up due to NHRA type burnouts by the owners. That’s what makes the REAL cars worth more. Without seeing this car, I’d say it would bring in the 80K range.
Back around 1972, I war racing a hemi Charger in my Buick GS and his engine blew, and it blew good. Busted right through the block on the passenger side. I’m sure he wasn’t the only one in those days…Next time I raced him he had a warmed up 440 in it. He blew that too. Good thing he worked at a machine shop
455’s were weak they did blow up a lot…I never seen a low mile 440 blow up..I roasted mine at 140,000 thats because I was 16 and did huge burnouts from a roll and smoked out everything!
Reason 426 Hemi cars have non matching numbers is people removed perfect engines to install them in Rail Cars(Drag Cars) back in the day! Thats why..I was there!
Overpriced and way overrated .That is true most of the hemi’s blew up , but that don’t make the REAL cars worth more ,they are all the same that’s just a twisted thought in a dodge fans mind .There’s no proof of anything except they are over priced and overrated .A burn out is a burn out period . I’d rather have a GM 427 / 435 horse quality motor than any dodge . GM built 5 different 427’s from 67-69 (L-68, ,L71, L-88,L-89 (aluminum head) , ZL1 . (aluminum block) . Can’t believe people jack-up the price , or pay for a overpriced motor that has more odds of just blowing up. 2 of the readers in this article show the same thing as I mentioned . The motors blow up . Know through the years with the same issue at race tracks or someone’s story . And the prices of what the 2005-2006 just goes to show you the depth of stupidity . Wonder how many of those owners cars blew up if they even did a burn out or raced it , but like most things , it has a lot to do with the driver , but you can never escape quality .
Overpriced? Maybe, but that’s more an issue of rarity (only 11,000 installed between 66 and 71) and collectibility. The 427 is a great motor, btw, but maybe you should check how 427 powered cars did against 426 hemi on the NASCAR track and on the strip back in the day. Therein lies the difference…
Definitely overpriced nice but nun the less. A nice looking car but not really classy looking! Having said that I would take it.
Reason a lot of Mopars dont have their 426 Hemi is because of Drag racing! They took a perfect running Hemi out and put it in a Drag Car…Rail Car to go down the track! Not because they blew up for no reason!
Mopar’s are better than GM…More GM/Fords blew up than these Hemi’s…There is a reason Ford,GM and today Toyota use a Chrysler Hemi in Top Fuel,Top Alcohol racing! HEMI’S are the most reliable and quickest engines around..GM/Ford knew it back then…
Back in the 80’s people replaced engines and never thought of numbers matching…You replaced a stock 426,440 or a GM 455/454/427 for another engine as you either blew your engine up or found a hotter one…YES GM engines blew up all the time!!!
These engines blew up because of racing 10-11 second 1/4 mile times and John Force style burnouts on the street for years with daily driving and 150,000 miles! 426 Hemi’s with headers and slicks ran mid-high 11’s out of the factory with the street hemi..add a cam and low 11’s and usually 10 second range or better/depending on build..
These old cars you add 100,000 miles on the odometer as we drove them daily!!! After 99,999 they rolled to 00,000 some had a 6th digit but that was opposite color and was a 1/10th of a mile readout,never a full mile!
My Dad bought new 440 Mopars never blew them up..My Uncle bought 2 new 426 Hemi cars,never blew them up he had 160,000 on his 66 Hemi Coronet and drove it daily from 66-74 and got those miles..At 110,000 he did a ring job as he did race it(11.90’s) It wasnt his race car!!Engine was stock except headers,3.54 gearing..and slicks..185/75 series bias plies he ran 14’s lol just boiled them down the track!
Back in Chi Town just out of high school, we drove a red 68 Super Bee for an hour or so looking for a race, but none to be found. Reason was, we had a bowl with a gold fish like the commercial on TV to say we could not race! No idea what we did with the goldfish, but it was not with us for the Saturday night races on Elston Ave or Water Street.
Nice car,too much money, I’d rather buy a standard 68 or 69 coronet, love the style, nice and mean and crisp,the tail lights are bad ass,and to the hemi- hater,most drag racing engines are based off the hemi,and more races have been won by them!
What many fail to realize is that the Hemi was never designed for the street. They had to be made available to the public in order to race the Nascar circuit. Consequently they were ill mannered, temperamental high maintenance engines. It is hard to find ANY brand of performance car that is still sporting the engine it was born with. Because of that, an original with the original engine adds about 10% more to the cost. As to a hundred grand being too much? Keep in mind that there were only 125 made EVER! How many still exist, especially with the original engine? As to the Mopar hater talking about “our stupidity”. I’d suggest he check himself and at least be a little honest. How many of the GM people put out big bucks for original Z/28’s, LS6’s, ZL1’s, L88’s, etc. Dead nuts original will always bring the highest dollar. This is especially true for the performance cars. They had a hard life right off the showroom floor. Many blew up and/or ended up wrapped around a telephone pole. Many are gone forever. That means what is left becomes more valuable. Simple supply and demand.