The Super Bee was to Dodge as the Road Runner was to Plymouth. To say one was a clone of the other wouldn’t fair as they had their differences. This 1968 edition from the car’s first year isn’t running and looks to have been off the road for a while. But it appears complete and waiting a complete restoration. You can find it in Omaha, Nebraska, and it’s available here on Craigslist for $12,500. Thanks, Ikey Heyman, for another great tip!
The Dodge Coronet-based Super Bee buzzed into the muscle car scene in 1968 and was there for just four model years. The name would be reborn later on the Dodge Charger between 2008-09 and 2012-13. The first generation, as part of the Chrysler “fuselage” era, ran from ’68 to ’70. The Super Bee was Dodge’s low-priced muscle car as the Road Runner was for Plymouth.
We understand the name Super Bee is a salute to the “B” body platform used by Chrysler’s mid-size cars. The Bee differed from the Road Runner by riding on a one-inch longer wheelbase, was 65 lbs. heavier and had larger rear wheel openings. Because the Super Bee wasn’t as stark in the amenities department as the Road Runner, it had a higher price tag and that may explain why the Road Runner outsold the Super Bee.
The seller gives us limited information, just one interior picture and none from underneath. We’re told this car came from West Virginia, but we don’t know why that’s important. We’re also told it’s a numbers-matching car, but no VIN number is provided. There is a build sheet photo provided, but it’s stained by the springs from under the seat and I can’t make anything out of it. The car is said to have 76,000 miles on it.
Dodge produced 7,842 Super Bee’s in 1968 with the great majority having the 383 cubic inch engine. Only 125 cars were made with the 426 Hemi. Sales went up the next year but fell back for 1970 before the redesign in 1971 what turned out to be the last for the Super Bee for 35+ years. The seller indicates the car’s original 383/335 hp is there with a 4-speed, for which the tranny tag is said to still be attached. The car does not run, but the seller does say the motor spins free.
The photos suggest some rust in the usual places, but no deep dives are given in the troubled areas. The signature wraparound stripe on the tail is all but gone and the bold Super Bee logo is down to just a bee at this point. I’ve read there was a diecast, chrome-plated “Bee” medallion that was raised and mounted in the grille/hood area and again in the back. I believe I can see it by the right rear taillight, but online pics of other ’68 Super Bees don’t show it in the grille. Is there supposed to be one there?
Is the seller’s car worth the asking price? Price guides seem to fluctuate between low to high five figures for the 383 edition, depending on condition and color. If it had the Hemi, the resale value would have to be measured in terms of gold bars. You could have a valuable car when you’re done with the restoration, but at what cost?
West Virginia uses road salt, so a close inspection is mandated.
Agreed. Judging by the rust up top, it wouldn’t surprise me if there’s some rust underneath
Can we get a car in Tennessee pls (preferably a good one that is worth the money).
Because West Virginia is so far away from Tennessee?
It’s in Nebraska now.
The sellers pictures stink.
Lazy flipper pictures.
I had a ’68 blue Coronet just like this, only a slanty and 3 speed column. It was one of the many $100 beaters you could buy in the ’70’s. It was a basic car, no nothing. If the Road Runner was a donut, these were donuts with sprinkles, pretty much the same thing, and were wrapped around oak trees with alarming regularity. They went a heck of a lot better than they handled or stopped. In ’68, it was all about going fast in a straight line.
I was taught that the Super Bee was named for its high-performance Chrysler B series engine.
I never knew about the “B” series body type, I just thought the bumble bee was a clever ad campaign.
Super Bee came from the B-body platform. Super B.
another person drunk on barret jackson asking twice what the price should be
As a kid of eight I, for one, used to listen to these Super-BEEs racing at the intersection of Don Mills Road and Shepard Avenue in Toronto’s North York early in the morning hours of Friday and Saturday nights back in 1968.
The horse power was pretty obvious as merely a Super-Bee racing off-the-line would completely disrupt the quietude of the early morning hours in a major suburb of Toronto past midnight.
Bob
Well this one looks complete and mostly original and with that being said I don’t think this will last to long considering the rusty rollers we’ve seen that have gone for twice this money!!
I like the looks of the Road Runner better. There’s a wickedness to them with the right wheels and tires, day two stuff, no more pronounced then the sight of a six pack scooped RR in the rear view mirror with the sunlight hitting just right. I like the Bee’s and all that but there’s something lacking. Don’t know what the heck it is.
Oddly enough due to the much lower sales I knew more old time street racers who talked of their Super Bee then those who had Runners. I also think the Charger R/T just looked and ran too good, helped keep these ‘Bee’s from big sales. Just a thought.
68 is the meanest looking and this one is a 4 speed. Ad location Omaha, car originated in WV. Consider me intrigued.
is this car still available