If a classic car is desirable enough, even a lack of complete originality won’t deter some potential buyers. Such is the case with this 1971 Dodge Super Bee. It presents superbly, but we need to look closely to confirm it has received a few changes and upgrades during its life. It needs a new home, with the seller listing it here on eBay in Allen, Texas. Bidding sits below the reserve at $15,100, although there is plenty of time to stake a claim on this classic.
The 1971 model year marked the last for domestic production of the Super Bee until the company revived the name and badge in 2007. It was built on Chrysler’s B-Body platform as a Charger-based model and was the only year it featured the updated “fuselage” body style. Although various sources provide different information, approximately 5,000 of these beasts emerged in 1971. That figure marked a significant sales drop from previous years, confirming the fact that the muscle car era was drawing to a close. This Super Bee is a spotless classic that attracts attention for the right reasons. Its appearance also reveals the first change potential buyers must consider. The Fender Tag confirms it rolled off the line resplendent in Dark Green Metallic. While the current shade looks the same, the seller confirms it is slightly darker. That will probably annoy some purists and could impact its potential value. Returning it to its original appearance is possible, but considering the seller’s expectations, it wouldn’t be financially viable. The paint and panels look spotless, and the seller’s belief that the car retains its original steel suggests it has never suffered from rust issues. The trunk pan has some surface corrosion, but addressing this early would be easy and wise. The Dodge features the desirable Ramcharger hood, although the seller indicates it currently doesn’t operate. Otherwise, the stripes look crisp, the glass and trim are spotless, and the Rallye wheels show no evidence of stains or damage.
The theme of tidy presentation continues inside this Super Bee, with the upholstered surfaces, carpet, dash, pad, and console looking excellent. The headliner has a developing seam split, which is one of the few faults worth mentioning. Most readers will notice the seats now sport cloth covers. This is another change that could impact the car’s potential value. However, it is a practical addition, especially if the new owner lives in a warm climate where the blazing sun can transform vinyl upholstery into a hotplate. There aren’t many optional extras, although the buyer receives a Rally gauge cluster, an AM radio, and the ultra-cool pistol-grip shifter.
The Fender Tag confirms this Super Bee rolled off the showroom floor powered by the company’s 383ci Magnum V8. It fed 300hp to the road via a four-speed manual transmission, while the original owner specified power assistance for the steering and brakes. The impact of upcoming emission regulations made themselves felt by 1971, meaning this classic took 15.7 seconds to cover the ¼-mile. In 1970, the same journey would have only occupied 14.6 seconds. The relative rarity of this drivetrain configuration is worth noting, with only 766 buyers selecting it. The seller indicates this Super Bee no longer houses its numbers-matching 383, although this powerplant is date-correct. They include an enormous folder of photos and paperwork documenting the car’s history. They say it runs and drives as it should, supplying this YouTube video confirming that its 383 sounds crisp and tough.
Although it has undergone significant changes, this 1971 Dodge Super Bee is stunning. Returning it to its original form is possible, but I question whether the results would be worth the cost considering the loss of its original engine. It could be a strong contender if someone seeks a better-than-average vehicle from this era. If it were unmolested, I expect bidding would top $50,000. However, it isn’t, which probably explains why only four bids have been submitted. The seller indicates they are seeking $56,500, but do you think they’ll achieve that figure?
Hello Barnfinds.
Would someone like to explain the additional selection now available on comments made called “Report comment”? Might be a useful feature with some added guidelines and or clarification.
Otherwise you guys are setting yourselves up to review a bunch of these, many by people that clicked it simply out of curiosity.
It’s exactly what it looks like. Readers can report inappropriate comments that we may have missed. Thanks for asking.
Jesse, You state that you are not talking about contradicting opinions. Okay, then which comments ARE you talking about?
Political?
Illiterate/undecipherable?
References to Chevettes?
Corinthian leather?
Continental kits?
I think many of us would like some guidelines here. Thanks.
@370zpp – Just follow the existing rules: No profanity, politics, or personal attacks.
I have never understood the need to tattle. What could someone say here that could possibly be so bad that it would need reporting? All I see here is a lot of childish behavior where someone reports someone else’s comment after they contradicted them. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, this will negate that. This feature needs to be withdrawn. It will only alienate readers. What is needed though, is the ability to add pictures to a comment. I see some people have figured out how that can be done but I have yet to figure it out. Call me senile, I guess.
Trust me, the comments need some moderation and I’m not talking about contradicting opinions. The ability to add photos is a member feature so please consider signing up. Thanks!
Perhaps they could reduce the size and color of the font to reduce the intrusion of the “REPORT COMMENT” link. Though I recognize and appreciate the need for moderation, I too find it off putting,
Once you clear your browsers cache, the report link will move over by the thumbs up instead of being right next to reply. Thanks.
Barn Find Big Brother. Do we really need this or do we start/go to a different be site? I find censorship very distasteful.
Gary, censorship has many reasons, true and what we are told to be true. If you are trying to guard nuclear secrets to keep someone from being able to build a bomb, I think we can all agree that is a worthwhile reason. Other reasons cause head scratching.
@Gary – This actually means less censorship. We currently moderate all first-time comments. That’s hundreds of comments every day! It was becoming too much to handle. This way, things are only reviewed if they get reported. If everyone can just control themselves and not act like jerks, things will actually run much better this way.
The hood needs adjustment, and the cloth seats don’t look that good (IMO), otherwise, a really nice car! GLWTA!! :-)
It really a very nice Super Bee. The seat covers are not right but it comes with the correct ones. It’s rare to get the N96 Air Grabber hood on this. It’s also nice to see the machine gun exhaust tips still on a car. Again I think we will see prices come down in the future because people can’t afford top dollar. I will be extremely surprised if somebody meets their price on eBay. Otherwise I think it’s going to come up short. Another beautiful Mopar…it’s nice to see these instead of rust buckets! 😄🐻🇺🇸
Would be nicer if it was an AC car. #FJB
Does anyone have an opinion as to whether the dash pad is the correct color for that interior? I have a ’72 Sebring Plus with that interior and the dash pad matched the color of the rest of that interior – more olive green.
Roland.. I seen dash color a bit off sometimes. You would think it would match better. Then again it’s Mother Mopar for you to not always match everything up. Also I saw that 2nd fender tag and I don’t know why it’s there. Since the 1st tag does not have a lot of options on it. 🐻🇺🇸
Some people just want a cool old car they can actually drive occasionally without too much worry. This car fits the bill. If the new owner wants to do some upgrades for reliability, and to bring it closer to factory appearance, he can do so while keeping it a running/driving car. If I was in the market, I’d consider this one.
Finally, no go wing. A nice clean rare charger. Allot to like on this car. Just think rowing that pistol grip.
Car seems to be missing the special Super Bee doors. Similar but different than the R/T doors.
Super Bee doors are like all the rest of the doors. Only the R/T had special doors.
Super Bee doors were standard Charger style in ‘71. R/T doors had two black accents at the leading edge.
I owned a ‘71 Super Bee for 20+ years. Bought it right when they were just used cars. Drove it as my daily for a few years and eventually did a light restoration and retired it to weekend duty. Great cars!
My Bad. I’m thinking of the 1972 Charger Rally doors.
Hash marks
Bidding sits at $32,000.00 now and still under minimum ask price. Nice car, i liked the older ones with the Big wing on the back. Sweet Ride
Nice car, color tint is off no big deal, live with it. Seat covers installed $1500.00+, crusty trunk floor – paint no rust repair-$1000.00+ noe motor- is it even a properly coded Magnum engine? -$5000.00+ if not. For $60,00.00 it had better be perfect and correct. It is a very nice looking car and should be priced at $30,000 or so
Dealer is looking for $56,500 for this. Sounds just like any other greedy dealer thinking they have something worth more than it is.
Those non-numbers matching makes a huge difference in value, despite what some might think.
Another nice Mopar, but again, way overpriced….non-original engine, wrong color paint, the seats look awful….I’d look into repairing the A/G hood too….that can be a real pia…..who knows what else it needs…..$30 k tops in my humble opinion……
PS, those seats are , um, different? Definitely not stock. I love green, I love velour, however….these seat covers are total cringe. Easy to duplicate. Open a can of split pea soup, once opened, throw all over your seats, rub the contents around. Atta boy, you just made your car seats look like these LOL. oh, BTW, you just upped your rides value by $2-5k on that other site ha ha