Introduced in mid-1968, the Super Bee was Dodge’s answer to the Plymouth Road Runner. Though Dodge’s least expensive mid-size muscle car, it was by no means quite as austere as the Road Runner. Which resulted in a higher price tag and lower sales. This 1969 edition is either a flawless original or a beautiful restoration with as few as 25,000 miles. Located in Molino, Florida, this car show contestant is available here on eBay where the bidding stands at $37,100 and the reserve is unmet. But you can skip the line and cut to the chase for $55,000.
The Super Bee was only around for four years (1968-71), ended by changes in the muscle car marketplace and Dodge’s consolidation of products in 1972. The name would reappear in the 21st Century as a model on the revived Dodge Charger. The original Super Bee was based on the Coronet 2-door coupe, though a hardtop was added in 1969. Its name is a derivative of the B-body designation that Chrysler’s intermediate-sized cars deployed during the era, which also included the Road Runner and Charger.
Like the Road Runner, the Super Bee’s execution was a bit gimmicky with its name and logo design based on the Dodge “Scat Pack” Bee medallion. But we don’t think the car’s horn did anything but beep like most normal cars did. The Super Bee was 65 lbs. heavier than its Plymouth cousin and rode on a wheelbase that was one inch wider. The dashboard cluster was borrowed from the Dodge Charger. Super Bee sales always trailed that of the Road Runner, with 7,842 copies in 1968, a peak of 27,800 in 1969, 15,506 in 1970, and just 5.054 in 1971.
The seller has owned this Dodge for about two years. He/she found it in Georgia and says the mileage is original as the previous owner only drove it once a year. The seller’s use may have been as limited with an indication it was mainly used for making the car show rounds. We’re told it’s a show winner and has appeared in several magazines which will come with the car. Other documentation is provided, including the fender tag and build sheet. So, this car appears to be every bit a real deal Super Bee.
We assume the color on this Super Bee is Hemi Orange, but could it be Tor Red? The body and paint look spectacular, and the interior is quite nice although the black carpeting may be faded a bit. The 383 cubic-inch “Magnum” V8 and automatic transmission are said to be original, and no mention is made if any work was ever needed. And the engine compartment is tidy enough to eat from (though I would shut the powerplant off first!).
Clearly a respray (look at the fender tag and inner apron). That said, a beautiful Bee.
Listing says original metal, obviously not original paint.
Not the original motor, that’s for sure.
Easy to tell. Partial vin on pass side of block just above oil pan rail. decal has been replaced. That tells me repaint. Been restoring mopars most of my life. Forgot more than the graveyard cars guy ever knew. Scripted tv car shows are a joke.
That may be a 383, but does it have 2 4bbls? Are the hood scoops functional?
It’s a 440 has stamp block on top front. 383 was on side in front of the head
Only Mopar raised big blocks have the engine stamping block located to the right of the distributor hold down bracket (looking from front). The 383 is a low block in 1964 and later and has a much smaller distributor ridge on the block. Maybe 1/2 inch wide, while the engine pictured has a boss approximately 3 inches wide as all ’60’s and 70’s raised big blocks do. It is definitely a raised big block. The only raised 383 big block was in 1960 thru 1963.
It’s not a 383, it’s a 440. No 383 or 440 EVER came with dual 4bbls in 1969. It is, clearly, a Ramcharger hood and air cleaner which, clearly, means the scoops are functional.
I owned 2 Super Bees back in ’75-’76: a ’68, and a ’69 like this one, only a different color. Both had 383 Magnum & 4-speed manual trans. My ’69 was a 383 with a single 4 bbl carb and had the same air filter and hood scoops! Are you just assuming this one’s a 440 because of the shape of the air filter, or did I miss something in the details?!
The air cleaner Molokai to be a six pack unit.
Sorry, you are mistaken. Looks the same, but that is the factory 4bbl air cleaner for the fresh air hood. The 6BBL/Six Pack air cleaner was the same lid but the base was different (obviously).
That’s dodges version of the air grabber but that air cleaner could hide a twin 4bbl or 6 pack or at least a 4 bbl and my lunch! Nice car but I’m not sure if having your girl close is worth not having the floor shift console 4 speed or a slap stick wait a minute let me take my foot out of my mouth I did & do know some girls a bench seat was worth it what am I saying duh! Sorry gals
One of my favorite muscle cars ever. The 69 Bee is far superior in appointments to a 69 RR. 25,000 miles is believable, but the price seems low in that mileage is legit. Whatever the price, this car is 150 percent better than most of the field finds of this era Mopars on this site that need $100,000 worth of sheet metal and work.
How is it “far superior in appointments”? It’s pretty much the exact same car, with the exact same equipment.
Pretty sure that’s a 440. Can see the flat spot on front top of the block where it would be stamped. 383 is on the side in front of the head
It clearly states in the ad that the engine is 6.3 liters. That would be a 383. A 440 would be 7.2 liters. The M in the vin means it’s a 383 four barrel. I don’t see any information that they offered a six pack or two four barrels in 1969.
https://www.440magnum-network.com/mopar-information/vin-code-breakdowns/1969-vins/
Vin tag or fender tag doesn’t mean it’s original. Just saying look at the front of the engine by the distributor it looks to be a RB not BB.
The engine in the car is clearly NOT a B-block 383, it is an RB-block and, likely, a 440.
The paint code is blurry but appears to be W1 W1…so sno white body and sno white top painted!
No, it says V2 V2 which is Solid Hemi Orange.
Favorite year for a Dodge, l like it better than the Charger… Great tail end and just all around nasty
Did a few B bodies in the past. My experience? Mopar vuys are VIN fanatics and they should be! Fender tag and fender could be from a staion wagon for all we know! HaHa!
First thing to look for on a fender tag is if it has the vin # on it. It has the last 6 digits lower right that match the vin.
Looks like a 383 Magnum with a Ramcharger hood. They were pretty functional. If you look at the ebay pics, the ignition ballast resistor has nothing hooked to it??
Good catch Bob on the “wireless” ignition ballast resistor. It has to have some kind of aftermarket ignition system, or at least the “brain box” is non-OEM.
Oval air cleaner is for the Ramcharger (Air Grabber on a Plymouth) fresh air setup.
Beautiful car. My only comment and it may not be shared by many;
The front license plate that reads “MUSCLECAR” needs to go.
A car like this does not need to announce to the world what it is. There is no question as to what this car is.
In fact, I would rather see this plate on an Escort or a Chevette. Just because.
The license plate is from Musclecar Magazine, which featured this car in the issue shown in the ebay listing .
I had a ’69 B5 Blue 383 white stripe “Bulge” hood from 73-76. Had to sell it to start a construction job and buy a new PU. That’s what we did back then. Sad day. I’m bidding and watching this one. What good is retirement money without spending it!
That would be an unwise decision…spend your hard-earned money on a numbers-matching car with a 4-speed. The seller is either A) Dishonest or B) has no freaking clue what he is selling.
Help me out here, what do you think it’s worth? I’m in pursuit and the details you mention don’t really bother me.
It has dice but they are not even fuzzy!!
well to start off Hemi Orange “Dodge” and Tor Red “Plymouth” are the same colors but Tor Red may not have been offered until 1970, just saying, also the first M in the vin stands for medium price class not engine size, the fifth digit H in the vin stands for the engine size which is a 383, not to say that this car has one, the only other time a M code in the vin would be offered in the fifth digit on a 440 6 pack lift off car, and all factory 1969 Ram Charger hood cars would have that same air cleaner induction the 383 cars would come factory with one four barrel carburetor, the M code cars would come “factory” with three two barrel carburetors both set ups have the same top it’s whats underneath that’s different, so to just look at what we are seeing in these pictures you could never tell how many carburetors he has,
Thank you. Finally, a post where someone actually knows what they are talking about and not just professing incorrect information without the slightest bit of research or knowledge to back it.
I had a new 69 SB 383 4 bbl that had the same hood style.
The block is an RB block 440 period not a 383
In 1976 I worked with a guy who had a 1968 Super Bee. It had a 440 with the 6 pack.
Transmission was the 4 speed.
Went to lunch one day. He’d put a dollar bill in a clip on the dash. If the back seat passenger could get the dollar it was theirs.
Never could get it.
Wild ride
Would the 2 wingnuts in the air cleaner top indicate it’s a 2-4bbl engine?
Nice car for the price IF it’s not a clone. even IF it’s a clone it’s still a nice car.
Ya ballast not wired under the hood.
I cry foul…this looks exactly like the #matching I restored and won best Mopar in the Cincinnati cavalcade of customs approx 7 yrs ago…need more interior shots and real provenance …bull
I remember when people bought muscle cars to enjoy. Now they’ve become a toy only the rich can afford. These prices that are 10-15 times the showroom price has put the muscle car out of the reach of the people who would enjoy them most.
Collector cars are investments these days and are traded like stock.
Take this car. It is available to purchase at about the same price as an SUV and much less expensive that a BIG SUV, like an Expedition.
Anyone can pick up a ’30s, ’40s, ’50s street rod for $30K or much less. And those street rods have same drive train as muscle cars and quickly go as fast, many much faster. Car shows are fun and entertaining. IF yu venture into buying an old car suggest using an expert 3rd party to do a value/price inspection.
I remember, clearly, when as a 16 year old I bought a 71 Charger R/T in 1978 as a “cool used car” w/54k miles for $1,700, basically 1 owner if you don’t count the “flipper” I bought it from who did a minor repair on the front passenger side fender…
I’ve had my non#s matching but “correctly equipped” 70 Roadrunner V-Code manual transmission Dana Track Pack car since 2014 and it was in the $40k range. Not “rich” by any means.
Not all original…a Walmart battery. I don’t think there was a Walmart back in those days. ha
Walmart was ACTUALLY around in the ’60’s