It would be very easy to give this 1969 Dodge Super Bee little more than a passing glance when you look at its general appearance. However, to do so would be selling this classic short. Below that faded and tired exterior is a structurally sound car that features its numbers-matching drivetrain. It would make a satisfying restoration project, and the finished product would be a car that commanded respect wherever it went. If you fancy your own slice of Mopar muscle, you will find the Super Bee located in Mays Landing, New Jersey, and listed for sale here on eBay. The owner has set a BIN of $53,000 but leaves the option for interested parties to make an offer.
While it looks tired now, this Super Bee would have made a striking visual statement when new. It wore the highly desirable Hemi Orange paint, a Black vinyl top, and White “bumblebee” stripes. Today you can still see traces of that original paint, but the car generally looks tired. There are a few dents and marks across the panels, but they are the least of their problems. Rust has impacted the usual spots, including the rear quarter panels, doors, and smaller areas around the back window. It doesn’t augur well for the underside, but this is one of the aces this car holds up its sleeve. The supplied photos revealed that the floors and frame wear a dusting of surface corrosion, but they are rock solid. Even the vulnerable rear frame rails are in excellent condition. It suggests that the restoration of this classic should be pretty straightforward, although the process will still involve some grinding and welding. The buyer will probably choose a rotisserie restoration, ensuring that any rust that is present is banished forever. It would also allow an opportunity to ensure that everything is detailed to the highest standard. More astute readers will notice that this car is missing its original hood. There’s a sad story behind this, and it isn’t the owner’s fault. It seems that the vehicle was parked at a mechanic’s shop one night when somebody helped themselves to the hood and a few other desirable parts. Careful searching may locate a genuine replacement, but I suspect the buyer might need to settle on an aftermarket reproduction. The chrome has accumulated some surface corrosion, but it appears restorable. The glass is in good condition, while the car rides on its original wheels.
It will come as a bonus for purists to learn that this Dodge is numbers-matching. Its engine bay houses a 440ci V8, which should be producing 390hp. The rest of the drivetrain includes a four-speed manual transmission, a 4.10 Dana 60 rear end, power steering, and power brakes. This was a formidable package in its day, capable of demolishing the ¼ mile in 13.6 seconds. That figure was pretty mind-blowing in 1969 and still holds up well against modern offerings today. The owner says that the V8 fires into life with fuel poured down the carburetor, but the car will require a complete mechanical check before classing it as roadworthy. Once again, our light-fingered friends struck automotive gold in the engine bay. The original Six-Pack carburetors and intake went with them when they removed the hood, and the owner hasn’t replaced them. He does hold an Edelbrock Six-Pack intake, but the buyer will need to seek replacement carburetors. Reproductions are readily available, but a perfectionist may scour the usual online resources to locate an original set. The seller has been this Dodge’s custodian for fifty-two years. He describes it as one of the best-documented Super Bees in existence today. As well as all of the original dealership paperwork and invoices, it includes the Owner’s Manual, original Window Sticker, and complete service history. Those inclusions are welcome ones in a classic of this type. The Super Bee promises an entertaining motoring experience with everything returned to its factory specifications.
The interior of this classic is complete, but its condition is as sad as the exterior. It is another aspect that will require total restoration, but a spotless interior trimmed in Black vinyl would add to the value and appeal of this car. The correct Hurst pistol-grip is intact, as is the Rally gauge pack with the oh-so-cool Tick-Tock-Tach. Some gauge lenses have clouded, but a replacement set of lenses will cost around $100. The dash pad has more cracks than the San Andreas Fault, but a replacement could be part of an interior trim kit. These sell for around $2,500 but would return the interior to a factory-fresh state. Given the potential value of this Dodge, I believe that it would be money well spent to follow that path.
The loss of the original carburetors, intake, and hood from this 1969 Super Bee is disappointing, but they aren’t insurmountable problems. Some careful searching should turn up replacements, although they are unlikely to be cheap. If I were to buy this car, I think it is deserving of a rotisserie restoration. That would return it to its former glory and should ensure that it lives for at least another half-century before it requires touching again. Would you consider the same approach if you were to buy the car? More importantly, are you considering submitting an offer to see if you can park this classic in your workshop? We’d love to be kept informed of this project’s progress if you do.
I saw what would have to be one of the first A12 cars on the east coast in late summer of 69, same hemi orange color. I wasn’t car savvy enough at that age to realize what it was, just was struck by the flat black hood an 6pack in script on the scoop….don’t know happened to it as my family was living in conn. at the time we moved back to ME. in time for me to start school in the fall…Even though I’m partial to chevys an buicks always been a bucket list car for me…to bad I got a shot glass budget….
In the same category of nitpicking about 0-60’s or ET’s for cars built to cruuuze, maybe instead of statements like “Its engine bay houses a 440ci V8, which should be producing 390hp” (considering the six-pack manifold and carbs are AMF), should read “Its engine bay houses a 440ci V8, which in original form could produce 390hp” or “Its engine bay houses a 440ci V8, which in original form could produce 390hp but in its current form doesn’t produce any hp until it it gets a complete mechanical check.”
Or some of us could go tour around in their Führerwagens and stop being nitpicky.
The BIN price is $53,000. Then you do a rotisserie
restoration. Holy Cow. Can you imagine how much
the total will be. Too much for this classic car lover.
Good luck !!!!
$200k-ish.
In 74′ I looked at an A-12 Bee that was sitting beside a garage 5 miles from my house. Had a spun bearing but otherwise original and complete. Looked nice, had 50,000 miles on it but $1000 seemed like a lot for a broken Mopar. Guess times have changed.
Friend of mine had a grand total of $75 in his 70 Chevelle SS when he bought it 😳
Although there is no plenty of documentation, this seller is very optimistic. I have driven an A12 car. It is quite a rush, but forget about keeping up with today’s traffic with that 4.10 rear. I would love to save this car. It will sell.
People regularly drive at 90 miles per hour on the expressways, at least in the Chicago area. And the speeds seem to be getting faster. So yeah, you would want to change that out for a 3.23 gear. And even that would be annoying.
Great 1/4 milers
So many many many many Bee’s going for 50k that are finished, beautiful and complete. the hood is awful! If the seller gets 53k for this I owe him a beer!
not to justify the asking price but this isn’t just a run of the mill superbee…one yr only car, well really half yr only car…somewhere around 1400 built, around half of um 4spds….will he get his asking price? idk, but someone with deep pockets that enjoys bringing cars back to their former glory will buy it….I’ve built homes for the last 30yrs to mostly people from out of state that are building their 2nd or 3rd homes…I stopped long ago being shocked by the amount of money people half my age have…
Another heap for a unbelievable 53K, What kind of junk are they smoking ?
Greg, the weed is much stronger than back in the day! Cheers.
Once again I am gobsmacked by the asking price for another piece of junk. Am I the only one? Seriously, when I think of what 53 large can buy me even in today’s overinflated market why would I drag this POS home? Look, I love old muscle cars and I am old enough to have owned one back in the day. And I particularly love old Mopars. But it seems to me that the acquisition of this genre of collectible vehicles is devolving into a Ponzi scheme. I believe that in the next 10 years or so the market for these cars will have the bottom drop out. Old geezers like me like them but many if not most of us are priced out and/or won’t be capable of driving these anymore.. The younger folk aren’t all that interested in them. My son’s crowd would rather have a JDM vehicle. If the seller gets anywhere near his asking price then more power to him. But with restoration costs being what they are; even if you have skills to do a lot of the work yourself, my guess is you would spend way more than what you could ever hope to get back out of it even from Barrett-Jackson fever pricing. But what do I know. I’d like to see this old 1/4 mile hauler restored. Labor of love from a Mopar freak?
If it’s a true A12 car it’s worth a significant amount of money. As someone said, these are not normal Super Bees. The “M” code as the fifth digit if the VIN would seem to confirm this. A regular 383 Bee would have a “H” and a Hemi a “J.”
But due to the enormous amount of money which will be involved not only in acquiring this but restoring it, I would have a Mopar expert like Galen Govier take a look at it throughly first. If you can afford to invest 200,000+ in an old car then you should be able to throw a few grand at him.
Chrysler Corporation did not think these things were going to be worth more than the Hope Diamond someday, so a determined person can forge one. So I would want to cover all my bases.
I need some help here. Some seem to think this is an A12. I can’t spot that stated in the article. If they think so because of that glue on hood scoop that’s just wrong.
The ebay add says it’s an A12
I would love to have it. That would be the “Gold Standard” for an A12 Bee once it’s restored. But at that price, a total investment of $110k if likely, probably more. And good luck getting parts at this time with Covid-19 affecting things.