I’m going to take a different tack with this 1969 Dodge Super Bee and ask, would you want this car? It was restored 30+ years ago but still looks great! It is being sold by the owner’s son to cover health care expenses and the price, $55K or $53K – both are listed, is in keeping with the value for a late ’60s Mopar muscle car. Still, do you think you’d want this car? Let’s dig a bit deeper and decide. This delightful Dodge is located in Eagle Creek, Oregon and is available, here on craigslist. Matt H. gets the nod for surfacing this Super Bee.

The story of the Super Bee is well known, it was Dodge’s “budget” muscle car designed to compete with corporate cousin Plymouth’s Road Runner. Subjectively speaking, Mopar’s B-body lines in the ’68-’70 model year were among their greatest hits – I know that I like them all, regardless of the specific model or trim line. And flashy, they really weren’t (excluding the Daytona and Super Bird). This Super Bee wears a commonly found vinyl roof covering and also has a lateral rear rally stripe – a Dodge performance trademark, but it’s pretty subdued beyond that. This car has a look that’s not that discernable from a more pedestrian Coronet.

Inside is a pleasant environment, all of the black vinyl upholstery looks fresh. But it’s a bench seat environment with a column-selected automatic transmission – functional but not very sporting. It appears that an aftermarket tachometer has been added – probably not necessary with a TorqueFlite automatic gearbox, and a non-original radio. Beyond that, it resembles the interior of a Coronet 440 or 500.

Under the hood is a standard 335 gross HP 383 CI V8 engine. It’s claimed to be numbers matching but nothing else is said about it. Various auto authors of the time have opined about this car’s straight-line performance but the consensus settles for a 1/4 mile dash of  14.6 seconds with a 94 MPH trap speed – respectable but not earth-shattering. Sure, there were other options available but I’m focused strictly on this car as it sits.

While generally not a fan of anything yellow, well maybe bananas, the Y2 Yellow hue of this Dodge is pleasing while being attention-getting but not generating an in-your-face vibe the way Mopar’s high-impact colors do. The finish looks to have been well applied and has held up beautifully over the years since the restoration occurred. Even the hood’s “power bulge” is understated – it’s there but doesn’t scream, “you better look out!”. The doggie bowl hubcaps are a debatable item. Usually, original equipment, many muscle cars came so equipped because Day Two mods would relegate them to the trunk, or worse, with something aftermarket and considered more fitting for a car of such a bearing. Fleet cars, or cabs, got stuck with poverty caps (admittedly, a term that I prefer to not use). In more recent times, these little chrome wheel centers have gained new respect (along with outsized prices for originals) and have proliferated in places where they never originally existed.

So, would I want this car? As nice as it is, probably not, I wouldn’t know what to do with it. The visceral sound and feel of shifting your own gears are absent. The performance, as previously mentioned, is fair but pales compared to the capabilities of a modern commodity car. The interior, as sound as it is, is no different than that of a bench seat-equipped sedan or coupe of the era. I suppose you could take this Bee to Cars and Coffee events or car shows but I noticed, back when I used to attend such gatherings, you’re usually amongst many who have performed their own improvements and modifications, and are justifiably proud of their work. Everyone, of course, is not always capable of such feats. If you just like the feel and drive of a half-century-old car, well, this Dodge example will certainly scratch that itch – but it’s a lot of dinero to layout just to capture an old-time feel that many have forgotten or are not enthusiastic to relive. It’s a head-scratcher for me; so, I’ll ask you, would you want this car?