This poor Super Bee was struck by tragedy, well more accurately, it struck a post while going way too fast. It must have not only hurt physically, but also emotionally, seeing as this is a genuine A12 M code car that had just had some serious money dumped into it. The owner spent $82k to buy the car just six months ago, then dropped another $45k into upgrades. I guess those fancy Baer brakes weren’t as effective at slowing the car down as the owner assumed they would be. It really is too bad, but there might still be hope for it if you have the right equipment and skills to fix it. You can find this rare Mopar here on eBay in Wylie, Texas with a current bid of $25k and no reserve.
I’m not exactly sure why you would need to upgrade a genuine A12 Super Bee so much. The brakes and suspension upgrades sort of make sense, modern technology just works so much better. But I don’t really see any reason why you would need to add even more power to the 440 Six Pack. The A12 M code engine was already cranking out 390 horsepower. I’m going to guess they discovered the difficult way that pumping nitrous into an already powerful engine isn’t the best idea on the street. In my mind, it would have made more sense to install these upgrades on a base model Coronet rather than a genuine A12 Super Bee, but that’s just me.
My dad was the proud owner of a bright orange 1970 Super Bee for a number of years. He still talks about that car! His was just a 383 4-speed car, yet he will tell you that even that engine had more power than you actually needed on the street. With that in mind, it really isn’t a surprise that the previous owner wrecked this one. The seller notes that while the engine has been pushed back, it’s still all there, including the seller’s NOS Fogger system and all the various engine upgrades that had installed. Fixing it will require replacing most of the front end structure and who know what else, but like I already said, someone with the means could fix it. And thankfully, the title is marked as being clean!
Dodge only built 1,907 of these M code Super Bees. They received all kinds of performance bits from the factory, including heavy duty suspension, Dana 60 rear with the 4.10 gear ratio, heavy duty engine internals and a heavy duty transmission. This example had been kept to original specs and was a show winning car prior to being purchased and upgraded by the previous owner. I just hope that the next owner will be able to rebuild it, undo the upgrades and get it back on the road!
It will cost the next owner at least as much to undo all the damage inflicted on the car before the accident as it will to repair it. I see lots of patching, filling of holes, replacement of incorrect parts and sourcing of original components in its future.
Given the engine modifications, I understand wanting to upgrade the brakes and chassis, but WHY? These were plenty fast when they left the factory, had brakes and suspension that were adequate for an intelligent driver,and not enough were built to justify monkeying around with them. It will probably cost more than $127K to buy and make it right.
From what I’ve seen, not planning to buy a car from Wylie, Texas anytime soon.
I’m not sure if it’s a trick of the light, but I think the damage may be far more extensive than described. It appears that there is a kink in the rear quarter panel above the wheel arch. If that’s the case then the shell is probably toast.
I just don’t get why in this day and age someone would buy a collectable classic and do this to it. It makes absolutely no sense at all. The reality is that this beauty was destroyed well before it hit the pole.
Accordion.
Exactly… upgrade the low option base models into clone-plus… but for Godsakes leave the original #’s matching cars ALONE. That’s like trophy hunting an endangered species to me, almost immoral.
Can you say “ABOMINATION”?
I’ve just been back and had another look at the pics in the ad and it is far worse than I thought. Here in Australia we would describe it as “knackered”. I’m pretty sure that those of you in the US will be able to work that one out! In the advert the rear edge of the driver’s door lines up with the quarter panel correctly. However, the quarter-vent window line doesn’t line up with the A-Pillar. That indicates to me that the A-Pillar has been pushed up and backward from the bottom. This shell will probably end its days in a crusher.
Take a look at the website pictures. Even the floor pans underneath have a buckle in them.
I think Knackered is an appropriate term.
The seller is dreaming with that price. I bet somebody makes an offer for much less and they jump on it.
I’d still take it for free.
I see the same thing and that being a unibody chassis its bent in the core of the front suspension towers and A-ARM to correct such damage may not be even possible.
You need to make a correction to the following sentence:
“This example had been kept to original specs and was a show winning car prior to being purchased and upgraded by the previous owner.”
You need to change ‘owner’ to ‘moron’.
And “upgraded” to “ruined”!!
Mark Worman where are you???
Junk.
Such a sad demise for such a great car. Another unfortunate case of more bucks than brains. It would definitely have to be a major labor of love to resurrect it.
The dealership that’s auctioning off the car on E-Bay belongs to Dennis Collins, the best friend of the owner of Gas Monkey Garage Richard Rawlings. Both appear on the show, “Fast N Loud”
I wonder if Richard’s garage did the upgrades to the Dodge prior to it getting totaled?
He was doing burnouts too close to the pole fence.
Not many pictures showing the damaged areas, engine, undercarriage, or interior but, they DID get a shot of the Bee emblem on the rear. That’s important!
Agreed and…..how about one photo of the right side? Could not pull what is left of the hood off and give us a look there?
I like the photo of the trunk….if you look closely, the hit was so hard the trunk lid doesn’t even line up correctly….on an $82K plus $45K car….. I am pretty sure the gaps were right on this car before the hit.
I would not even be surprised that the roof has some distortion….yeah the windshield didn’t break but…..something does not look right to me up there.
Sucks but this car is in bad shape BUT, as mentioned above….Graveyard Cars is one impressive group of guys…I have been around restoration and detailing work most of my life and I have to give them credit for resurrecting some pretty messed up mopars!
Didn’t you mean “Beer Brakes?’ not Bear Brakes?
I am with Adam on this one. It took a lot of force to do this kind of damage. Look at the pics, I also say that there is far more damage than what is seen. How very sad to see something as rare as this A12 come to this tragic end. No matter what is done to this car, it will never be as it once was. I would rather have my full restoration needed unmolested 69 Big Block 440 Hardtop than what is left of this Bee. I am going to get a beer or two now and try to forget being traumatized.
Pole Find .
Right side shown .
Yeah, stuffed it pretty good. Kinked all over, drivers door doesn’t hang right, kink above the rear wheel, I bet the top is kinked too. I’m sure it will be fixed, these go for 6 figures all day long. It’s a shame all those upgrades didn’t help it stop one bit.
How’s the Post?
Not a scratch!
Better than the B, I suspect.
Wonder if you get a salvage title? If not hope Johnny Law wasn’t at the scene there goes the clean car fax. However once posted on the net it is forever.
A wise old body man once said “you can’t unwreck a car”
Concerning the claim of an umolested, clear title;
Here is how that happens. Appraiser tells the insurance company it’s a total loss. Owner says he is willing to accept a lower payment & keep the vehicle. Insurance company never has the actual title. It never gets marked as salvage, or turned into the DMV in exchange for a salvage title.
So the owner still has his original title he signs over to the buyer. The buyer goes to DMV to title the car, not realizing the insurance company has already sent an electronic message that the car is now a salvage vehicle. The new owner gets his lovely new title, in bright red ink, it says: SALVAGE.
It’s damn near impossible to get a state DMV to change a title back to the original clean status. I did a TOTAL, and I mean TOTAL restoration to a very early Volvo P1800 coupe, and the car was a national 99 point winner. The car had been in a flood, so literally everything was removed from the car, and the parts from 3 other P1800 cars were used. The owner went to get new tags after our 2 year restoration work, and DMV said “We need you to come in with the car for inspection, and bring your title”.
They examined the Volvo, found ZERO problems with it, and handed him his new SALVAGE title. Refused to let him get tags. Said it was a flood car. End of story. Federal law. Once a salvage car, always a salvage car. Same with a taxicab. The taxi listing on a title remains there forever. If it was registered for a single day as a taxi, it’s a taxi forever.
Just like the Federal law that all replica and toy hand held weapons MUST have an orange tip so law enforcement can tell at a glance it’s a toy gun! I’ve been told that inner city convenience stores now sell small rolls of orange vinyl tape! Turns that real gun into a toy one so no one gets hurt! Brilliant law!
Somehow, apparently one of the Volvo P1800 parts cars had mistakenly been the vehicle that was restored, and the owner, on realizing the problem, obtained the correct title for that restored parts car instead, and of course, a set of license plates was no longer a problem!
Flood cars are the exception, dried out and looking like new, they can never be licensed again. Collision damage is another story, properly repaired, the title can go from salvage to rebuilt…still branded, still bright orange.
Easy solution to that. Register the car in a non-title state for a few years. My state doesn’t use titles on 1972 and back. No branding on a registration. Eventually the VIN falls out of the system in title states and you’re good to go.
More photos here
http://collinsbrosjeep.com/1969-dodge-super-bee-a12-resto-mod-wrecked-project-stock-256558/
In the racing world, this would be a case of “more enthusiasm than talent” but alas, this happened on the street. That, and way the owner butchered this fabulous car, makes it more like “poetic justice”.
Can’t leave this one alone. I would have to say this is more a case of “Pole-etic Justice”…….
Hitting a pole would suggest that an over zelous foot came into play before they truly got to know one another.
A hard lesson to learn and I bet it will never happen again!
Nothing will ever happen to this car again
Except crushing.
Hi Chris, I agree. I can’t understand why the brain doesn’t connect to the right foot in some people. Another example of the death of common sense. And I’m not sure people that do these things to these fantastic cars, ever learn a lesson. It’s why this car looks like the way it does. I’m sure the driver has plenty of excuses why this happened.
This brain probably instructed the right foot to take this action!
The paint and wheels wrecked it before it hit anything….
This car’s owner may be President of the “More Money Than Sense Club”
Man you stole my line.and put it much more politely than I would have. On the other hand……..its his or her money to waste.
Soooo stupid they cut the factory sheet metal to do those exhaust cut outs.
geezzzzz
A rare mopar that got the resto mod treatment.I hate that that. If you are doing a resto or what ever mod. Don’t waste your money, or far worst-do it to a real and rare one like this! At least use a plane janer(even those go for big $$ now).
I have noticed how some sellers do this resto mod. thing to a real deal muscle car and then brag that it is a real ss,road runner,super bee,cuda, gto,ect to make it sound cool when in fact they ruined it.
Sad to see this Bee wound up like this. What a waste of money!!! and what was a great mopar. These people with lots of money and little common sense period I must stop here. RIP IN PEACE MR BEE.
I agree. In the early Mustang world, I see these morons building/selling ’67 Fastback “Eleanor” builds using an “S” code car and advertising it as if that makes it more valuable. (don’t get me started on cloning a fake car). It just displays the complete ignorance of some builders/owners but some buyers are clueless. News flash, in 1967 every Mustang Fastback shell is the same, whether it became an S code, Shelby, 6 cyl, etc, so please destroy a 6cyl and leave the optioned cars alone. I have to explain this to people over and over.
Since cars we drove daily once upon a time became the place to put your money under the “another fool” theory, all sorts of folks with money and no clue about cars have been wreaking havoc in the hobby. Hopefully they will all lose their shirts and like bobbing line leads in a pond, all sorts of cars will float to the surface at reasonable prices.
There is a bunch of pictures of it being built, the shop does not look like Gas Monkey. Might be Misfits new garage. The air compressor says 72 olds on it which is weird.
Time to call Mark over at Graveyard Carz and have him start work on the ” Fathom Super Bee “. If anybody can fix it Mark can. Although he might cry a little after he sees how much this great car was butchered up.
High performance car, low performance driver. Just saying😎
I beg to differ. It takes real skill to get a post to whack your front end in its exact center.
If I ever did a resto mod I’d never touch the sheet metal and always make sure it could b put back weather it’s a big block or 6 cyl
Hope they had Haggerty. I don’t imagine that the Kelley Blue Book is particularly high on this one after nearly 50 years of depreciation!
Whoever butchered this ’69 A12 M Code Super Bee prior to the damage being inflicted, needs to have their butt kicked up to their shoulders with some genuine J. B. Hill Texas boots. I suspect whoever dives into this project, is in for some real unpleasant and costly surprises.
Butt kicked until their nose bleeds……….
I want you to know I feel your pain. I also was going to fast and wrapped my car around a telephone pole. I have a 1967 Plymouth GTX Belvedere and it was my baby. I kept it and had it in the shop to get redone. I sunk a lot of money in it before that and than.
Well, had my car going to the grage. A tow company was sent to get it and when he did he said he couldn’t back the truck down the driveway and he asked if we could be driven out on the street, we say no it has a fuel line leak. Well, tow truck said he has to drive it up instead of winch it up. We’ll he started and the car caught on fire. So, do feel your pain.
But, don’t get rid of it you can fix. It might be take awhile. Good luck
$25,000++ for a VIN??
Unbelievable!! As the Guinness commercial use to say “Brilliant” dude takes a piece of history and destroys it with upgrades. Then adds nitros for more horsepower and then Decreases the horsepower hooking up an AC unit that was Never available on a 440 6 pack car…lol!
Someone mentioned the Super bee emblem picture? I believe it’s there to show the ONLY part of the car not ruined by the owner …before and after the accident!This car is garbage and has to be reconstructed more that a completely Rusted out car that has been underwater for 10 years! Nothing on this car can be saved to bring it back to a 100k A12 M code car! It’s JUNK and not worth the effort or he money! The whole car is wrinkled up and the firewall is pushed back 1 foot into the interior …but as the ad says “Windshield is undamaged” lmao that’s a start I guess….anyone else notice the back windows rolled down?:I bet that’s cuzz Soo much damage with the whole side being pushed back….UNreal!
A unibody car taking that hard of a hit? Ugh!
Before we get too harsh on the driver, how many of us have never done something dumb or ” got sideways and ran out of talent’ ?. Not many of us.
I’ll confess to some stupid sh-t, but I was lucky enough- not good enough to get out of it unscathed.
Thank-you Chris, I’m sure the owner feels bad enough, without, in so many words, being called a dumb a$$. This car clearly was too much for the driver, and I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt, and they weren’t intoxicated,( which would change my view entirely) and just plain messed up. Most people with cars like this, have it insured to the hilt( it’s why us folks that never had an accident, pay exorbitant insurance premiums to cover this foolishness.) I think it was and still is an awesome car, and knock off the “butchering an A12 Charger crap”. Not a big fan of resto-mods, but they did it like they wanted, and must have been one heck of a toboggan ride while it lasted.
Good donor car. Mechanicals, not the VIN!
Hard to tell from the pics, but the panel gaps ’round the boot lid look off too.
The car was destroyed long before the crash.
If it’s free I’ll take it.
Sad sad thing. Drive it like you stole it comes to mind. Strange to me that this is not a Barn Finds Exclusive, as there are six cars from Wylie Texas listed here on the Readers Classifieds.
This makes me wonder where my 69 Road Runner and 70 Super Bee are at at this very moment. I sold them to settle all of the bills that came out of a divorce 28 years ago.
The top is pushed up off the side windows and vents,looked as though whole body is buckled.what a waste of an iconic piece of art.
40 years ago – In college my room-mate had an A12 – rolled it in the gravel at the school entry road (in the mountains). Only salvageable part was the engine. tranny case was broken, rear end tweaked and every panel on the car was bent or twisted.
“Thankfully the title is clear”. On this website and many others there has been lots of long-winded discussion about whether it’s “dishonest” to build up from a bare cowl, or do a tag and VIN swap with a low-option car.
IMHO, rebuilding this one and advertising it with a ‘clear’ title is the same kind of dishonesty if not worse.
Richard Rawlings was seen doing donuts just before the accident.
Part out the car, get what you can $$$, and junk the rest. Way too much damage to repair; as stated in previous posts, repair would be more than what the car is worth.
OK, I’ll say it, the title should have been, “Struck by Stupidity”
Those aren’t exhaust on the side – they are air ducts for the rear brakes.
No, its exhaust. Check out the fab pics. The opening in the fender would be shaped very differently if you were trying to pull air in.
@Chris – I know – but look at where these tubes are run – why would they route the pipes back to the diff hump then back up into the car and out? I\ll admit all the heat wrap looks like exhaust, but why?…That double 90 or 180 bend has to really cram some pressure on the exhaust system.
Yes, I thought that too when I first looked at it. They are close to the diff because they exit the mufflers tight by the driveshaft. There are 95 pictures on the Collins website and one of the underside of the car. You can see the exhaust going to the mufflers, then disappearing because it goes up into the cabin of the car. I agree, probably restrictive, but it looks like 3″ so should be plenty for a nasty 440, even with the bends. Totally not worth it if you ask me.
You can’t fix stupid.
Here, hold my beer and watch this………………
Just yard art now!
This makes me sick..a beautiful (at one time) machine like this ended up like a smashed bear can..it will never be straight again as i dont believe you could fix this..could you?? More money and balls than brains along with a slow braking foot. What a waste. I need a barf bag
No pictures of the passengers side …
hmmmm , something to hide ??
A fool and his money soon part ways. And a $25k migraine headache ain’t worth it when one can purchase something already restored.
Bob
Is it me or does this car look a little cross eyed? Lol
The saying “Drive it like you stole it ” well they did!
Cut the back end off and repurpose it to a desk or couch!
Every single part on this car should be considered bent until proven otherwise.
Can you fix it? The car, probably. Stupid, no.
These cars deserve to remain or be restored to OEM stock to be viewed and appreciated by the masses. I think this car crashed itself rather than being seen in public due to the crazy modifications that were made to it.
i might make this my screen saver so every time I have a really bad day I’ll know it wasn’t even close to the day this guy wrecked his ride😄
The rake of the windshield is too steep! I think that the rear end continued moving forward and somewhat upward on impact and pushed the roof forward. It’s not the base of the windshield that moved backwards as much as it is the roof and top of the windshield moved forwards. That’s why the top of the door glass now has a gap between it and the roof.
This is kinda sorta what this MOPAR should look like when the lucky buyer finishes his repairs.
what runs in the background when I open a barn find page? It is very annoying and i need to stop it or drop barn finds.. Have to admit I enjoy their cutesy snarky comments
I agree with Motrbob, whatever ads are running in the background sometimes makes this page run very slow and I have relatively fast laptop with lots of RAM and a yuge SSD. whatever it is, adding my own cutesy snarky comment to entertain Motrbob sometimes typing without seeing it appear on the screen until you get to the end of the sentence. It truly is a pain. I agree with your need to monetize this page, but be classy and skip the ads that have flash (that sometimes slows me on this pc and always slowed my old laptop).
I’m using a 8 yr old macbook w obsolete chrome browser w a 3 yr old pop up blocker and seems to work well. Before the blocker this and other sites would non stop load, never finishing and super slow.
I have the same problem, and it’s ONLY with Barn Finds. Every other site I frequent runs fine, but whatever is running on this site frequently makes my computer go buggy….
It’s most likely caused by one of our ad networks. We are looking into it. Thanks.
I noticed the rear quarter but BillyT brought up the roofline that car is bent bad!!!
Regardless of all the insults on the cars appearance pre-crash–it was damned cool looking.. Whether or not someone should have resto-modded a high dollar muscle car–well–it’s not my car and not my money so I don’t get to decide. From all the filler cracked off around the door openings–I’m guessing the car wasn’t perfect before and probably had a tough life and was being enjoyed–sadly–probably enjoyed a little too much.. It’d be interesting to see what this car does next–gets pulled and straightened? Parted out? Re-bodied? I’m just amazed the windshield didn’t break!
A perfect example of the reason muscle cars are a precious commodity, the number built to how many are left out there. If this would of happened in the early ’70’s there’s a strong possibility it’s fate would of been the pulverizer. There are times Barn Finds should lift the no “personal attack rule” & implement a “physical attack rule”. Anyone ever hear a spectator at or watching a race that says “I could do that”? This guy probably was one. You can have all the HP you want, but doing something with it takes a special breed.
It’s the same reason so many Ferrari’s and Lambo’s get totaled…the inexperienced owner thinks a super car will defy the laws of physics.
I remember buying a used BMW when I was younger…you take it out on the freeway to go 100 mph, then (in my case) you stand on the brakes to how fast it will stop…in my case a stuck brake caliper sent me careening into a guardrail….my pride and joy was toast! Live and learn
May be why they get totaled, but it’s apples to oranges comparing a Ferrari & Lamborghini to this Super Bee & here’s why. Those two are easier to replace than this Bee is. Anyone who takes a original muscle car like this & has $45,000
in upgrades put on it & one of them being NOS, MORON isn’t a strong enough word. Sad thing is this here’s a piece of rare American Muscle History that could of educated some youngsters on this era of automotive history, it’s still has educational value on when people have more money than brains. $127,000.00 investment that can’t be driven and the guys still a moron.
It says “Six Pack” on the hood but I bet he drank a dozen …
CycleMike, my ten year old Dell cpu uses the Windows XP os and has the same problem with Barn Finds & Super Chevy. So I use the Mozilla Firefox brouser download instead the original aol. My Verizon Samsung S7 android or my ipad are very good and fast. I just had to come out of the dark ages of electronics!
A skilled frame man with current state-of-the-art equipment could get this one back to square with enough time and effort. But the strength of the structure would undoubtedly be compromised. As a standing artifact it could be saved. As a car to be driven spiritedly, it’s days are likely over.
Dutch my man, your the voice of reason, you can dump tons of $ into anything even get the title squared away fact of the matter is with today’s technology there’s always going to be a way to find what happened to this car even if you find a just have to have it buyer this cars value is half what it was before it was wrecked.
This is what happens when you give the keys of classic muscle cars to spoiled rich kids. They’ll go out and destroy them and then dump them on eBay for a fraction of what the car cost and think nothing of it.
This car was airborn when it hit the pole, unless the pole was leaning 20° when it was hit. Notice the angle of the deepest depression in the front.
WTF?!!! That’s all I have
Probable senario: Owner decides to get in high dollar restobarge and promptly gets on the throttle.
Results: One wrecked Dodge. Lots of laughs.
Moral of story: Should’ve kept it on the trailer. Ya get what ya ask for.
Just sayin’
Car can certainly be fixed despite all the nay-sayers. The problem is this is unibody and undoubtedly the front crossmember is pushed back. You’d need to get it on a frame rack and measure everything and figure out where to pull, you might have to pull all the floors out of it to get it right.
I mean if that kid on Youtube can rebuild a burned out Hellcat, this should be child’s play.
The only advantage to this car is no rust.
why improve the brakes
brakes SLOW you down!!!
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