’69 HEMI Super Bee Looking for New Hive

Even though Dodge and Plymouth belonged to the same corporation, the brands often competed against each other. So when Plymouth snuck out the Road Runner in 1968, Dodge didn’t have a sister car. Dodge came out with the Super Bee coupe mid-year after the Road Runner’s rousing success, following Plymouth’s formula to a T yet adding a bit of Dodge panache like standard Rallye instrument panel.

For 1969, a hardtop was added to the lineup as the model was refined with the usual model year updates. This HEMI Super Bee for sale at Fast Lane Classic Cars, Inc. is a great example of what the Super Bee was, and what it could be.

Standard engine for the Super Bee, like the Road Runner, was the 383. Dodge called it the Magnum, and it put out 335 horsepower. It sat under a domed hood but, for a little bit of dough, the Ramcharger hood could be ordered to feed cold, dense air into the carburetor.

The Ramcharger was standard with the 426 HEMI. Mid-year brought the A12 package, which included a 440 Magnum topped by three two-barrel carbs, a hingeless fiberglass hood designed in a windtunnel, and not much else. It was the perfect compromise between the cost and mechanical complexity of the HEMI, and the desire and need to go fast.

As can be imagined, the standard 383 was the popular choice for the Bee, but during this car’s restoration a 472 HEMI with Indy cylinder heads and ceramic-coated headers was installed. It’s hooked to a Passion Performance overdrive four-speed manual tranny that’s shifted by that funky Hurst pretzel shifter in a console; out back, the requisite Dana 60 with 4.10 gears seem just a bit less harsh with the overdrive.

But it’s outside that sets this Bee from the rest, as the X9 black paint with a white bumblebee stripe (red was the only other choice for black), Ramcharger hood, and M46 quarter panel scoops give it a mod look. The Cragar S/S wheels and BF Goodrich T/A radials give a stance that makes it look like Angry Bee.

The Super Bee lasted one more year until it was transferred to the Charger lineup for 1971. But 1969 was its best year for sales, and this black Bee is a nice example of what you’d see on the streets of Everytown, USA.