Only 35k Miles: 1970 Dodge Super Bee
Chrysler introduced two new muscle cars in 1968. The first was the Plymouth Road Runner, based on the Belvedere, which caught on like wildfire with buyers. The second was the Dodge Super Bee, based on the Coronet, that followed a few months later. For whatever reason, the Super Bee (short for “one super B-bodied hot rod”) never had the same success as the Road Runner and was dropped after four years. Other than an older repaint, this 1970 Super Bee has emerged from long-term storage with the dust to prove it and may only have 35,000 miles. Located in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, this beauty is available here on eBay where the bidding stands at $30,100 with an unmet reserve.
While the Super Bee didn’t have a “meep meep” horn like the Road Runner, it did have a cool logo, a whirling bumblebee. The 1970 models would represent the third year of the car’s first generation, and it received the same styling updates the rest of the Chrysler intermediates were treated to. That consisted of a twin-looped front bumper that Dodge referred to as “bumble bee wings”. Production numbers trailed that of its Plymouth counterpart, with some 15,500 Super Bees built in 1970. Of those, the 383 Magnum V8 was the most popular and is the motor found in the seller’s auto.
This Super Bee has recently re-entered the world from extended captivity. We don’t know how long that was, but the seller does say the car hasn’t been washed in decades. Other than one repaint, most everything appears to be original stuff and all the body panels and interior components are from the factory and have never been altered. The only exceptions are that the Dodge is wearing a set of Rallye wheels that were added later, but the originals have survived to go with the car. And part of the exhaust has been replaced.
Under the hood resides the 383 V8 with a 4-speed and we’re told their numbers match. If you dug around, the build sheet should bear out that supposition. The Ram Charger system and hood should date to 1970 as well. And who doesn’t love the Pistol-Grip shifter that was a hot commodity in those days? If had had your druthers and could get one of two nearly identical Chrysler muscle cars from 1970, which would you pick: the more popular Road Runner or the lesser seen Super Bee?
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Comments
I like.
+1 :-)
Here’s a car that paint color and tire choice makes a HUGE difference…
looks like a bad-a$$ librarians car!
But that’s how many of these left the showroom back then. Not all had white letter tires and a Hemi. This, I like!
Nice looking Bee!
Even though the end bid will sting 🐝 your wallet .. this is a sweet ride. Drooling 🤤
Good luck with the sale.
Would like to have been at the meeting when that crazy front end was approved for 1970. I think the 68-69 Coronets had been shining examples of stylish restraint. Maybe somebody slipped something into the water cooler?
It’s got an old-school PA classic car plate. This style was used until some time in 2004, when they ran out of numbers and a “C” was added as a prefix. They were sequentially numbered, so the “41934” plate is considerably older than 2004. For perspective, the classic plate on my Mustang starts with “6” and was issued in 1990. This suggests that the car has been treated as a classic for quite some time, though it is legal to buy and use an early classic plate.
Let’s start the debate. Is it “Super Bee” as in “Super B-body” or as in “Super Chrysler B-series engine”?
Perfect!
I bid $40K+She’ll go for $60K at least.
Sorry Shuttle Guy ,your 40K is out of the door.Better luck next time.
I always loved the 1970 Super Bee’s front end. One of the few Chrysler products I would have been interested in. Before the madness set in.
What a great car, with all the right equipment. The shifter alone is nearly worth the price of admission.
Too cool. No spoiler, great paint, tires and stik shift 😎
I always liked the super bee.Cars back then had some style. Today every car is like a one size fits all Carbon copy.All pieces of trash …
Clean lines hidden muscle ..overall nice ride for me…
Nice looking car. Although I prefer the 1971 Super Bee Charger version.
There were only 22 made with the 426 Hemi in it.
I built this car as a model when I was a kid 50 years ago. I did it in dark green with a black roof.
Already at $42,000, gonna go much higher. That broadcast sheet looks about two days old. Someone is going to the Mopar Nationals for judging with this one. Leave it alone. Maintain, drive on nice days.
Lose the white walls asap add factory magum 500s now your talking!
Amazing it made it through the 70s and 80s without being hot-rodded, beat on and color changed. A true time capsule. I wonder what the original hubcaps were, I envision some sort of full wheel cover.