Every U.S. auto manufacturer got into the muscle car scene at some point in the 1960s, and Dodge was certainly one of the leaders. Given the success that Plymouth was having with its budget-minded Road Runner, Dodge quickly followed in 1968 with the Super Bee. It was based on the B-body Coronet and ran for four model years. This 1970 edition, located in Orlando, Florida, is Dark Green Metallic in color and either a very nice original or an excellent restoration. It’s available here on craigslist for $85,000.

The origin of the name “Super Bee” comes simply from its B-body designation for Chrysler’s mid-sized cars, which also included the Road Runner and Charger. As the Road Runner had a busy logo, so did the Dodge with its whirling bumblebee. The 1970 model year would be the third year of the car’s first-generation, and it received the same styling updates the rest of the 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 15,506 Super Bees having been built in 1970.

This Super Bee has the 383 cubic-inch “High Performance” V8 that was standard in these automobiles. It’s paired with a 4-speed manual transmission with a Pistol Grip floor shifter. We’re told the indicated mileage of 58,000 is original and that the Dodge runs as good as it looks. Like the Road Runner, the longer the Super Bee was in production, the less austere it became, and this car is nicely furnished and equipped, including factory air conditioning which we’re told blows cold.

The body, paint, and vinyl top all look stellar, although the stripes on the hood scoop seem a bit too much. The passenger compartment looks quite tidy and inviting, helped by the fact that its previous owners were non-smokers. The car wears Mecum license plates front and rear and we wonder if the car has anything to do with one of their auctions, although the next one scheduled for Orlando is not until July 2022. Or maybe it last traded at a Mecum auction. Whatever the case, this is a sharp-looking muscle car for which green was a lesser-seen color.