1969 Dodge Super Bee

Description

With all the emphasis on numbers and restorations and other minutiae in the Mopar world, it's often refreshing to find a car like this 1969 Dodge Super Bee that simply reminds us that this is supposed to be fun. It does carry a numbers-matching 383, a great color combination, and a gorgeous interior full of upgrades, and all that adds up to a car that doesn't take itself too seriously and still delivers on its original promise of accessible performance.

In an era filled with creative paint names, the yellow paint on this Super Bee didn't get anything more exciting than "Yellow," but that's OK because it looks fantastic. Somehow the combination of the subtle color and the hood scoops and bumble bee stripe out back makes it look even more sleek and aggressive and it really should be no surprise why these cars were a runaway success when they were new. The repaint and bodywork are a few years old but the car is recently out of extended storage, so it's still quite good and fresh-looking. The finish shines up well, body gaps are par for the Mopar course, and the paint has a correct period look. Those aforementioned hood scoops proudly wear '383' badges and there's a black vinyl top to add a little more contrast, and it's in excellent condition too. The blacked-out grille seems to work even better with light colors and from behind the oval exhaust tips and Super Bee emblems give everyone else something to admire before you pull away for good.

The two-tone interior isn't exactly stock, but it looks great inside the Super Bee shell and workmanship is excellent in every way. Factory buckets were treated to custom seat covers and the back seat and door panels were upholstered to match. Factory-style black carpets keep it from getting out of hand and a center console is a welcome addition. The small-diameter steering wheel focuses your attention on the Auto Meter carbon fiber gauges, which are arrayed very much how the original Rallye gauges might have been, and they even went so far as to fit them into the original instrument panel. Nice! Other upgrades include air conditioning with modern R134a refrigerant, a Pioneer AM/FM/CD stereo head unit, and it appears that everything is working as it should. The massive trunk also got a custom makeover with two-tone side panels that give it a much more finished look than many of its siblings.

That's the original, numbers-matching 383 cubic inch V8 under the hood, easily recognizable with that big oval air cleaner up top. Smooth torque is the name of the game and the car launches with authority around town and cruises easily on the highway. A few chrome dress-up parts and a big aluminum radiator are the obvious upgrades, and underneath there's an Edelbrock 4-barrel carburetor and a Summit Racing ignition system to light the fires. A 727 TorqueFlite 3-speed automatic transmission never even blinks at the torque channeling through it and the Flowmaster exhaust system sounds great, as they always do behind a Chrysler big block. Also take a moment out check out the floors, which are in excellent shape and those vintage-looking polished mags which carry 235/60/15 BFGoodrich T/A radials all around.

Fast, fun, and affordable, this very attractive Super Bee under-promises and over-delivers in a lot of ways. And along the way, you might also discover that it's a smart buy. Call now!