Vehicle Description
Vehicle to be offered for Auction sale January 19th - 22nd 2017 at Russo and Steeles 17th Annual Scottsdale Arizona Auction at the Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Please contact us for more information.
Launched for 1968 as part of Dodges famous Scat Pack high-performance model lineup the Coronet Super Bee was based on the totally redesigned mid-size B-Body platform shared with Plymouths Belvedere Road Runner. As with its cartoon-inspired stablemate at Plymouth the no-frills Coronet Super Bee delivered tire-frying performance and muscular image with a cheeky attitude and budget-friendly pricing. Despite its youth-market positioning the Super Bee was a bit more upscale than the Road Runner with its standard Rally dash borrowed from the upmarket Charger and offered only in 2-door coupe form for its inaugural year.
Above all the Super Bee was a serious performer underneath the bold paint and graphics. With its standard high-performance 383 cubic-inch V-8 belting out 335 rated horsepower plus a multitude of driveline combinations the Coronet Super Bee was more than capable of outperforming many of the eras costlier bigger-displacement supercars right off the showroom floor. Extensively tested by the eras magazine editors the basic Super Bee pounded out strong quarter-mile elapsed times in the mid-to-high 14-second range at nearly 100 mph through the traps.
If the entry-level Super Bee was tough to beat its factory-optional Hemi engine raised performance of the relatively lightweight Super Bee to monstrous levels. Breathing through two four-barrel carburetors and a free-flowing dual exhaust the Super Bees 426 Hemi V-8 brought 425 tire-frying horsepower and ensured the new Dodge muscle car had few real competitors on the street and drag strip alike. Upgraded heavy-duty underpinnings and a choice of Chryslers excellent 833 4-speed or Torqueflite automatic transmissions plus tough Dana 60 rear ends and Sure-Grip limited-slip planted the Hemis massive power to the road.
Only 7841 Super Bees were built in all for 1968. Of those most 7716 were equipped with the standard 383 engine and just 125 Hemi cars were produced. Of those rare Hemi cars far fewer - 31 - were equipped with the 4-speed manual transmission including this outstanding example which is the only 4-speed/Hemi 1968 Super Bee known in Code RR1 Burgundy Metallic paint. Since this striking color was subsequently discontinued in 1969 this Hemi/4-speed Super Bee is the only known Burgundy Metallic example from any Super Bee model year.
This singular Super Bee was documented by noted Chrysler expert Galen Govier in 2011 and since then most of the hard-to-find Hemi Parts Galen noted as having been missing or inaccurate at the time have been sourced and replaced. This Super Bee continues to benefit from a well-done older restoration with recent upkeep and the aforementioned corrections made to enhance its presentation and authenticity. A consistent and easy winner at local shows this first-year Hemi Super Bee is equipped with a period correct engine and numbers matching 4-speed transmission and rear end. A true J-Code Hemi/4-speed car with a Galen Govier visual inspection from 2011 it is simply a great 1 of 1 example
