Plymouth's Road Runner sales were enough to have Dodge Division General Manager, Robert McCurry, request a similar model from the Dodge Styling office.

The origin of the name, 'Super Bee', has its basis in the 'B' Body designation pertinent to Chrysler's mid-sized cars, including the Road Runner and Charger. It was Dodge's low-priced muscle car and rebranded and mildly distinguished from the Plymouth Road Runner. For both traits, they'll be fondly remembered.Ĭontinue reading to learn more about the 1968-1969 Dodge Coronet R/T and Super Bee specifications.The original Dodge Super Bee was based on the Dodge Coronet two-door coupe, and was produced from 1968 until 1970. Serving as subdued family transportation most of the time - just like their Coronet Deluxe and 440 brethren - with the proper drivetrain on tap they were also able to turn into Mr. Although overshadowed at the end by Chargers and the winged if seldom-seen Daytonas, the final Coronets proved themselves to be true dual-purpose machines. Of the 27,846 built for 1969, only 166 had a Hemi installed.īoth the Coronet R/T and Super Bee hung on for one more year. Price was part of the reason, since the Hemi added $604.75 to an R/T's cost. In 1969, fewer than half as many Hemis went under R/T hoods, as production shrunk to 7,238. Nearly all of the 10,849 R/Ts built in 1968 were Magnum-powered a mere 230 had the Hemi, whose days were numbered. Strangely enough, an ordinary 383-equipped Bee could handle the job in less time: as little as 5.6 seconds as reported by Car and Driver.

That was sufficient to permit 0-60 mph acceleration times of 6.3 seconds or so. Priced at $463 above the $3,138 hardtop base figure, the Six Pack delivered 390 horsepower, along with a brawny 490 pounds/feet of torque. Gathering even greater publicity was the Super Bee 'Six Pack' option, consisting of a trio of two-barrel Holley carburetors feeding a 440-cid V-8, all hidden beneath a pinned-down, flat-black fiberglass hood. Something new appeared on Super Bee engines for 1969: a Ramcharger Air Induction System that forced colder, denser outside air through the carburetor, selling for $73 (standard with the Hemi engine.) This few-frills, back-to-basics muscle coupe carried a special 335-bhp, 383-cid V-8, serving as Dodge's answer to the hot-selling Plymouth Road Runner.Ĭontinue reading to learn more about the 1969-1969 Dodge Coronet R/T and Super Bee models. To satisfy shoppers who felt an R/T coupe's $3,379 sticker was too high for comfort, Dodge added a budget-priced Super Bee during the 1968 model year. R/T gear included a simulated woodgrain instrument panel, sill and wheel-lip moldings, Rallye suspension with sway bar, F70 x 14 Red Line wide-tread tires, and Power Bulge hood. The 440's brute torque makes high revving completely unnecessary.'Īpart from a revised split grille and taillights, change for 1969 was minimal. 'Acceleration is very rapid,' declared Car Life after its test of an R/T convertible that rushed to 60 in 6.6 seconds, 'yet the engine never seems to be laboring. Both the hardtop and convertible wore all-vinyl bucket seats, and came in 16 colors. Exhaust gases exited through twin pipes, and a special handling suspension was standard. So did special instruments, including a tachometer, which added $90. Brakes were larger than on other Coronets, but front discs remained a $73 option. The 425-bhp Hemi engine and four-speed gearbox were available, too. Standard again was the 440 Magnum V-8 with three-speed TorqueFlite. Like other members of the Dodge Scat Pack, the R/T came with 'bumblebee' stripes wrapped around the tail, unless the buyer specified otherwise. Ranking among the most attractive intermediates, the new Coronet wore rounded bodies in the popular 'Coke-bottle' shape that enhanced its long, low silhouette. Early R/T ads declared that the 'rampaging' Magnum speaks softly, but carries 'a big kick.'ĭodge wasn't about to let Pontiac's GTO and other muscle-car rivals pull ahead in the marketplace, so the R/T package carried on when Coronets earned their 1968 restyling. At least it didn't come as an ordinary sedan, but only in hardtop coupe and convertible dress, decorated by dual paint stripes and a hood scoop.

1969 dodge super bee