![]() An expensive option, the 425 hp 426 cu-in Hemi saw just over a hundred buyers in the Super Bee, so, while making 35 hp less, the 390 hp 440 Six-Pack was still a huge improvement thanks to a far lower price. But, halfway through the year, Dodge offered a new engine for it that would make things truly awesome, the 440 cu-in Six-Pack V8 - so named for its array of three 2-barrel carbs feeding the engine. Updated for 1969, the Super Bee looked, and was, mostly the same, only offering new bits like optional side-mounted hood scoops, as well as a new grille and headlight design. The main difference was the name, and the Super Bee was a clever pun (Bee = B-Body), with special badges themed around it. While it had a slightly different front end design, 1" longer body, and dashboard from the Charger, this new Super Bee mechanically was basically the same car as the Road Runner and had that same 426 Hemi as an optional engine, and similarly raised the price by around 33%, if chosen. While the 383 V8 was meant to be only used by the Road Runner, Dodge ignored that memo and bestowed it into the Super Bee, carrying out a similar options diet to give it a lower price. So, in 1968 during the Road Runner's debut year, the Super Bee was launched at the Detroit Auto Show with the same formula, purpose, and platform. Positioned as a higher-end brand to Plymouth at the time, Dodge saw the immediate success of the Road Runner, and also that doing the same to the similarly B-Body based Coronet R/T wouldn't be difficult at all. ![]() Powered by a 383 cu-in V8 with 4-barrel carb designed specifically for the car, the intake, heads, cam, and exhaust from the larger 440 cu-in V8 were used to bring the smaller motor to a total of 335 hp, furthermore, for a price you could also option in the 425 hp 426 cu-in Hemi V8 if you wanted a truly wicked car. If you happen to see Ed’s Super Bee at an event, take a few minutes to appreciate just how remarkable this piece of muscle car history is.Stripping the GTX of almost every option that wasn't purely focused on performance, and substituting lower-priced performance ones where possible, the first Road Runner debuted in 1968 offering GTX levels of power without the GTX price - and also was slightly lighter as a result. Other custom touches include Super Bee logos in the headrests, a complete interior, and a red Super Bee logo on the tail stripe. Worwa’s 1969 Dodge Super Bee is mostly stock, although it does pay tribute to his high school dream car, including a set of Crager SS wheels and raised white letter tires. Worwa points out he couldn’t resist boosting the horsepower a little during the build and dyno’d the engine at 570hp for some real “tire-melting” power. While Ed never got to fulfill his dream of an A12 Super Bee then, years later he located a West Coast dream car that needed some attention to return it to its former glory. Ed graduated high school in 1970, and like any young man of the era, he dreamed of owning one of those muscle cars that graced the showroom floors of local dealers. It was a hot early-spring day when we ran into Ed Worwa at a local car show, and we couldn’t resist taking a closer look at his iconic bright green 1969 Dodge Super Bee, fully equipped with the A12 package, including the fiberglass hood and 3-2bbl carburetors, atop a 440 cubic inch power plant. While these late-model versions tout plenty of horsepower, they pale in comparison to the ground-pounding thunder of the early factory drag cars. The early years of the Super Bee ended in 1971, although Chrysler would resurrect the model name for Mexican production cars, and again in 2007 as a new version of the Charger. ![]() Perhaps to its downfall, it also had a higher list price than the Roadrunner. Originally designed in 1968 as Dodge’s counterpart to the Plymouth Roadrunner, it sported higher-quality components and boasted a longer wheelbase and larger wheel openings. Fewer than two thousand 1969 Dodge Super Bees were built with the A12 package, which also included that distinctive lift-off fiberglass hood, telling you at first glance that this car was no grocery getter. ![]() Add options like the A12 package, including a Dana 60 rear axle and a 440 six-pack engine, and this muscle car becomes a monster. The 1969 Dodge Super Bee is a worthy member of the muscle car family.
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