Featured is a sleek 1970 Dodge Coronet Super Bee Two Door Coupe. This was a very powerful muscle car put out by Dodge which also presented competition to the Plymouth Road Runner, both cars being produced by the Chrysler Corporation. The Super Bee was Dodge’s low priced muscle car.
The sales success of Plymouth’s Road Runner led Dodge to create the Super Bee. The first Dodge Super Bee came out in 1968 and lasted through the 1971 model year and then was produced again from 2007 to 2009 and then again from 2012 through 2013. The 2007 and 2012 generations were based on the Dodge Charger.
The Dodge Super Bee Styling and Performance
The first Super Bee’s were a spin-off and based on the Dodge Coronet. The Dodge Super Bee matched the Plymouth Road Runner when it came to power and performance. The Dodge Super Bee was slightly longer and heavier than the Road Runner, and featured nearly identical squared-off styling. With that being said there the Super Bee differed from the Coronet exterior with the bumblebee tail stripe, a fancier grille, the taillight orientation, and larger rear wheel openings. Both the Coronet and Super Bee had nice looking wrap around grilles. Super Bee used the Rallye gauge package from the Charger.
Dodge Super Bee sales for the 1970 model year were not impressive. They were down about fifty percent and dropped further in 1971.
New federal emission regulations put a big damper on all muscle cars and preceded the gas shortages starting in 1973. In general, the 1970’s was not a good decade for automobiles in general and performance cars in particular.
Dodge produced 11,540 Super Bee hardtops and 3,966 coupes for the 1970 model year as opposed to about 30,000 total units in 1969. Road Runner 1969 total production was about 84,000 vehicles and only 41,000 in 1970. Total 1970 Coronet sales totaled 118,449 vehicles compared to an estimated 190,000 for 1969.
As it turned out the Super Bee was never as popular as the Road Runner however it was a very good budget muscle car with solid engineering and comparable high performance. With that being said, Dodge and Plymouth have built some of the most iconic muscle cars ever built in America.
The Super Bee Changes to the Charger Platform
1970 was the last year the Super Bee design was based on the Coronet. For the 1971 model year the Super Bee was built as a trim level of the Dodge Charger and still remained a lower cost performance car. This was the last year of the first generation Super Bee and the only year during the four year run that the platform was the Charger. As noted above the Dodge Super Bee would come back in 2007.
1970 Dodge Super Bee Specifications
The Dodge Super Bee’s featured all V-8’s. It saw three different engines in its original production between 1968 and 1970.
All 1970 models could have the 383 cubic inch Magnum V-8 delivering 335 HP. Also a 426 cubic inch V-8 Hemi with 390 HP and a 440 cubic inch Six Pack with 425 HP. The Six Pack featured an aluminum Edelbrock manifold along with three Holley 2300 series two barrel carburetors. The 440 gave about the same performance as the Hemi but cost significantly less to produce. Note however that the Hemi did not go away by any means. The Hemi engine made such a lasting impact that Chrysler Corporation revived it as the top engine for the twenty-first century Challenger and Charger.
Transmissions included a Mopar four speed manual and a three speed Torqueflite automatic.
Brakes were four wheel hydraulic drums.
The Super Bee’s were produced with heavy duty suspensions.
Dimensions include a 117.0 inch wheelbase, 209.7 inch overall outside length, 76.7 inch width, 53.0 inch height and a curb weight of 3,500 lbs.
Related Auto Museum Online articles are found on the links below…
1971 Oldsmobile 442 Convertible
Reference material for this article includes..The Complete Book of Dodge and Plymouth Muscle by author Mike Mueller..Hemi Muscle 70 Years: Chrysler, Dodge & Plymouth High Performance by Darwin Holmstrom..Classic Car, The Difinitive Visual History.
1970 Dodge Coronet Super Bee Collector Car
As mentioned, the Dodge Super Bee came out as Dodge’s answer to the Plymouth Road Runner. This was Dodge’s serious entrance to the growing youth market of the late 1960’s.This market segment appreciated both styling and power. The Dodge Super Bee would be the model figure for all Dodge muscle cars to follow in its footsteps
The Super Bee was a low-cost midsize muscle car which is fairly rare today since the first generation lasted for only four years. Current asking prices for 1970 examples in excellent condition may be found in a general range of $45,000 to $70,000 plus. Overall condition, mileage, age of restoration, originality and size of engine typically determines price.
(Article and photos copyright Auto Museum Online).