What's the greatest muscle car of the golden era? Now, there's a question that's impossible to answer. Simply because the late 1960s and early 1970s spawned so many high-performance vehicles in the good ol' USA.
Sure, many of you probably have an answer to this question. But it usually comes from affinities for a particular brand or nameplate. I'm a Mopar guy, but I sure can't ignore a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 LS6 or a 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429.
And settling with a name from the Mopar crowd can be challenging. But I think I can narrow it down to a pair: the Plymouth Road Runner or the Dodge Super Bee. Why these cars and not the GTX or the Charger, for instance? Well, the Road Runner and Super Bee were created as more affordable, no-nonsense muscle cars, which makes them perfect. I mean, who needs a fancy interior when you have a big-block V8, a high-impact color, and stylish sheet metal, right?
But this blurb isn't about my favorite Mopar from the golden era. I'm here to show you a 1970 Super Bee that's the very definition of how a classic muscle car should be restored. And it's a vehicle that also proves you don't need a 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) HEMI to enjoy the throaty burble of a V8.
Chrysler's cheapest entry into muscle car ownership, the Super Bee was introduced in 1968 on the B-body platform, shared with the Dodge Coronet and Plymouth Belvedere. The nameplate was relatively short-lived. It went into the history books after the 1971 model year.
It wasn't quite as popular as its Plymouth sibling, the Road Runner, either. After a slow 1968 model year with 7,842 units sold, the Super Bee moved 27,800 examples in 1969. Sales dropped to 15,506 in 1970 and to only 5,054 cars in 1971. Each model year version was unique styling-wise.
In 1970, for instance, the Super Bee got a slightly more aerodynamic design and new front fascia with a twin-looped bumper that integrated the headlamps. Dodge called them "bumble bee wings." This is the best-looking Super Bee in my book.
Engine options remained unchanged that year. The Super Bee came standard with the 383-cubic-inch (6.3-liter) Magnum V8 rated at 335 horsepower. The options list included the 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) Six Pack (390 horsepower) and the 426 HEMI (425 horsepower).
The latter is arguably the rarest, with just 36 examples sold. The 440 cars are pretty scarce, too, with only 1,268 copies produced. This leaves a whopping 14,202 examples fitted with the entry-level 383 Magnum. The Sublime coupe you see here is one of those cars.
Granted, it's a bit common compared to the HEMI and 440 cars, but this 383 Mopar is among the most stunning Super Bee restorations I've seen in a long time. It looks flawless inside and out, sports one of the coolest colors from the High Impact color palette, and the engine bay is unbelievably clean.
And a 383 powerplant is good news for many reasons. It's much more reliable than a HEMI, and period-correct parts are much easier to source. And it sounds just as mean when the pedal hits the floor, as you'll hear from the 8:50-minute mark in the video below.
Finally, a 383-powered Super Bee is notably more affordable than the HEMI. While a 426 car can fetch more than 150,000 in Concours-ready condition, this 383 Mopar is ready to go to a new home for only $89,998. I don't know about you, but I'd be pretty happy with a 383 V8 and an extra $60K in my pocket.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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