Dodge · 1968–2027

Dodge Super Bee

The Dodge Super Bee is a mid-sized muscle car marketed by Dodge, which was produced for the 1968 through 1971 model years. In Mexico, the Super Bee model was based on a compact Chrysler platform and was marketed from 1970 until 1980. The Super Bee model name returned on versions of the Dodge Charger (LX) four-door sedans for the 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, and 2023 model years.

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1968–1970 Chrysler B platform

The original Dodge Super Bee was based on the Dodge Coronet two-door coupe, and was produced from 1968 until 1970. It was Dodge's low-priced muscle car and rebranded and mildly distinguished from the Plymouth Road Runner. 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. 1968. Plymouth's Road Runner sales were enough to have Dodge Division General Manager, Robert McCurry, request a similar model from the Dodge Styling office. Senior designer, Harvey J. Winn, won a "contest" with the name "Super Bee" and a new logo design based on the Dodge "Scat Pack" Bee medallion. The design of the first Super Bee was influenced by the 1968 Coronet convertible and the show car's interior was built by the Alexander Brothers. The show car was introduced at the 1968 Detroit Auto Show. Although the two cars are similar in external appearance, the Super Bee was slightly heavier - approx. 65 lb (29 kg) - and rode on a 117-inch (2,972 mm) wheelbase compared to the Road Runner's 116 in (2,946 mm) wheelbase. In addition to minor external differences, such as larger rear wheel openings, the bumblebee tail stripe and fancier grille, and the taillight ornamentation, the Super Bee also used actual diecast chrome-plated "Bee" medallions. These three-dimensional medallions were prominently mounted in a raised position in the grille/hood area and the trunklid/taillight area of the car throughout the first three years of production. The Super Bee used a dash cluster from the Dodge Charger, while the 4-speed manual transmission cars received a Hurst Competition-Plus shifter with Hurst linkage; this shifter compared to the Road Runner's less expensive Inland shifter and linkage. Due to the higher-

1971 Chrysler B platform

The 1971 Coronet line was built in four-door sedan and station wagon body versions, the Super Bee model was moved to the platform used by the Charger. Since an R/T muscle car version of the Charger already existed, the Super Bee was promoted as the low-priced model in the line, selling at US$3,271. Production numbers of the Super Bee reached 5,054, including 22 with the Hemi engine. 1971 was the first and only year that a small block engine (340 4-bbl) became available in the Super Bee. Engines: 1971: 340 in³ (5.6 L) Small-Block V8, 275 hp (205 kW) 1971: 383 in³ (6.3 L) Big-Block V8, 300 hp (224 kW) 1971: 440 in³ (7.2 L) Big-Block V8, 370 hp (276 kW) 1971: 440 in³ (7.2 L) Big-Block V8, 385 hp (287 kW) 1971: 426 in³ (7.0 L) Hemi V8, 425 hp (317 kW) 1972: 400 in³ (6.6 L) Big-Block V8, 320 hp (239 kW) (4,800 rpm, 410 lb⋅ft (556 N⋅m) torque 3,200 rpm) The moniker was discontinued in the domestic market until the 2007 Super Bee, a version of the LX platform based Charger SRT8.

Mexican Valiant Super Bee

=== 1970–1976 === In 1970, Chrysler of Mexico introduced the new Dodge Super Bee as a replacement for the company's previous sports car product, the Plymouth Barracuda. As the production and sale costs of the third-generation Barracuda in Mexico were too high, Dodge adapted the semi-fastback A-Body platform and introduced the Super Bee at the beginning. The Super Bee was only available with the V8 318 engine (270 hp) and either a four-speed or three-speed manual transmission. The 1970 model was virtually identical to the Plymouth Duster (known in Mexico as the "Valiant Duster"), with side stripes and the Super Bee decals. In 1971, Dodge differentiated the Super Bee from the Duster, by using the grille from the American Dodge Demon. The model's body was modified on one further occasion, in 1972, and, by 1973, the front of the Dodge Dart became the standard design for the entire A Body line-up; the Duster, Super Bee, Valiant, and Dart all consisted of the same front grille, with the rear tail lights constituting the only difference between the Super Bee and the Valiant. However, in 1976, the final year for the A body cars, the front grille of the Plymouth model became the standard design. The Valiant Super Bee was equipped with the 318 V8 engine, with 270 hp, from 1970 to 1974; from 1975 to 1976, it contained the 360 V8 engine, with 270 hp—these engines had more power in Mexico than in the US, as Mexican anti-pollution laws were less strict in comparison to the US. Over the years, these models only received minor changes, such as new grilles, rear panels, and tail lights. The first generation was produced from 1970 to 1976; during the fall of 1975, Chrysler introduced the new F Body cars: the Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volare (as 1976 models), while the Aspen R/T and Volare

2007–2009 Charger (LX) platform

=== 2007 === A new 2007 Super Bee model was introduced at the 2006 North American International Auto Show. It is based on the Dodge Charger SRT8 and its exterior consists of special "Detonator Yellow" paint, a "Flat Black" hood, and fender "decals". The production version consisted of a hood decal, rather than an entirely black hood, and the "hockey stick" stripe on the side was changed from solid black to a dashed black stripe positioned at the bottom of the exterior. The wheels are fully polished and do not contain the silver-painted areas of the "stock" SRT8 Charger. The interior is completely black, with yellow accent stitching on the seats and shift knob; this is unlike the "two-tone" interior of the standard SRT8 Charger which consists of red stitching (this is the only model that contains such an interior, as the Charger interior changed in 2008). The appearance of the shifter "bezel" and center console resembles that of carbon fiber, and the Super Bee logo appears in the instrument cluster during "power-up", instead of the SRT logo. It is a limited edition car, with 1,000 made for the 2007 model year with build dates as early as August 2006. Each car is built in Brampton Assembly Plant, then shipped to Windsor to have decals applied and a unique number plaque on the passenger side of the dash. The number sequence on the dash does not necessarily follow build order, as multiple "Bees" were shipped to Windsor by car carrier, and the order was not retained. It uses the same 425 bhp (317 kW; 431 PS) Hemi 6.1 L engine as the SRT8 versions of the Dodge Charger, Dodge Magnum, Dodge Challenger and Chrysler 300C. 2008. For the 2008 model year, the Super Bee was only made in "B5 Blue Pearl Coat" (sometimes listed as "Surf Blue Pearl"), reminiscent of the blue used by Chry

2012–2014 Charger (LD) platform

In 2011, the Super Bee SRT8 returned as a 2012 model on the redesigned Dodge Charger with the 392 Hemi engine (6.4 L) in "Stinger Yellow" and "Pitch Black" colors, with additional colors being added for 2013 and 2014. This version of the Super Bee returned to the name's roots as a "budget" muscle car, devoid of most luxury items yet maintaining high performance in the form of a less expensive SRT model.

2023 "Last Call" Charger (LD facelift) Super Bee

In March 2023, Dodge confirmed it would be discontinuing the Charger and Challenger lineup due to emissions standards. This prompted Dodge to release many "Last Call" special editions for the LD Charger and LA Challenger's final model year, in which the Super Bee would return to the Charger lineup for the first time since 2014. This iteration of the Charger was a package for the 392 Scat Pack model, which itself had replaced the 2012-14 LD Super Bee, and production was limited to 1,000 units.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Dodge Super Bee
Manufacturer: Chrysler Corporation (1968–1980), DaimlerChrysler (2007), Chrysler LLC (2008–09)
Production: 1968–1971 , 1970–1980 (Mexico only) , 2007–2009 , 2012–2013 , 2027–
Layout: FR layout , AWD layout (2027–)
Class: Muscle car

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q663946CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_Super_BeeCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1370129434 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1969_Dodge_Superbee.jpgPublic domain · Photo: Tacosunday · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.