I got to drive a Super Bee yesterday

Yukon Jack · May 24, 2001

A friend that I know professionally stopped by yesterday with his 1969 Dodge Superbee 440 Six Pack. What a beautiful car. Clean as can bee (couldn't resist) and very original. He took me out onto the highway and had it up to 100 mph before I knew it. What a feeling it is to be pushed back in your seat with all that torque and hp. Its got the 440 and when he got it the intake was missing. He replaced the intake with another Eldebrock 6 pack.

He turned off the highway to return to my office and went into a turnoff and asked me if I wanted to drive it - uhhhhhh - big smile - he took that for a yes. What a feeling. The clutch was very different than I'm used to but boy did it shift nice. I was wearing cowboy boots but was very surprised with how well I was able to shift it. A few miles down the road I punched it for the first time in fourth then slowed down and went into third for another burst up to 90 or so. That engine really growls and it lifted that front end with each shift. Slow down again and he said, you know the traffic isn't bad so have fun so I got to open it up a few more times.

What a way to make my week!!!!

These photos suck, (Polaroid) but better than nothing. You won't be able to see the tires well but the rears were pretty wide and were McLeary or something like that and were pretty darn near slicks. They did have a tread pattern but definitely purpose tires - and that purpose is go fast.

His license tag is BEEKPR - gotta love it!

Here are some stats I found - 490ft/lbs of torque - sweet.

Comments: A two door hardtop joined the existing pillared coupe for 1969. The Super Bee also received a single wider

rear bumble bee stripe and a Dodge "Scat Pack" badge on the grille and trunk, plus front fender engine callouts. Also

new was a new Ramcharger cold-air induction system, which was standard on Hemi cars. The Ramcharger system

featured two large hood scoops, an underhood air plenum and a switch to select between warm and cold air.

But the big news for 1969 was a new optional engine in the Super Bee. MOPAR engineers took the existing 440 cid V8

and replaced the single Carter four barrel carb with three Holley two-barrel carbs on an Edelbrock Hi-Riser manifold,

creating the Dodge 440 Six Pack (Plymouth called it the 440+6). Only the center carb was used for normal driving, but slamming on the fun pedal opened all six carbs for a combined 1,375 cfm rush. Hemi valve springs, a hotter cam,

magnafluxed connecting rods, and other improvements helped boost output to 390 bhp. A Hurst four speed manual transmission was standard. Torqueflite automatic was optional, but disc brakes, air conditioning, and cruise control were not allowed. The Super Bee Six Pack came with one of the wilder hoods in muscledoom. The lift off hood was made of fiberglass, had a matte black finish, four NASCAR tie down pins, and a large air scoop molded right in with "Six Pack" written on the sides. The all business look was completed with standard black steel wheels, unadorned except for chrome lug nuts. The 440 Six Pack cost ?, about ? less than a Hemi.

The Six Pack could keep up with a Hemi up to 70 mph and came with a Hemi grade suspension that turned the Super Bee into a decent handler.

Production: 383: 25,727. 440 Six Pack: 1,907. 426 Hemi: 166

Engines: 383 V8 335bhp@5200rpm, 425lb-ft@3400rpm. 426 Hemi V8 425bhp@5000rpm, 490lb-ft@4000rpm. 440 Six Pack V8 390bhp@4700rpm, 490lb-ft@3200rpm.

Performance: 440/390bhp: 0-60 in 6.3 sec, 1/4 mile in 13.8 sec @ 104.2 mph.

Zane · May 24, 2001

Holy crap!!! That is a SWEET RIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love the older cars! That must have been one #### of an experiance!

MountaineerTom · May 24, 2001

Sweet looking car! That would have made my week too. My uncle had a car similar to that. I don't remember it too much because I was only 6 or 7 years old.

May 24, 2001

Did you walk a little funny when you got out?

I don't know if I could sit comfortably driving one of those.

Stepside Z · May 25, 2001

I have a dream. Wouldn't spit on a new Vett, but would give an arm and a leg for something like that.

John

silverado man · May 25, 2001

cant see pictures

76BBSub · May 25, 2001

YIKES!! That's on my list of "must-have" cars, that or the Plymouth version, the Road Runner.

Sweet car, especially the lift-off hood...do you think these were meant to be driven daily? I love a factory street legal race car!

BTW, it would probably hang with or beat a new Vette in the 1/4, but 0-60, handling, etc would definitely go to the Vette.

Jeff

Tahoe933 · May 31, 2001

Yeah baby. I drove one of these years ago. I thought they were available with a 375 horse 383 as well.

I had a 6 pak Roadrunner (technically the Plymouths were called 6bbl). Awesome out of the hole of you could hook up. Got 6 mpg. Good thing gas was only @55cents/gal. Mike

NewbieZ71 · May 31, 2001

Man, they dont make em like that anymore, huh?? I was fortunate enough to grow up around an uncle who worked for Chrysler for 30 years. He dealt with the southern dealerships on their financing and such so the dealers were always sucking up to him. Gave him demos for his use. He would bring home a new car every three months or so...Superbees; Roadrunners, Grand Furys, Challengers, MAN. I was too young to drive ANY of them...seeing this picture takes me way back to those days. I will never forgive my cousin for being born a couple of years earlier than me.... she could drive them all.....I would kill to drive one of these today.....