Jealous of the success of the Plymouth Road Runner, Dodge wanted its own large muscle car based on the Chrysler B platform. The Dodge Super Bee was thus developed, available for 1968 and 1969 with 383, 426 HEMI and 440 big-block V8s. All of these were popular, but if you really want Mopar fans to get excited, the 440 Six Pack is a great place to start.
These cars were made for a very limited amount of time, just a few months, with drag racing fanatics being the main customers. When you ordered the Super Bee with the “Six Pack”, otherwise known as the A12 option code, you naturally received an iconic type of induction.
The three two-barrel carburetors are quite the sight, sitting on top of the big-block Mopar V8. The A12 pack also included a Dana 60 rear end with 4:10 gear ratio, black steel rims with G-70 tires, 11-inch drum brakes, and a “lift-off” flat black hood. No hinges, just four pins and it lifts straight up. Can you imagine having that from the factory 50+ years ago?
They changed the design of the Super Bee in 1970, and collectors generally prefer the first two model years we mentioned. Dodge produced 37,715 of these B-bodied cars, of which 1,907 examples were the 440 Six Pack. 826 of those were hardtop 4-speeds, and since they were raced a lot, not all of them survived.
Ever seen a black Six Pack?
This particular example which we found for sale is interesting because of the color. I did the quickest of searches, and it doesn’t look like Dodge was offering black in 1969. Regardless, most of the 440 Six Packs you’ll find are orange, and a few are green.
The so-called 1969.5 model left the factory in Bahama Yellow but was painted gloss black in the 1990s. This is accompanied by the slightly duller black of the vinyl roof and the matte black of the fiberglass lift-off hood.
You’ve got to love the flowing lines of these late 1960s muscle cars. The Super Bee was based on the Coronet and it was a little longer and slightly heavier than the Plymouth Road Runner. The front-end design of the two is quite similar, but Dodge did four little scallops behind the doors.
Dodge did offer these with a heavy-duty automatic, but enthusiasts used to prefer the 4-speed manual, and so do modern collectors. This black beauty has the correct Hurst shifter, and when you optioned the manual, it came with two bucket seats and a center console.
Obviously, the previous owner took a few liberties here and there. There are some extra gauges scattered throughout the interior. But the biggest upgrade has to be the wheels. All I can say is “this is how you improve a 69.5 Super Bee.”
Overall, this is the type of car you buy because you want to enjoy. It’s not one of those classics where every stamped VIN and every factory sticker has been kept. I also believe that the 440 was replaced with one of the later blocks from 1975-1978. The upside is you can drive an uber-cool A12 Super Bee guilt-free. Bidding on Bring-A-Trailer is currently up to $50,000.
