GM divisions had practiced it for years, but it took the competitive fervor of the肌肉车years to spark a sibling rivalry betweenDodgeandPlymouth. The 1968 Dodge Super Bee carried the colors for Mopar's Scat Pack division.Plymouth had struck first, with the fall-1967 introduction of the budget-muscle1968 Road Runner. Dodge -- already irked that it had coined the "road runner" name in a'67 Coronet R/Tadvertisement -- scrambled to respond. Its answer was a bang-for-the-buck stripper based on the redesigned Coronet pillared coupe. The inspiration -- and the drivetrain -- were pure Road Runner. For the name, however, Dodge looked to its Scat Pack symbol and released its new model in the spring of '68 as the SuperBee.
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The $3,027 base price was $131 over that of the Road Runner, which used the same basic chassis. Curb weight was nearly identical, so performance was a wash. Baseenginefor both was the 335-bhp four-barrel 383-cid V-8 that borrowed cylinder heads,凸轮轴, and induction system from the 440 Magnum V-8.
The 426 Hemi was the only engine option, but at nearly $1,000, it clashed with the Super Bee's budget appeal and only 125 were ordered. A Hurst-shiftedfour-speed manualwas standard, with the three-speed TorqueFliteautomaticoptional.
Holding the price meant minimizing amenities, and while Super Bee borrowed theCharger's Rallye gauge layout to edge the Road Runner in instrumentation, a tachometer still cost $38 extra. Heavy-dutysuspensionandbrakesand red-line wide-ovaltireswere standard, though.
Low priced didn't mean low profile. Bumblebee racing strips circled the tail, and a big Super Bee emblem hovered on the rear fenders. The grille was finished in black matte, and the hood held a decorative power bulge.
Dodge was proud enough to name names in Super Bee advertising: "It's the supercarfor the guy who doesn't want to shy away from GTOs...only their high prices." But finishing far behind the Road Runner in sales surely must have stung.
Return toClassic Muscle CarsLibrary.
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- Muscle cars came in many shapes and sizes. Here are features on more than 100肌肉车s, including photos and specifications for each model.
- Muscle cars created their own culture. To learn about it, readHow Muscle Cars Work.
These muscle car profiles include photos and specifications for each model:
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- NASCAR race cars embody the muscle car philosophy of power. Read纳斯卡赛车是如何工作的to find out what makes these charged-up racers go.
- Are you thinking of buying a 2007 muscle car, or any other car? See Consumer Guide Automotive's New-Car Reviews, Prices, and Information.
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