![]() ![]() But of course, many weren’t so lucky, and continuous high-rpm shifting on the street claimed many engines over the years. With those upgrades, the engines were tough and could survive years of punishment on the street. ![]() Sparked by a dual-breaker distributor and cooled by an upgraded 26-inch radiator, the A12 package 440 was a beast that churned out 390 hp and 490 lb-ft of reliable, street-sweeping torque. But that wasn’t the end of it, and Chrysler engineers strengthened the engine with a special low-taper camshaft, Magnafluxed heavy-duty connecting rods, chrome-flashed valve stems, stronger valve springs and moly-filled piston rings. Dodge’s standard 440 RB block engine was topped with Six-Pack carburation - three Holley 2300-series two-barrels on an Edelbrock aluminum intake manifold. With the Super Bee, you got Dodge’s standard Coronet B-body chassis, beefed up in all the critical areas to accept a monster of an engine under the fiberglass, lift-off hood. Sold with steel wheels, a fiberglass lift-off hood and a hot 440 Six-Pack under the hood, the A12 Super Bee was one bad B-body, and this numbers-matching, unrestored survivor car on eBay is about as good as it gets.Ī good muscle car package is all about power and image, and the A12 Super Bee and her sister, the A12 Plymouth Road Runner, were some of the most unique combinations to come out Detroit in the 1960s. Norman Kraus’s lot was fully stocked with Mopars by the cubic inch, and he had a knack for ordering up the hottest limited build cars, just like this 1969 Dodge A12 package Super Bee. But in terms of Mopar performance, there was clear option - Mr. Carroll Shelby, for one, would have been more than happy to sell you a Shelby-tuned Mustang, and either Don Yenko or Nickey Chevrolet could order you up a 427 ci Camaro. Nuts about any form of classic motorsport and muscle cars, Ciprian's currently working on a time machine that would take him back to the 1960s for a long vacation alongside Dan Gurney and Jim Hall.If you had a little change in your pocket and American horsepower on the brain back in the 1960s, there were more than a few performance-minded dealers who would take your money. Don’t let his grumpiness fool you though he’s more than excited to provide the latest news and reviews on the most interesting cars in the industry. Additionally, he can give you several reasons why there’s still no replacement for displacement. Nothing annoys him more than car electronics, and he just hates it when performance cars lack a third pedal. Ask him to choose between a BMW M4 and an Audi RS5, and he’ll gladly trade both for a beat-up ’Cuda. He's a proud member of the TopSpeed team since early 2014.Īlthough he's into just about any type of vehicle, Ciprian is not your typical car enthusiast. His automotive adventure started reporting on various motorsport events as a sports writer before moving onto a full-time auto career with various sites, including This Week In Motors and Autoevolution. The Chevelle went on to live until 1978, but as most muscle cars, the 1973 oil crisis put an end to its high-output engines. Styling-wise, the Chevelle was a more organic proposition, especially when compared to the boxy Road Runner and Super Bee. Bigger engines were introduced later on, including the 7.4-liter big-block in the SS454 LS6 model, which generated an incredible 450 horsepower. In 1969, the firm began offering the SS (Super Sport), which had a larger, 6.5-liter V-8, also rated at 325 horsepower. Although there was no specific competitor for the Road Runner in 1968, the Chevelle did have a potent, 325-horsepower version of Chevy's 5.4-liter V-8. Introduced in 1963, the Chevrolet Chevelle was redesigned just in time for the 1968 model year. Pricing was set at $3,250, which made the Cobra significantly more expensive than the Road Runner and Super Bee, priced at $2,900 and $3,000, respectively. The standard engine was a 7.0-liter V-8 rated at 335 horsepower and no other options were available. The Cobra did receive a hood scoop, while options included bucket seats, tachometer, power disc brakes, and 4.30:1 rear axle gearing. Just like its competitors, the Cobra package included various extras, but Ford opted not to use a stripe package. Based on the already successful Fairlane, the Cobra was introduced in 1969 as an answer to both the Plymouth Road Runner and Dodge Coronet Super Bee. ![]()
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