When Dodge rolled out the first-generation Charger in 1966 as the premiere Mopar with Hemi firepower, it expanded their B-body portfolio right alongside the Coronet. By 1968, Dodge launched the budget-friendly Super Bee to rival the soaring Plymouth Road Runner.
While Plymouth managed to move over 120,000 Road Runners in its first two years, the Super Bee remained a bit of a wallflower, peaking at 27,800 units in 1969 and tallying just 56,202 deliveries between 1968 and 1971. The final-year 1971 model stands as the absolute rarest of the bunch, with a modest 5,054 units ever built.
Naturally, golden-era Mopar purists obsess over the high-octane unicorns: only 22 Super Bees received the legendary Hemi V8 in 1971, while 440-cubic-inch variants are almost as elusive, with 26 four-barrel cars and 99 Six-Packs. Even the entry 340-cubic-inch small-block found a home in merely 307 cars. That leaves 3,858 units powered by the standard 383-cubic-inch (6.3-liter) V8.
Typically, these base-engined cars don’t send collector hearts racing, especially after suffering decades of neglect. However, an intriguing red example recently rescued from Talladega, Alabama proves that being cheap back in 1971 can pay off today.
While 2,889 buyers ordered their 383 Super Bee with the lazy three-speed TorqueFlite automatic and 766 stepped up to the desirable four-speed manual, the original owner of this car went full minimalist. They stuck with the standard, no-extra-cost three-speed floor-shifted manual. Only 203 cars were ever built in this exact thrifty specification.
Today, out of roughly 750 surviving 1971 Super Bees documented in the official registry, a mere 18 feature this base manual gearbox. This freshly discovered, hoodless survivor marks the 19th known survivor.
Despite missing its factory 383 V8, lacking a hood, and wearing weathered red paint, this project car remains surprisingly solid with minimal rust, intact floors, and a complete interior awaiting a hazmat-level cleaning. Thankfully, period-correct 383 V8s look easy to hunt down, and the ultra-rare three-speed transmission stays safely tucked away in the trunk awaiting restoration.
The seller mentions dual fender tags, hinting at an unexpectedly lengthy options list that remains a mystery. At an asking price of $12,500, it offers a quirky, ultra-rare slice of Mopar history for anyone willing to complete the ultimate budget muscle puzzle.