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1970 Dodge Coronet Super Bee Hardtop Coupe

Note: The following story was excerpted from the December 2016 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine

Collector cars can turn up in odd places. A 1925 Bugatti was found at the bottom of a Swiss lake. A 1957 Plymouth was buried in a time capsule in Oklahoma. The elements took their toll on both.

A happier fate befell this 1970 Dodge Super Bee that went neglected in the automotive-technology school at Illinois Central College in East Peoria, Illinois. Chrysler Corporation donated car to the college in the early Seventies with the stipulation that it could never be sold or licensed for the road—a common restriction.

1970 Dodge Coronet Super Bee Hardtop Coupe

Illinois Central students must have been excited to have a muscle car to work on. The Super Bee was Dodge’s version of Plymouth’s popular Road Runner. The Road Runner proved that a muscle car with a hot engine but no unneeded luxuries to increase price or weight would be a big seller.

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1970 Dodge Coronet Super Bee Hardtop Coupe

Dodge based the Super Bee on its midsize Coronet. The standard engine was a 383-cid V-8 that in 1970 put out 325 horsepower. The Super Bee was capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in about seven seconds, and ran the quarter mile in around 15 seconds. The price for a ’70 hardtop coupe was $3074; a companion pillared coupe went for $3012.

Still, one wonders why a Super Bee was donated instead of a more ordinary model. Brandt Rosenbusch, manager of FCA Historical Vehicles, speculates that the car might have just been an extra.

Written by: John Biel on October 22, 2020.

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Episode: 36

Broadcast date: July 5, 2020

Guest: John Biel

Cars of 1940, 2021 Ford F-150

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start off the show by discussing Ford’s recent unveiling of the redesigned 2021 F-150 pickup and the truck’s many new features. Next, we talk about our test-drive experiences with the 2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia. Collectible Automobile magazine Editor-in-Chief John Biel joins us to chat about the great features in the August 2020 issue, including an overview of the cars of 1940 and a retrospective on the 1978-80 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Tom has a quiz for Damon and Jill on unusual vehicle co-branding tie-ins, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the Consumer Guide Daily Drive blog, including a first-look article on the 2021 Kia K5 midsize sedan.

The Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast is broadcast every Sunday on Chicago’s WCPT AM 820 at 1:00 PM CST.

Discussed this week:

First Look: 2021 Ford F-150

2021 F-150 PowerBoost Details

2021 F-150 Trim Levels in Photos

First Look: 2021 Kia K5

Quick Spin: 2020 GMC Sierra 2500 AT4

Forgotten Concept: Lincoln Sentinel

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