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"The Super Bee I tested had the swingin' SixPack setup... Biggest problem was getting off the line without smoking it. Feather foot definitely required." Dick Landy, the National Super Stock Drag Racing Champion. (He wouldn't give back his test model, he bought it for his wife.)

The 1970 Dodge Super Bee Hemi is one of the most sought out rare classic muscle car on the market. It was designed for a lot of performance for very little money, and became a phenomenon with the drag circuit. It can smoke tires with the best and is still shown off at shows today.

It was the third instalment of the Super Bee and was restyled for 1970 to change it from the Coronet styling. The horizontal tail lamps and dual ovaled grill (that Dodge PR referred to as "bumble bee wings") turned off some buyers, but makes modern consumers go crazy. The Super Bee logo is a cartoon bee with a helmet, fat tires, headers and a stinger.

Standard features were heavy duty torsion bar front suspension, asymmetrical leaf spring rear suspension, recirculation ball gear steering system, drum brakes, fibre glass-belted wide-tread tires, key-left-in-ignition buzzer, 3-way ignition, steering and transmission lock, and Ramcharger air scoop.

New options included a hood tachometer, dummy rear fender scoops, vinyl top, rocker and sill molding, rear spoiler, bumper guards, front bucket seats, centre console, a rearview mirror on passenger side and Ram Air. Buyers could order the R/T type BB stripe or pipe-shaped upper and lower fear fender stripes with a circular Super Bee decal between them. Colour choices: Plum crazy, Hemi orange, Sublime and Go-Mango (yellow could be a write in colour choice).

There was a variety of options for engines: 383 V8, 440 V8, 440 + 6pack V8 and 426 Hemi V8. Hot Rod Magazine in 1965 called the new Dodge Hemi engine "the standard comparison for some to come." Of the 1970 Super Bees only 36 were sold with the 426 Hemi, making it a highly prized number by collectors. On 1968 and later engines the number stamped on the lower rail of the engine's passenger side matches the last eight digits of the car's VIN.

The 2D pillared coupe sold at $2,966, 2D Hardtop coupe for $11, 540 with a 33% increase if bought with the Hemi 426. Prices today run between $18,000 to $75,000 from Midwest Muscle, www.vast.com, www.cars-on-line.com and Ebay.

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