Rare and Restored 1969 Super Bee 440 Six Pack in Bahama Yellow
Dodge launched the Super Bee in 1968 in response to Plymouth’s Road Runner – a low-cost, bare-bones muscle car. The 1969 Super Bee sales were dwarfed by the Road Runner’s numbers, but the introduction of the A12 upgrade with the iconic 440 Six Pack engine created one of Mopar’s most sought-after drag strip warriors.
Fewer than 2,000 1969 Super Bees were produced and most were painted in a few bright, high-impact colors like red, green, yellow and turquoise. Late in the model year, though, a few left the Lynch Road plant painted Butterscotch (also known as Bahama Yellow). Galen Bortz’ hardtop is one of just maybe dozen in that color – in fact, the Dodge A12 Registry lists only 10 Butterscotch cars.
Following an online search, Galen found his car in California, though he learned it originally came from Minnesota. After getting it back to his home in Wyoming, he determined the partially restored car would require a more thorough and accurate restoration. Too many of the parts were incorrect for the car, Galen says. After a complete rebuild at Rodfather’s Garage in South Dakota, the Dodge emerged as a prime example of late-’60s Mopar muscle.
The heartbeat of Galen’s scarce A12 1969 Super Bee is the optional 440 Six Pack – the 390-horsepower big block topped with three Holley two-barrel carburetors on an aluminum intake. The engine was a torque monster, cranking out 490 lb-ft of torque to get the big B-body Super Bee moving. All that power is transferred through a Torqueflite 727 automatic transmission to a Dana 60 rearend with 3.90 gears. The stock chassis has 11-inch drum brakes on all four corners, along with 15-inch H-code steel wheels (gloss black with chrome lug nuts) wrapped in Goodyear G70 redline tires.
The restored body features a black vinyl roof, along with the distinctive Super Bee black stripes. The highlight of the A12 option – in addition to the powerful engine, of course – is the functional matte black fiberglass lift-off hood that is secured with four large NASCAR-style hood pins. It reinforced the notion that this was a race car for the street.
Super Bees, like the Road Runners, left the assembly lines with basic interiors. Galen’s car has an all-black vinyl interior with a bench seat and column shifter. A push-button AM radio might be the only creature-comfort option.
Back in the day, road tests showed the A12 Dodges turning mid-13 second quarter mile times, which was competitive with the top GM and Ford competitors. With modern slicks and tuning upgrades, mid-12-second runs are common in modern pure-stock competition, which is the sort of performance that made these cars legendary.
Congratulations to Galen and his 1969 Super Bee on being named a Finalist for the Dakota Digital Muscle Car of the Year.
Photos: Damon Lee, Terry Lysak
