by Michael GolubiewskiProduction Editor
A car with buzz
When I hear the name of this week’s ride — a 1968 Dodge Coronet Super Bee — is not of the car, but of Rosemary Clooney’s 1970s television commercials for Coronet paper towels and her little jingle at the end: “Extra value is what you get when you buy Coronet.”
More than just a catchy name, the car had quite an impressive history for Chrysler. It became Dodge’s first new post-World War II body style in 1949, was the company’s full-size sedan through the 1950s and had a rebirth in the mid-to-late ’60s as a midsize muscle car. In 1976, the Coronet was replaced by the Monaco.
This week’s ride is owned by Andrew Petersen of Hazleton and belongs to the model’s fifth generation. In 1968, the Dodge Coronet and Charger and Plymouth Belvedere, which all shared Chrysler’s “b-body chassis,” got a redesign.
The Super Bee featured a rear racing stripe and clever “Super Bee” logos on the rear fenders, a logo created by Dodge graphic designer Harvey Winn. Under the hood, the 1968 Coronet sports a 383 cubic inch engine (V8) capable, Petersen says, of producing horsepower somewhere between 335 and 355. The Coronet has a 4-barrel Holley carburetor and 3-speed manual transmission on the floor.
Among some changes Petersen made has been the black carbon fiber hood with the vent. Because the car is yellow, he thought it kept with the “bee” theme. He also replaced the original grille since “DODGE” was missing a few letters and found a new bee logo to go on the front grille.
The Super Bee was only available as a 2-door coupe or a 2-door hard top. Though a convertible version of the Coronet was produced, a convertible version of its Super Bee was not. The original sticker price on the 1968 Dodge Coronet Super Bee was a just $3,027.
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