Quote:
Originally Posted by Tcoat
The R/T was perfectly capable on the drag strip. And as such was designed for competition (when wasn't stated in the original definition by the way).
The R/T was the top level back then.
Ironically you show a 70 Super Bee that is built on exactly the same platform as the R/T. They were the same car with some fancy goodies (tail and gauges) on the Bee. In fact the Bee was the lower performance version of the R/T not the other way around.
https://auto.howstuffworks.com/1968-...-super-bee.htm |
I don't think drag racing fits into any definition of sportscar including both your preferred (2 door, roadster) and mine (minimal modification) as anything can be a drag car. That's a little pendantic. Let's stick to circuits as sportscars do.
Sorry to say but I think author of the article you're referencing lacks understanding. I guess why he writes for "howstuffworks." and not maybe Allpar.com
https://www.allpar.com/cars/dodge/super-bee.html
Essentially the R/T was the most luxurious model in the lineup, having amenities like air conditioning, cosmetic aero, etc. The SuperBee as an answer to the RoadRunner stripped out that stuff and beefed up the performance parts (as a more track focused car should.)
Here's a quote from the article and some ad copy:
The 1970 Dodge Super Bee, with a completely new grille, was promoted with an ad featuring **** Landy purportedly saying (in words that sound remarkably like the rest of the ad copy):
[IMG]https://www.allpar.com/photos/dodge/superbee/****-landy.jpg[/IMG]The ’70 Dodge Super Bee was designed to provide a full-sized car with a lot of performance and a minimum of gingerbread. ... that’s why Super Bee’s standard engine is the husky 383-cubic-inch V8 with the heads right off the [ame="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BOVZ0IQ"]big 440 Magnum[/ame], which has got to be the hot setup! Super Bee is truly the budget supercar for the man who wants a big-car performance without spending a bundle for it.
The Super Bee I tested had the swingin’ optional Six Pack setup... three mind-blowing two-barrel Holley carbs on a new high-rise manifold, all bolted on the 440 Magnum engine. Biggest problem was getting off the line without smoking it. Feather foot definitely required. The hood has hinges this year, nice when you check the oil, and the scoops feed directly into the Holleys.”
Goofy I know, but it does spell out Dodge's positioning of this particular models' performance.
As we've learned with the shrinking of the "true" Sportscar market, people say they want Sportscars, but actually they really want comfortable, fast performance cars that look like they can run hard on a track.
Here's another quote:
"The Dodge Super Bee was a limited production muscle car from Dodge division produced from 1968–1971. The original Super Bee was based on the Dodge Coronet, a 2-door model only and was produced from 1968–1970. It was Dodge’s low-priced muscle car, the equivalent to Plymouth Road Runner, and was priced at $3,027. Available with Hemi engine, this option increased the price by 33% so only 125 models were sold with this engine option. The Super Bee included a heavy-duty suspension, an optional Mopar A-833 four-speed manual transmission, with high performance tires, and a stripe (with the bee logo) wrapped around the tail. The name "Super Bee" was derived from the "B" Body designation given Chrysler's midsized cars which included the Coronet."