1978 Super Bee

[Mopsquad]

300hp In '78. I like it.

https://www.hotrod.com/articles/marco-sandin-1978-valiant-super-bee-chrysler-foreign-market-vehicle/?wc_mid=4035:20306&wc_rid=4035:11214214&_wcsid=A94C08A864624CF019013BA3C0B6050E7518E0C74D240C10

[MEK-Dangerous]

I didn't think anything had 300HP in 1978. I like it too.

[Brads70]

Pretty nice car for 1978. I'd drive it! 

[dodj]

 
Not so sure I'd drive it. The nose looks like a Ford to me?
With 300hp I'm sure it would be fun to drive....but...I gotta like the looks to wanna drive it...and that car just doesn't do it for me. 

[HP2]

These were mother's F body platform. In the US they were the Aspen and Volare. I've had several of them over the years as they used to be everywhere and could be picked up for under a couple grand for really nice ones. Like everything old, they are getting rarer and more expensive. They can be built to perform very well.

[dodj]

These were mother's F body platform.

The 'F' stood for Ford?

[6bblgt]

I like F-bodies just fine & owned daily driver Volare Road Runner & Aspen R/T at one point 

IF  it was actually rated at 300 hp       then we are NOT talking apples to oranges VS. the US's 175 hp rated 360 cu.in. F-bodies

with cast iron intake, 8.4:1 compression & 1.88" intake/1.60" exhaust valves    what cam do you need for 300 hp? 
with exhaust limited only by factory cast iron exhaust manifolds it would still be a huge task    & I'd bet these still had one tailpipe when new

if stock 300 hp F-bodies existed south of the border, it would not have taken 30+ years for us to notice - they would've been well known

[anlauto]

I've heard of these cars before, think there was an article in MCG at one time....never heard of the 300hp claim before

[6bblgt]

Because of a loophole in the emissions regulations the 1978 Dodge Lil' Red Express Truck's did not have catalytic converters, what the Lil' Red Express did have was a special High Performance 360 C.I. 4-barrel small block engine code (EH1) which was a modified version of the 360 police engine (E58) producing 225 net horsepower @ 3800 RPM.

I would even doubt they used the '78 Lil' Red's engine in a passenger car & rated it at 300 gross horsepower - in Mexico (but I wonder if that's where the number comes from  )

[Chryco Psycho]

I helped a friend restore a 70 Mexican Super Bee , it had a 318 4 bbl 4 speed from the factory

[gzig5]

I had a '77 Aspen R/T, 318 two barrel, A833 OD 4spd, moon roof, and fold down rear seat.  I really miss that car.  Was down a cylinder and could barely get out of it's own way, but it drove really nice.  Knowing what I do know, a hot 360 or 408 stroker would've really woke that thing up.

[HP2]

These were mother's F body platform.

The 'F' stood for Ford?

Uhh, no.  Just another platform designation. Although the Mopar F bodies I've owned were often mistaken for GM G body Novas. The GM F body I owned was never mistaken for anything but the Camaro it was.

I like F-bodies just fine & owned daily driver Volare Road Runner & Aspen R/T at one point 

IF  it was actually rated at 300 hp       then we are NOT talking apples to oranges VS. the US's 175 hp rated 360 cu.in. F-bodies

with cast iron intake, 8.4:1 compression & 1.88" intake/1.60" exhaust valves    what cam do you need for 300 hp? 
with exhaust limited only by factory cast iron exhaust manifolds it would still be a huge task    & I'd bet these still had one tailpipe when new

if stock 300 hp F-bodies existed south of the border, it would not have taken 30+ years for us to notice - they would've been well known

Well, we are talking south of the border so they probably were still on gross ratings when the US went to net ratings. Reading the text of the article, they are also claiming "270 hp 318 4bbls in 1970 which was more or less right in line to the US 340 advertised ratings" and 300hp 360 4bbls in the 74-75 A bodies. To roll these 360s into the F bodies would have been no big deal.

While not at all related to these cars,  in the '90s Mopar was offering 300 net hp 360 crate engines that certainly were not radical by any stretch of the imagination.  To think that a higher compression, non-emission 360 in Mexico was putting out 300 gross in the mid 70s certainly isn't a stretch in my mind.

[Burdar]

Remember in the mid 90's when the Cirrus, Stratus and Breeze came out?  You could get a 2.4L turbo in Mexico but US cars never got one.

As far as the car being discussed here...I'd love to have it in my garage.  Great looking car IMO.

[Mopsquad]

Performance aside,  I love the look and the stance.  Also maybe a nostalgia trigger too.  I was really getting into cars when the late 70's were happening. 

[torredcuda]

From wiki so not sure how accurate -
In 1970, Chrysler of Mexico introduced the new Dodge Super Bee as a replacement for the company's previous sports car product, the Plymouth Barracuda. As the production and sale costs of the third-generation Barracuda in Mexico were too high, Dodge adapted the semi-fastback A-Body platform and introduced the Super Bee at the beginning.

The Super Bee was only available with the V8 318 engine (270 hp) and either a four-speed or three-speed manual transmission. The 1970 model was virtually identical to the Plymouth Duster (known in Mexico as the "Valiant Duster"), with side stripes and the Super Bee decals.[22]

In 1971, Dodge differentiated the Super Bee from the Duster, by using the grille from the American Dodge Demon. The model's body was modified on one further occasion, in 1972, and, by 1973, the front of the Dodge Dart became the standard design for the entire A Body line-up; the Duster, Super Bee, Valiant, and Dart all consisted of the same front grille, with the rear tail lights constituting the only difference between the Super Bee and the Valiant. However, in 1976, the final year for the A Body cars, the front grille of the Plymouth model became the standard design.

The Valiant Super Bee was equipped with the 318 V8 engine, with 270 hp, from 1970 to 1974; from 1975 to 1976, it contained the 360 V8 engine, with 300 hp—these engines had more power in Mexico than in the US, as Mexican anti-pollution laws were less strict in comparison to the US. Over the years, these models only received minor changes, such as new grilles, rear panels, and tail lights. The first generation was produced from 1970 to 1976; during the fall of 1975, Chrysler introduced the new F Body cars: the Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volare (as 1976 models), while the Aspen R/T and Volare Road Runner were released as the sports versions.[23]
Chrysler de México continued to use old model names after they were dropped in the U.S. marketplace. The Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volare, were sold in Mexico as the Dodge Dart and the Valiant Volare, and the sports version was named the Valiant Super Bee. The Mexican Dodge Dart consisted of the front of the US Plymouth Volare and the rear of the Dodge Aspen, while the Mexican Valiant Volare and the Dodge Super Bee consisted of the front of the Dodge Aspen and the rear of the US Plymouth Volare.

The Super Bee was equipped with the 360 V8 engine and 300 hp, the three-speed Torque Flite automatic transmission (or the four-speed manual transmission), sports wide wheels, front spoiler, and a rear spoiler-style Trans Am with the Super Bee spelling (with an optional blind in the rear window). The federal highway patrol used Super Bee as a squad car. For the 1980-model year, the Super Bee received a new front with rectangular headlamps.