This One-Year Only Charger Had Its Own Transmission Around In The Trunk

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Sunday, 1 Nov 2026 19:00 0 7 autotech

Some classic Muscle Cars are ready to hit the road with a little work. Others need someone with deep pockets, a decent toolbox, and a whole lot of patience. This 1971 Dodge Charger Super Bee for sale in Talladega, Alabama, looks like it’ll need all three. Still, there’s something about this old Mopar that makes it pretty hard to ignore.

Why This One-Year-Only Charger Super Bee Is Such An Oddball

1971 Dodge Charger Superbee Barn find
Criags List

The 1971 model year was the last for the original Super Bee, and it was a weird one. Dodge had turned the Coronet into a four-door only, so the Super Bee moved onto the Charger body for one year before the name went into hibernation. Just 5,054 were built. This particular example gets even more interesting thanks to its factory specification. According to the seller, it’s one of just over 200 Super Bees built with the 383-cubic-inch V8 and a three-speed manual transmission.

Here’s the funny part. The 300-hp 383 V8 and the floor-shifted three-speed were the standard setup. If the seller’s number is right, only about four percent of buyers drove off with the base gearbox. Everyone else paid to upgrade. The car also retains its fender tags and VIN markings, along with its factory red paint. There’s a black front bench seat and air conditioning, too, but no power steering. Cold air, heavy arms. Somebody in 1971 had very specific priorities. There’s one fairly big problem, though. There’s no engine. The original 383 is long gone, which means this Super Bee will never be numbers-matching again. The three-speed is still with the car, but it’s currently hanging out in the trunk rather than doing what a transmission is supposed to do.

This 1971 Super Bee Needs A Lot More Than A Fresh Coat Of Paint

1971 Dodge Charger Superbee Barn find
Criags List

Getting this Dodge back on the road won’t be a quick weekend project. The seller says it needs some floor pan work, a trunk pan, a hood and a right front fender. Add an engine to that shopping list, and things start getting expensive pretty quickly. Then there’s the paperwork. The listing marks the title as clean, but the description only mentions a bill of sale. That’s less sketchy than it sounds, since Alabama doesn’t title vehicles more than 35 model years old. Out-of-state buyers should still check what their own DMV wants before handing over cash.

The seller is asking $12,500, and that’s quite a commitment for a roller that needs this much attention. The one-year-only body and claimed rarity make it interesting, but the missing engine and bodywork list are hard to overlook. For a Mopar enthusiast with the right parts, tools and a garage full of spare time, this could be a fun project. Just don’t expect to bolt in an engine and drive it home the same afternoon.

Source Criag’s List

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