We never get tired of barn finds, and this one is filled with classic Mopar muscle. That is, in spirit anyway, as it seems all of the classics in this new Auto Archaeology video have their engines removed. Whether they’re stored elsewhere or have been picked for other projects is unclear, but hopefully, at least a couple still exist because they belong to some properly rare machines.
The second-generation Dodge Charger from 1968 through 1970 gets the glory, but the third-generation Charger that dropped in 1971 has a devoted following as well. The redesigned body still carried some muscle under the hood, as the 426 Hemi and 440 Six Pack V8 endured as engine options. The 1971 Charger in this barn find is an R/T model, equipped with the 440 and a four-speed manual transmission according to its VIN. The video further identifies the car as being painted a rare shade of blue with a blue interior. As we mentioned previously, the engine is sadly not under the hood.
The same holds true for the orange car sitting beside it. That’s a 1969 Dodge Super Bee, but Mopar aficionados will recognize the hood scoop as belonging to the mid-year Super Bee A12, where A12 denotes a special option code. It adds all kinds of go-fast parts, chief among them being the 440 Six Pack, rated at 390 horsepower back in the day. It sat under a fiberglass hood with the big scoop, connected to either a beefed-up automatic or a four-speed manual transmission. This particular car may have rocked the manual as evidenced by a hole in the floor where the shifter should be if the powertrain was present.
Other cars in the garage include a 1965 Plymouth Belvedere, a 1968 Dodge Dart, another 1969 Super Bee, and a pair of 1969 Dodge Coronets. Technically, the Super Bee was a performance trim level of the Coronet, so it’s possible these were all serving as parts cars for other Super Bee restorations.
In any case, the 1971 Charger R/T and 1969 Super Bee A12 are the stars of this Mopar barn find. Less than 2,000 A12 Super Bees were built for 1969 (listed as a 1969.5 model year car) and approximately 2,700 Charger R/T trims were built in 1971. That year also marked the end of the 440 cubic-inch six pack V8 with its three carburetors, adding something of a bittersweet flavor to this barn find since these cars are missing their legendary engines.
