1970 Superbee test drive

A 1970 Dodge Super Bee test drive from Joyriderestorations turned into something more than just a walk-around when the driver got behind the wheel and the Hurst pistol-grip shifter had other plans. Viewers piled into the comments with equal parts car envy and friendly ribbing about missed gears. One longtime Mopar fan even shared the story of the identical Super Bee he drove at 17 and still remembers to this day. Watch to see what makes this pistol-grip icon so unforgiving.

Not every muscle car video is about horsepower numbers or quarter-mile times. Sometimes the real story is what happens when someone gets behind the wheel of a machine built for a different era and has to relearn how to drive all over again. That is exactly what unfolds in this test drive of a 1970 Dodge Super Bee from Joyriderestorations, and the internet noticed immediately. Within minutes, the comments filled with equal parts admiration for the car and good-natured ribbing for the driver. What is it about a pistol-grip shifter that turns even confident drivers into rookies?

A Pistol Grip That Does Not Forgive Mistakes

The Super Bee’s signature Hurst pistol-grip shifter is a beloved feature among Mopar fans, but it is also famously unforgiving — miss a gate and the whole shift falls apart, unlike modern synchronized boxes that practically shift themselves. In this test drive, the driver’s hesitation finding gears became the centerpiece of the video, and it is a reminder that these cars were built in an era when driving a manual well was a genuine skill, not a checkbox on a driving app.

⚑ Featured Gear

Start Car Conversations →

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

When the Comments Section Becomes the Real Show

The comment section turned into its own kind of entertainment. One viewer joked about the driver missing every gear, another offered a mock safety warning about letting him test drive their own car, and someone quipped about a moment of silence for the transmission. It is the kind of good-natured roasting that only happens when a car this special is involved — nobody bothers commenting that hard on a boring test drive.

What Made the Super Bee a Legend in 1970

The 1970 Super Bee occupies a unique spot in Dodge’s muscle car lineup, built as the brand’s budget-minded answer to cars like the Road Runner, stripped of unnecessary chrome and focused on straight-line performance for a price buyers could actually afford. It carried forward the Coronet-based bruiser formula Dodge had introduced two years earlier, and by 1970 the car had matured into one of the most recognizable shapes of the entire muscle car era, with its distinctive bumblebee stripe wrapping around the tail. Chrysler marketed the Super Bee hard at buyers who wanted genuine performance without paying for a Charger R/T’s extra trim and badge premium, which is a big part of why the model built such a loyal following among budget-minded enthusiasts of the era.

The Engine Options That Built the Reputation

Buyers in 1970 could option a Super Bee with everything from a workhorse 383 four-barrel up through the fearsome 440 Six Pack and the legendary 426 Hemi, giving the model a spread of personalities from quick and affordable to genuinely terrifying. That range is part of why Super Bees still command such devotion today — depending on which engine box a buyer checked, the same body style could be a comfortable cruiser or an all-out drag weapon.

One Viewer’s Own Super Bee Story

One of the most striking reactions in the comments came from a viewer who said this was the exact car he owned at 17 — a 383, four-speed, B5 blue Super Bee with a light blue stripe. He described learning to drive it, washing it every morning before school, and still remembering the VIN number more than four decades later. It is the kind of story that shows up again and again around cars like this: they do not just get driven, they get lived with.

Why Manual Transmissions Still Humble Modern Drivers

There is a reason manual transmissions from this era still trip up experienced drivers today. Unassisted clutches, longer throws, and shift patterns that demand deliberate movements are a world away from the light, quick-throw manuals — let alone the paddle-shift automatics — that most drivers are used to now. Hopping into a 1970 Super Bee cold and expecting to drive it smoothly is a bit like picking up a stick-shift for the first time, except with a lot more torque waiting to catch you off guard.

Why Unscripted Content Builds More Trust Than Polish

Channels like Joyriderestorations exist specifically to document moments like this one — not polished commercials, just real test drives of real restored cars, mistakes and all. That unscripted quality is part of the appeal; a professionally produced ad for a restoration shop would never leave in the missed shifts and the good-natured comment pile-on, but it is exactly what makes content like this feel trustworthy to muscle car fans who have been burned by over-edited reveal videos before.

The Platform Hiding Under the Badge

Under the skin, the Super Bee shared its B-body platform with the Coronet, the Charger, and eventually the Road Runner’s Belvedere-based cousins, all built around the same basic architecture that Chrysler leaned on throughout the muscle car era. What separated one badge from another usually came down to trim, options, and marketing rather than fundamentally different engineering — proof that some of the most legendary nameplates in muscle car history were really just different outfits on the same underlying car.

What These Cars Are Worth to Collectors Now

Well-preserved or professionally restored Super Bees now regularly draw strong money at collector auctions, particularly cars documented with build sheets or broadcast sheets that confirm their original engine and options. A four-speed 383 like the one described by that longtime commenter, if it still exists in similar condition today, would likely be considered a desirable driver-quality collector car rather than a numbers-matching investment piece — proof that even the affordable Super Bee trim has appreciated well beyond its original showroom sticker.

A Car Nobody Forgets Once They Have Driven One

Whatever happened behind the wheel in this test drive, one thing came through clearly in the reaction it got: cars like this Super Bee leave an impression. Between the pistol grip, the stripe, and the low rumble under the hood, it is not hard to see why a viewer who owned one at 17 still remembers the VIN number at 61. That kind of lasting impression is exactly what keeps restorers like Joyriderestorations busy, and exactly what keeps viewers coming back to watch someone else grind through the same gears they once did.

See the full video above and join the conversation in the comments.

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Republished by Blog Post Promoter