Iconic muscle car nameplate to return, but V8 not assured
The Dodge Charger Super Bee is making a comeback, though we may be waiting even longer for the return of a V8 engine.
Dodge is preparing to reveal what it calls the most powerful Sixpack-powered Charger next week, expected to carry the Super Bee nameplate.
In a video posted to social media – which appears to be AI-generated – Dodge teased the Super Bee’s return with a swarm of bees on a drag strip lighting tower, adding the upcoming model will be revealed on August 7, US time.
That aligns with information the brand has previously shared, announcing the unveiling of the new flagship six-cylinder Charger at Roadkill Nights, set to take place at the same time.
The Super Bee Name was first used on a performance version of the Dodge Cornet in the late 1960s, and has been revived in the past on the most recent two generations of the Charger, before it entered its current generation.
Having previously been available with a Hemi V8, the Charger is now sold as both an EV or a twin-turbo straight-six powered model, offering coupe and sedan bodystyles, the former of which replaced the last Challenger.
Currently, the most powerful version of the twin-turbo 3.0-litre six-cylinder Sixpack Charger is the Scat Pack, which develops 410kW and 720Nm, sent to an all-wheel drive system through a 10-speed automatic transmission.
If the Super Bee is the car Dodge has been teasing, we can expect to see a further increase in outputs, though by how much is yet to be known.
The recent rebirth of the Street and Racing Technology (SRT) division has seen the wider Stellantis family – which includes Ram, Jeep and Chrysler – put out more teasers for performance vehicles.
In May, SRT teased a new variant of the Charger, which specialist publication MoparInsiders had previously reported would be the reborn Hellcat, likely resurrecting the supercharged 6.2-litre V8 engine which became synonymous with the most powerful versions of the last generation Charger sedan and Challenger coupe.
Jordan Mulach
While it had been expected that Dodge would fit the Charger with a non-supercharged Hemi V8 by now – a path already followed by Ram with the 1500 – it appears to be sticking with the Sixpack for the foreseeable future.
Ram meanwhile has already brought back its own 'Bee' vehicle, relaunching the 1500 Rumble Bee earlier this year, with its three variants all powered by different sized Hemi V8s.
