Fright of the Rumble Bee
By Karl Brauer
Date posted: 10-12-2004

Here's a not-so-newsworthy newsflash: When it comes to automotive inspiration, retro is in. Of course, you could argue that using retro themes on 21st-century cars and trucks is the antithesis of automotive inspiration, but when your marketing team is fresh out of new ideas, there's really only one direction to go on the timeline.

And go they have, with Hemi engines and Pontiac GTOs, to name just two. And it's not just the American car companies. Volkswagen has its New Beetle, BMW has a new Mini and even Honda now has the S2000, a vehicle largely inspired by company founder Shoichiro Honda's first car — a lightweight, two-seat roadster.



Retro designs are not necessarily a bad thing. If a model has a strong heritage, and if its basic characteristics can be carried forward to make a modern version more desirable, then where's the rub? A roomy, inexpensive car, like the new Mini, makes as much sense now as it did in 1959. The same can be said of an engine design that meets modern emission control requirements while providing excellent horsepower or a lightweight two-seater that provides exceptional performance without an exceptional price tag.

One of the most popular eras to draw upon when breaking out the way-back machine is the muscle car era, defined as a time period when Detroit automakers created powerful, if somewhat ungainly conveyances by stuffing large engines into midsize cars. The muscle car era is seen by many automotive historians as the last great era of American automobiles (it was followed by America's first gas crisis, and the subsequent invasion by small Japanese cars that were fuel-efficient).



Modern iterations of classic American muscle cars include the Bullitt and Mach 1 Mustangs, the Impala SS, the Chrysler 300C (with Hemi power) and the Pontiac GTO. Dodge doesn't yet have a modern version of a classic muscle car in its lineup, though the new Magnum, with an available V8 engine and rear-wheel drive, fits the profile of a modern-day muscle car, even with its wagon body style.

Dodge is threatening to bring the Charger nameplate back, but in a four-door iteration that will not live up to the classic (and always coupe) model. If you can't wait for the all-new Charger, Dodge is offering another modern take on a classic muscle car nameplate…sort of. Back in 1968, the company realized that while the Charger and Coronet R/T were competitive muscle cars, they were more expensive than the average performance-minded youth could afford. To cut costs without cutting performance, Dodge brought out the Coronet Super Bee, a lower-priced alternative to the Coronet R/T that featured a 383-cubic-inch engine instead of the R/T's standard 440 (the 426 Hemi was optional in both models). Interestingly, Plymouth made the same move with a model called the Road Runner that served as a cheaper alternative to the upscale GTX. When compared to Super Bee sales, the Road Runner was far more successful (probably because it had a well-known cartoon character affixed to its exterior). In terms of muscle car equity, the Road Runner name is right up there with GTO and Mustang. Too bad the Germans killed that division, because now the name is lost forever.



Or is it? If Dodge can take the name Super Bee, affixed to a low-cost performance car, and morph it into the Rumble Bee, a high-cost appearance option on a full-size truck, then the company is probably willing to do just about anything to cash in on past glory. Does that mean we'll see Chrysler Town & Country 'Cudas and Sebring GTXs? Who knows, but I'm not counting out any muscle car nameplate at this point, even if the parent division is dead.

By this time you're probably thinking, "Fine, so Brauer thinks Chrysler is selling out its muscle car heritage to try and sell new models. So how does the damn thing drive, anyway?"

Fortunately for Chrysler, it drives quite well. The Hemi engine is a sweetheart in terms of power delivery and exhaust note, and the Ram's overall ride and handling characteristics are among the best in truckdom. If you read our recent Full-Size Truck Comparison Test, you already know that the Dodge took second place, losing out to the all-new Nissan Titan but besting the Ford, Chevy and Toyota alternatives. Those models were all four-door, four-wheel-drive models equipped with tow packages, and one of the Dodge's biggest failings was its rear-seat room (or lack thereof). Since the Rumble Bee comes only as a regular cab model, its second-row issues aren't a factor in this version. And in terms of styling, this is still the most attractive truck on the market…except when in Rumble Bee guise.



The Rumble Bee package costs $2,600 and adds either yellow or black exterior paint, a fake hood scoop, a body kit, a Rumble Bee stripe and graphic, a brushed aluminum fuel door, chrome exhaust tips and interior Rumble Bee badging (including yellow trim around the center stack and on each door). The rest of the truck's desirable features (the 345-hp Hemi, the 20-inch wheels, the in-dash CD player) all cost extra, and because our car had all of these features, its total price was $31,580 (about 10 times the cost of the original 1968 Super Bee — including the 426 Hemi engine option).

We enjoyed driving the truck, even with the extra attention it generated from the Solar Yellow paint and large, fake hood scoop (Dodge would have never done that back in the day). Of course, if you like your high-quality truck driving experience served up with loud colors and fake performance cues, the Rumble Bee answers the call.

Personally, I would never subject my Ram, or wallet, to a sting from this bee.

Edmunds.com

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