Bee-Have! Dodge Brings Back Charger Super Bee (Again), Resurrects Challenger Yellow Jacket

American muscle cars appeal to a largely nostalgic bunch, and the companies that make them never hesitate to pillage their own past to please the customer. And so Dodge is announcing the second coming of the Challenger Yellow Jacket and the third coming of the Charger Super Bee, both of which are offered only in SRT8 guise for 2012.

As with the previous Charger Super Bee, which was offered from 2007 to 2009, the new one is basically a paint-and-stickers deal, with the now-traditional Super Bee graphics on each rear quarter panel, plus a matte-black rear spoiler and a gloss-black cross-hair grille. Two color schemes are available, the most extroverted being Stinger Yellow with a matte-black hood applique. It also comes in Pitch Black with charcoal-gray appliques for customers not so keen on so much chroma on such a big car. Production will be capped at 500 units for each color.

The Challenger Yellow Jacket borrows its name from a show car that toured the auto-show circuit beginning in 1969. It comes only in retina-searing yellow, and features a blackout grille, a body-color rear spoiler, and a spear-like black stripe running the length of the vehicle. A new Yellow Jacket logo and script are set within the stripe at the back. Production will be limited to 1000 for the year.

Both bees ride on new 20-inch five-spoke wheels with painted insets, and also receive unique interior treatments with yellow and silver accents. The Charger Super Bee seats are upholstered in cloth, while the Challenger Yellow Jacket indulges in cowhide. Both cars have their respective stinging-insect graphic embroidered on the seats.

As 2012 SRT8 models, the Yellow Jacket and Super Bee are powered by the wicked 6.4-liter V-8 with 470 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque. As we’ve noted in previous tests, the numerous updates made to the SRT8 Challenger and Charger for 2012 greatly improved them. A two-mode adjustable suspension is included on the Yellow Jacket, as are steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters for automatic models.

Neither package will be offered on R/T or base models, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see more-affordable versions leave the Dodge hive in the coming years. Ordering begins in December at a price that is yet to be announced, and the first deliveries are expected in the first quarter of 2012.

Tags: American, Dodge, Dodge Challenger, Dodge Challenger SRT8 392, Dodge Charger, Dodge Charger SRT8, muscle cars, sports cars |

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