Ep 1. Super Bee vs Road Runner: Which Came First?

Junkyard Gold season 3 kicks off with a classic car showdown in episode 1: Super Bee vs Road Runner: Which Came First? Host Steve Magnante is on a mission to uncover which iconic 1960s muscle car hit the road first - the Plymouth Super Bee or the Dodge Road Runner. To do this, he scours junkyards and private collections across the country in search of elusive parts and rare finds.

The episode begins with Magnante highlighting the key differences between the Super Bee and Road Runner. Both cars were introduced in 1968 as budget-friendly options for muscle car enthusiasts, but they had distinct features that set them apart. The Super Bee was based on the Plymouth Satellite and featured a slightly larger engine option than the Road Runner, while the Road Runner was based on the Plymouth Belvedere and had a more stripped-down interior.

Magnante's first stop is at a local junkyard, where he sifts through piles of rusty metal to find Super Bee and Road Runner parts. He gets lucky with a Super Bee air cleaner and a Road Runner decal, but the real prize is a Super Bee grille that could be the missing piece to solving the mystery of which car came first.

Next, Magnante heads to a private collection owned by a retired mechanic who has a soft spot for Mopar muscle cars. Here, he gets a closer look at a restored Super Bee and a Road Runner, both in pristine condition. As he inspects the cars, he notes the subtle differences in their design and performance - the Super Bee has a slightly more aggressive stance and a beefier engine, while the Road Runner is more lightweight and nimble.

But Magnante's biggest breakthrough comes when he meets up with a group of Super Bee and Road Runner owners, who all claim to have proof that their car was the original. One owner has a factory build sheet that shows his Super Bee was built two days before the earliest known Road Runner, while another owner has an original sales invoice that puts his Road Runner on the road a week before the Super Bee.

As Magnante delves deeper into the history of these two iconic muscle cars, he discovers a complex web of anecdotes and rumors that blur the lines between fact and fiction. He interviews former employees of Chrysler and Plymouth, combs through vintage magazine articles, and even uncovers a rare promotional film that features both cars side by side.

In the end, Magnante offers his own educated guess on which car came first, based on a combination of historical data and personal intuition. But the true joy of Junkyard Gold season 3 episode 1 is the journey of discovery itself - as Magnante and his team of car enthusiasts delve deeper into the world of classic cars, they uncover hidden treasures and fascinating stories that shed light on the enduring appeal of these powerful machines.