Cars With a 440 Six Pack From the Factory
I’ve been researching 440 Six packs, aka Six Barrels, for years and owned a car powered by one. The three two barrel carburetors are legendary, looked unbelievable and generated much power. For these reasons many people wonder what cars had a 440 Six Pack.
The following cars had a 440 Six Pack:
- 1969-1971 Plymouth Road Runner
- 1969-1971 Dodge Super Bee
- 1970 Dodge Coronet R/T
- 1970 Plymouth Sport Fury GT
- 1970 Plymouth Superbird
- 1970-1971 Plymouth Cuda
- 1970-1971 Dodge Challenger R/T
- 1970-1971 Dodge Charger R/T
- 1970-1971 Plymouth GTX
In 1972 only a few made their way out of the factory early in the year. Although it wasn’t a production option, the following cars had a 440 Six Pack in 1972:
- 1972 Plymouth Road Runner GTX
- 1972 Dodge Charger Rallye
This article will dive deeper into the 1972 “myth” and the other cars which came with the 440 Six pack or 440 6-BBL. For you C body lovers, we have something for you too.
The following Six Pack cars specifications and facts were learned from my personal experience and research, Mopar engine manuals and brochures, webinars, books, videos and articles.
Cars With a 440 Six Pack/6BBL From the Factory
They are the same engine but it was called Six Pack installed in Dodges and Six Barrel (6BBL) when installed into Plymouths.
This section lists each Chrysler model to come with the powerplant and the years. I start in year order from oldest to newest.
The 440 Six Pack was only offered for three years. When did the 440 Six Pack come out?
The 440 Six Pack came out in 1969 1/2 installed into the Plymouth Roadrunner and Dodge Super Bee as an option code A12. The production run came to end in 1971, but read further to find out how a few 1972s were produced.
| Engine | Car Model & Years | Quantity Produced |
| 440 Six Barrel | 1969-1971 Plymouth Road Runner | 4,189 |
| 440 Six Pack | 1969-1971 Dodge Super Bee | 3,274 |
| 440 Six Pack | 1970 Dodge Coronet R/T | 210 |
| 440 Six Barrel | 1970 Plymouth Sport Fury GT | 64 |
| 440 Six Barrel | 1970 Plymouth Superbird | 716 |
| 440 Six Barrel | 1970-1971 Plymouth Cuda | 2,038 |
| 440 Six Pack | 1970-1971 Dodge Challenger R/T | 2,285 |
| 440 Six Pack | 1970-1971 Dodge Charger R/T | 294 |
| 440 Six Barrel | 1970-1971 Plymouth GTX | 813 |
| 440 Six Barrel | 1972 Plymouth Road Runner GTX | 1 known |
| 440 Six Pack | 1972 Dodge Charger Rallye | 2 known |
- Between 1969-1971, a total of 13,883 cars were produced with a 440 Six Pack/Six Barrel engine.
- Between 1969-1971, a total of 6,063 cars were produced with a 440 Six Pack engine in Dodge cars.
- Between 1969-1971, a total of 7,820 cars were produced with a 440 Six Barrel engine in Plymouth Cars.
- In 1972 three known cars were produced with a 440 Six Pack/Six Barrel engine from the factory.
- The Plymouth Road Runner produced more 440 Six Barrel cars (4,189) than any other car model.*
- The Plymouth Sport Fury GT produced the least number of 440 Six Barrel cars (64) than any other car model.*
*Does not include the 1972 model year cars.
1969-1971 Plymouth Road Runner
1969 Road Runner
The 1969 1/2 Road Runner is the first Plymouth to ever have a 440 Six Barrel engine under its hood.
- In 1969 there were 1,412 Plymouth Road Runners produced with a 440 Six Barrel.
Chrysler already had the 375 HP 440 engine which was nothing to sneeze at. After that, needing no introduction, they had an engine called the 426 Hemi with 425 HP.
To fill the gap between the two engines Chrysler unleashed the 440 Six Pack/6 BBL to the muscle car world.
They did it with flare as the A12 code Road Runners weren’t the typical Road Runner. The A12 Road Runner came with the following:
- 440 Six Barrel engine with three 2 barrel Holley carburetors.
- 390 HP @ 4,700 RPM
- 490 ft. lbs. or torque @ 3,200 RPM (Equal to the 426 Hemi)
- Moly piston rings.
- Hemi valve springs.
- Aluminum Edelbrock intake manifold.
- An increase in compression to 10.5:1
- Heavy duty radiator.
- 4.10 rear gears.
- Heavy duty 11″ drum brakes.
- Extra wide 15″ Goodyear tires.
- Red line tires with black painted steel wheels.
- Chrome lug nuts.
- A black, lift-off fiberglass hood with a huge open scoop (no hinges)
The mid year, limited production Road Runner became an instant hit.
The power and performance came close to the Hemi but much cheaper.
Ronnie Sox tested one these at the track and ran 13.09 in bone stock trim. Next they set up the outboard carbs to open sooner and removed the air cleaner. The Road Runner then ran 3 consecutive 12 second passes with the best of 12.91 @ 111.80 MPH!
1970 Road Runner
The Road Runner was slightly changed from ’69 with some differences to the grill and tail light areas.
- In 1970 there were 2,531 Plymouth Road Runners produced with a 440 Six Barrel.
There were more 1970 Road Runners produced with a Six Barrel than any other car model year.
One of the new features for 1970 was the reflective dust strip running down the side behind the Road Runner character in full sprint.
Also available on the Road Runner was the menacing Air Grabber hood scoop.
Two things a GM or Ford owner didn’t want to see next to them at the stop light, the menacing Air Grabber and the 440+6 emblem.
The Six Barrel engine received the beefier “Six Pack” connecting rods in 1970 which required external balancing due to the extra weight.
The ’70 Six barrel also received an extra capacity oil pan holding 6 quarts plus one for the filter.
Another change to the Six Barrel was a Chrysler cast iron intake manifold instead of the aluminum one made by Edelbrock.
1971 Road Runner
In 1971 the whole B body platform was redesigned including the Road Runner. The body became rounder and less squared off.
- In 1971 there were 246 Plymouth Road Runners produced with a 440 Six Barrel.
A slight change was made to the engine. The compression was reduced to 10.3:1 lowering the HP down to 385 from 390.
1969-1971 Dodge Super Bee
1969 Dodge Super Bee
The 1969 1/2 Dodge Super Bee was the first Dodge to come with a 440 Six Pack engine.
- In 1969 there were 1,907 Dodge Super Bees produced with the 440 Six Pack engine.
Just like the Road Runner, it was offered as a limited production vehicle called the A12. It came with everything the Road Runner came with including the black hood with the huge, open air scoop.
With the combination of the black steel wheels and lift-off hood, the Super Bee looked intimidating and ready to conquer the competition.
1970 Dodge Super Bee
The Super Bee had some minor modifications to the grille, rear taillight panel and hood areas. The most noticeable difference was the split grille.
A different Super Bee stripe was offered (c-striping) as an alternative to the rear wrap around stripe.
- In 1970 there were 1,268 Dodge Super Bees produced with the 440 Six Pack Engine.
1971 Dodge Super Bee
Like Plymouth, the Dodge B-bodies had a total redesign in ’71. Also, the Super Bee became part of the Charger line, there were no Coronets produced in 1971.
- In 1971 there were 99 Dodge Super Bees produced with the 440 Six pack Engine.
Find out how fast the Super Bee and all other models were in the 1/4 mile in my article, How Fast is a 440 Six Pack or 6-BBL? 1/4 Mile and 0-60 Results.
1970 Dodge Coronet R/T
The ’70 Six Pack Dodge Coronet R/T is one of the rarest models on the list.
- In 1970 there were 210 Dodge Coronet R/Ts produced with a 440 Six Pack.
Like the Super Bee in design, the Coronet received a split bumper, different taillights and hood for ’70.
In 1971 there were no Coronet R/Ts produced. This makes the Coronet R/T with a 6 Pack the 2nd rarest production car on the list for a car model, all years included. The rarest is the next car.
1970 Plymouth Sport Fury GT
In 1970 the Fury model was completely redesigned and the result was a massive car although the lines are clean and pleasing to the eye.
- In 1970 there were 64 Plymouth Sport Fury GTs produced with a 440 Six Pack.
With the exception of the few ’72 cars you’ll find out about later, this is the rarest model which was produced for a full year.
Even with the powerful engine under the massive hood, this car is more of a real boulevard cruiser than a muscle car.
Luckily for us Road Test Magazine road tested one in 1970 and ran it at the drag strip.
Their best time was an unimpressive time, 16.01 @ 92.50 MPH. In addition to its weight, the car was equipped with 3.23s in the rear which seriously hurt the power.
Check out the original Sport GT magazine story in my article, How Fast is a 440 Six Pack or 6-BBL? 1/4 Mile and 0-60 Results. I included 13 vintage 440 Six Pack drag results.
1970 Plymouth Superbird
There is only one reason the Superbird was produced, to satisfy Nascar rules for production. This allowed the winged car to be raced around the oval tracks for Nascar.
It followed the winged Dodge Daytona which was produced in 1969 and only came with a HP 440 or a Hemi.
- In 1970 there were 716 Plymouth Superbirds produced with a 440 Six Barrel.
The Superbird was built on the Road Runner platform and even retained the Road Runner badging.
1970-1971 Plymouth Cuda
1970 Cuda
In 1970 the Barracuda model was completed redesigned and went from an A body car to the new E body platform.
Chrysler designed the E body platform so Plymouth and Dodge could fit the massive 426 Hemi into the engine compartments. The A body platform was too small to accomplish this task for production.
’70 is also the first year Cuda was recognized as its own model. The Cuda was the sport version of the Barracuda.
- In 1970 there were 1,784 Cudas produced with a 440 Six Barrel engine.
For me the 1970 Cuda is the best looking Mopar out there. Of course my opinion is slanted because I owned a ’70 Cuda. It was my first car ever purchased when I was 19 years-old.
1971 Cuda
A few modifications were made in ’71 including the following:
- 4 headlights instead of two with a different grill.
- The reverse lights were moved outside of the red taillights.
- Each fender received 4 gills (slots).
- A billboard side strip instead of the hockey stick stripe used in ’70.
Thankfully the three carburetors was still an option.
- In 1971 there were 254 Plymouth Cudas produced with a 440 Six Barrel.
Find out how much 440 Six Pack cars are worth including a ’71 Cuda convertible in my article, How Much an Original 440 Six Pack Car is Worth: Recent Prices.
1970-1971 Dodge Challenger R/T
1970 Challenger R/T
1970 was the first ever model year for a Challenger. It shared the same E body platform as the Cuda from 1970 to 1974.
- In 1970 there were 2,035 Dodge Challenger R/Ts produced with a 440 Six Pack engine.
There were many similar design elements between the Challenger and Cuda although the wheelbases were different.
1971 Dodge Challenger R/T
The ’71 Challenger received minor modifications to the grille and the rear taillights.
They also added fake air cooling scoops to the lower rear quarter panels between the door and rear tire.
- In 1971 there were 250 Dodge Challenger R/Ts produced with the 440 Six pack engine.
Dodge didn’t produce a convertible R/T in 1971. Therefore no ’71 Challenger convertible 440 Six Packs exist.
1970-1971 Dodge Charger R/T
1970 Charger R/T
It’s difficult to imagine Dodge was able to improve the looks of the ’68 and ’69 Charger in 1970, but I think they pulled it off. As they say, 3rd time is the charm.
The front grille had covered headlights and the doors received fake air scoops with R/T badging.
- In 1970 there were 116 Dodge Charger R/Ts produced with a 440 Six pack engine.
1971 Dodge Charger R/T
This car model is very similar to the ’71 Super Bee because the Super Bee was based on the Charger platform. The R/T is not a Super Bee and has different badging.
The ’71 model year was completely redesigned with a more aerodynamic body.
- In 1971 there were 178 Dodge Charger R/Ts produced with a 440 Six pack engine.
1970-1971 Plymouth GTX
1970 GTX
The 1970 GTX is like a Road Runner but has more options and was marketed towards the businessman, making it a fancier muscle car.
Besides the ’70 Cuda, this may be my 2nd favorite muscle car. Regardless of the crowd, when people see the 440+6 on the hood, the car earns respect.
- In 1970 there were 678 Plymouth GTXs produced with a 440 Six Barrel engine.
1971 GTX
In 1971 imagine you were pulling up to this car already stopped at the red light. As you were slowing down the first thing you may notice is the GTX emblem on the lower quarter panel between the door and rear tire.
As you slowed to a stop and continued to glance at the side of the car, the next thing you’d notice is the 440+6 numbers above the fender side marker light. It’s at this exact moment you know you’re going to lose.
- In 1971 there were 135 Plymouth GTXs produced with a 440 Six Barrel engine.
1972 Six Pack/6BBL Cars
I’ve heard the rumors for years about a few 1972 Six Pack cars coming out of the factory. I always took it as probably not true.
I thought maybe they were installed after or a dealer installed one into a GTX with a special deal for a friend. Or maybe it was produced for an executive or one just didn’t exist at all.
But time passes by and new facts come out. We have now learned, a 1972 Six Pack isn’t a myth after all.
Original Chrysler brochures and literature for 1972 models prove they planned on having the engine in the GTX and Charger Rallye models.
I have and own 3 such brochures (see photos below), one from Plymouth and two from Dodge. All three of them display the powerplant as an optional engine available for the Road Runner GTX or Dodge Charger Rallye.
- The 1972 Plymouth Satellite brochure has the date 8/1/71 printed on the back cover.
- The 1972 Dodge Charger brochure has the date 8/1971 printed on the back cover.
- The 1972 Dodge brochure covering all models has the date 8/1971 printed on the back cover.
These brochures prove Chrysler planned the Six pack as a production option in 1972. That’s pretty exciting and bold considering what was going on with emissions.
Each brochure lists the optional engine in more than one section of the brochure. You can find it in the Charger and GTX section, and the available Plymouth or Dodge engines section.
The 3-2 BBL timing, carburetor and engine specifications are included in the 1972 Plymouth and Dodge service manuals.
Also, Car Performance Guide ’72, an annual production magazine, published an article all about the 1972 Road Runner and how you can get the three carburetor engine as an option.
The magazine even had one which they road tested, see photo below. The photos in the magazine and others of this car are shown in approximately April of 1971. This indicates this car was probably a 1971 Road Runner fitted with ’72 bumpers, etc. for promotional purposes.
So why didn’t Chrysler continue with the 440 Six pack as planned for ’72? The popular opinion is the engine option was canceled in August 1971 because it did not meet emission standards for 1972.
Other rumors state:
- It’s because of the wage and price freeze enacted on August 15, 1972.
- Reduced sales and financial concerns.
It’s in the Brochures, but Were the 1972 Cars Produced?
There is one known 1972 Road Runner GTX and two 1972 Dodge Charger Rallyes produced with the 440 Six Pack from the factory.
Two of the known cars have an early production date, August of 1971, and somehow was released into the public hands.
Rumor is 6 or 7 of the cars were produced. The owner of one of the Chargers in the video below states seven of these cars were produced. Also, a Chrysler executive stated to the son of the Charger’s owner in the video, six were produced in 1972.
This means there are possibly three other ones out there. I’m sure many Mopar fanatics and collectors are checking junk yards. Maybe they just haven’t found the correct one yet.
A ’72 car doesn’t get the attention a ’71 or earlier car would get. I’m sure many people have walked by one of these cars in a junk yard without paying much mind.
1972 Plymouth Road Runner GTX
The 440 Six Barrel GTX is more known about because it now sits in the Brother’s collection. It has been shown at car shows and in the YouTube video below.
It was originally located in a junk yard located in Effingham, South Carolina, around 1984. It had the vin starting with RM23V2G, meaning the following:
- Road Runner
- V was for a 440 Six Pack
- 2 was for 1972 model year
- G meant the car was assembled at the St. Louis, Missouri plant.
For some reason this car has a later production number, unlike the Chargers. The vin ends in 105346.
To make this GTX even more rare is its sunroof. What an amazing find and it was purchased from the junk yard for $150.
The owner at the time found N.O.S. 1972 carbs with tags and correct date codes for an August 1971 build. This is more facts proving the powerplants were planned for 1972.
1972 Dodge Charger Rallye
Two 1972 Dodge Charger Rallye cars produced with 440 Six packs are also out there but are currently in hiding.
One of the Chargers was produced with the Top Banana color. It can be seen in the YouTube video below filmed at the 1985 Mopar Nationals.
Learn the best way to identify an original Six Pack Engine in my article, How to Identify a 440 Six Pack Engine.
Many people local to the area knew the owner at the time. He has passed away, and his son currently owns the car which is need of a restoration.
The owner of the car in the video, Mike Schenk, purchased the Charger from a used car lot and it was previously owned by a Chrysler executive.
The vin for the yellow Charger ends in V2G100075 indicating it was the 75th car built off the line. It was an early produced car possibly before the engine was canceled.
The other Charger is a Rallye Red car with Rallye wheels and dash. It was owned by a gentleman named Ron Slobe of R&R Salvage located in Aurora, Missouri.
Ron bought everything Mopar and everyone who knew or did business with him all have great things to say about him.
Ron sadly passed away in 1990 and the rumor is the car was sold and is currently somewhere on the East Coast.
The vin on this car ends in V2G100006 indicating it was the 6th car built off the line. It was an early 1972 produced car before the optional engine was cancelled.
Check Out More 440 Six Pack Articles!
440 Six Pack Horsepower and Torque – Rated and Real HP
What a Six Pack is on a 440 Mopar Engine
Any questions or if you have more information you’d like to contribute, send us an email found on our contact page.
Article Resources
- Google books: The Definitive Plymouth Barracuda and Dodge Challenger Guide: 1970-1974
- The Mopar Blog: Mopar.com
- GTS: Galen’s Tag Service
- Hemmings: Hemmings.com
- NHRA: Drag Racing Classes
- Hemmings: Chrysler 440 Six pack
- Car and Driver: From the Archive
- Google Books: Muscle Car Confidential
- Automotive History Preservation Society: The Automotive History Preservation Society’s Magazine Archive
