1970 Dodge Super Bee - Mutant Bee

When you've put this much work into a car, it's hard to swallow the idea that it could all be gone in the blink of an eye. The night after the first photo shoot, tired from driving across the state to unload his car, Ben parked his trailer in front of his house. "My heart sank as I noticed the door to the trailer was down! I ran to the trailer and caught a reflection of metallic green, so I began to breathe again knowing the car was at least still there," says Ben. Not realizing the damage inside, or what the legal protocol was for a police report, Ben stood at the rear of the trailer until the police showed up. After backing the car out of the trailer, Ben noticed what the idiot thieves were after. "They took what must have been a crowbar to the dash, trying to get the head unit out, but were unsuccessful and only broke it, busting up the N.O.S. dashpad and thrashing the aluminum surroundings," Ben confirms. They gave up on the idea of getting the stereo, and looked to the 15-inch subwoofer in the rear deck. "For a sub, they damaged the console, scratched the door, and of course damaged the dash, being too stupid to successfully steal the stereo. It is probably a good thing I did not catch the thieves. You don't screw with a man's car." On top of this tragedy, photographer McGaffin broke his foot while on duty behind the camera taking most of these photos. One would imagine this whole incident would take you back a couple steps mentally, but Ben charged on, and got the car back to show quality fast.

It is not uncommon to have two photo shoots for a car, and when discussing it with PHR Editor Johnny Hunkins, Ben joked that the car was cursed. "We all laughed that something was bound to happen with our previous luck," Ben says. There was a sense of relief when the second photo shoot was over and there were no incidents. Just as Ben was starting to relax, he got a call from his wife saying her car had been keyed! Needless to say, Ben was a bit upset, but at the same time found the coincidence entertaining. It goes to show you that your attitude and sense of humor can save a situation.

We have full faith in Ben that Plum Floored Creations will continue to produce outstanding cars with the unique touches his Mutant Bee project has. Ben is looking forward to more car building, and raising the bar on Mopar muscle reconstruction.

The New HemiIn 2003, Chrysler came out with its all-new 5.7L Hemi small-block. This motor is an option in many models, and when available, is chosen about 50 percent of the time. With these inspiring numbers, Chrysler upped the ante with its beefed-up 6.1L, rated at 425 hp. This was more power than any other V-8 from Chrysler to date, and its 69.8:1 hp-to-liter rating even surpasses the legendary 426.

The new Hemi was the first to use a cylinder deactivating system in North America. Chrysler does this by electronically deactivating the lifters, spark plugs, and fuel injectors so that fuel and power are not wasted when they aren't needed. It switches between 8 and 4 cylinders based on the demand the driver puts on the engine. In 5.7L variants so equipped, Chrysler has observed up to 20 percent better fuel economy without sacrificing any of the fun-to-drive appeal. (Just ask Hunkins, a new convert who thoroughly enjoys his 2007 Hemi Magnum.)

Through the last couple years, the demand for aftermarket parts is being met with a slew of options such as supercharger kits, turbocharger kits, camshafts, headers, intake manifolds, computer chips, and custom pistons. Expect to see more options in heads, and watch the 6.1L's success as a choice for early Mopar Pro Touring engine transplants.