Butch Leal is one of drag racing history’s most prolific door car racers. From the early 1960s to the late 1980s, he was a winner in Pro Stock, Modified, and Super Stock. He was the last guy to win a Pro Stock event with a “real” factory Hemi engine in 1973, and his last NHRA event win came in 1987 at the Gatornationals. We found a car of his for sale that is cool on multiple levels and also is a little bit lost to history.
This car, a 1967 WO23 Coronet factory super stocker was Leal’s whip for a short time in 1967. Leal’s attention had really turned to his funny car at this time so the Coronet isn’t one of his better known cars. In fact, we had no idea he even ran one of these ultra rare pieces.
Only 55 of the cars were produced and of those 55, only 16 had four speed manual transmissions as this one does. If you are worried about it being a fake, don’t be. Both Galen Govier and Butch have signed and authenticated the car. The good news is that this Coronet has never been cut in any form. No tubs, no cage, no nuthin’! Basically this is a perfect example of a ultra-rare factory racer that was owned and campaigned by one of the best drivers in the history of doorslammer drag racing.
The price is a cool $395,000. We’d say that the price is more based in the physical rarity of the car, rather than the Leal connection. Incidentally, Leal’s nitro injected Barracuda flopper was the quickest and fastest in the country during the ’67 season, thereby overshadowing this awesome Coronet’s place in Leal’s fleet.
Source — AutoTraderClassics.com — Butch Leal’s 1967 WO23 Coronet
