Mopar fans pride themselves on the rarity of their cars. Most musclecar-era fans do, but for some reason the gravitas that a super-rare piece of Chrysler Corporation history seems to hold more water…and value…than Brand X does. Take the Aero Warrior twins, the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona and 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird. Between the two models, a grand total of 2,278 examples were made, with the top-tier Hemi-powered models numbering in the hundreds. Even rarer? How about the 1971 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda convertible, with only 11 Elephant-powered droptops from a run of only 374 total convertibles that year.
Nice, but how about something so rare that many think it’s a myth? Take the 1967 Dodge Coronet sedan. Okay, who cares? These were standard-fare taxicab cars. This is the period-correct version of a V6 Charger serving Uber duty in Las Vegas. Except for five particular vehicles, of which this is one of them. Their history is known: All five were automatic cars, all had 3.23-geared, Sure-Grip equipped 8.75-inch rear axles, all five had the HD suspension bits and the station wagon’s fan shroud. Two were exported, one to Canada and one outside of North America. Those two are still in the ether somewhere, if they exist at all. The three U.S.-sold cars still exist. Two were ordered specifically by the FBI.
Looking at the Coronet, there’s no questioning why the FBI chose it. Find me another sedan from 1966 that was as brutally fast and capable as this thing was without being extravagant. This car could’ve sat in a rental car lot and nobody would’ve known. But try to run from it and even Junior Johnson himself would’ve had a hell of a time shaking them.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but this isn’t one of the five. This is, however, the tribute that Don Garlits’ Museum put together using a low-mile 318 Poly-powered sedan. The Hemi is right where it should be, and it’s got some extras, like Dart heads, a Crane cam, a 2.73-geared rear axle (read: unlimited top end!) and the mileage you see is accurate – 16,930 on the clock.
Mecum Auctions’ Kissimmee 2023: Lot T65 – 1966 Dodge Hemi Coronet Deluxe Sedan (tribute)
