Real R/T in black. Sinister look, great-running 440 Magnum, beautiful interior with unusual split front bench seat. Extremely clean and solid, no rust ever, runs and drives beautifully. A lot of big block fun for not a lot of cash!
The dramatic cantilever roofline works as well on the full-sized Coronet as it does on its smaller siblings, making it instantly recognizable and very much a product of the ‘60s. The good news is that those long, straight body panels don’t leave any place for lousy workmanship to hide, and as you can see, the glossy black flanks on this R/T are quite good indeed. The doors swing open easily and close with a reassuring mechanical sound that seems unique to Chrysler. As an R/t, there are a few spiffs, including the four little scoops on the hood and the simulated air intakes on the quarters, but again, none of it is over-done. Add in the handsome fine-toothed grille and matching tail panel, and this car looks aggressive without seeming like a kid’s car. Details like the chrome bumpers, stainless body trim, and all the brightwork around the windows remain in excellent condition with a great shine and no critical issues. This car has never been fully restored but the work that was done was extremely well-executed.
Buckets with a rather rare “buddy seat” in between makes the Coronet’s interior functional as well as sporting. The upholstery was surly replaced at some point because it’s just too nice to be original, but it looks quite correct. The door panels feature unique ‘Coronet R/T’ badges and the gray carpets offer a nice bit of contrast that works rather well. The factory gauges were pretty complete, although a column-mounted tachometer is always welcome on a car with this much performance. There’s also a giant back seat for friends and the weather seals appear to be recent so it seals up rather well. The massive trunk is properly outfitted with a reproduction mat and there’s a full-sized spare stowed underneath.
The standard engine in the 1967 Coronet R/T was a 440 cubic inch ‘Magnum’ V8 that was pretty much the biggest engine you could buy in a muscle car in 1967. With 375 horsepower, it’s certainly no slouch in the performance department and despite its size, the Coronet has a rather impressive power-to-weight ratio. There’s no way to verify “matching numbers” in the traditional sense in a 1967 Dodge, but it does have a correct C 440 HP stamping and a March 2, 1967 build date, which strongly suggests this is the car’s original engine. Someone has been doing some impressive work here, because this sucker starts instantly and idles extremely well even when it’s cold—that’s not easy to do with a giant 4-barrel carburetor like that. It’s also neatly dressed in corporate turquoise engine enamel, a correct dual snorkel air cleaner, and chrome valve covers that add some sparkle. There are no external modifications, but the cam feels a bit bigger than stock and there’s power everywhere on the map thanks to the massive displacement. Power steering and power front disc brakes with a dual master cylinder are welcome additions on something this big and this fast, and someone even added a correct red cap battery.
For a car with this much torque on tap, a TorqueFlite 3-speed automatic transmission is really the right choice. With the TorqueFlite’s easy-going nature and 3.23 gears out back, this torque factory is easy to get off the line without incinerating the tires and it’s a relaxed cruiser at speed, making it an all-purpose muscle car that you’ll love to drive. You’ll note that the undercarriage is not restored to show standards—it’s mostly original—but there’s no evidence that this car ever spent a day in winter weather. The original floors, rockers, trunk extensions, and torque boxes are all in fantastic condition. The suspension is full of recent parts so it rides nicely and goes down the road straight, a situation that’s surely helped by fat 225/60/14 BFG radials on handsome Magnum 500 wheels.
This is one of those cars that continued to surprise us after it arrived. It has exactly zero bad habits, a fantastic look, and enough performance that you’ll always be able to put a smile on your face just by wiggling the toes on your right foot. That’s what big block muscle cars are all about, and this one gets all the important stuff right. For that reason, we think it’s an absolute slam-dunk. Call today!
For more details and photos, please visit www.HarwoodMotors.com
