For Sale at Auction: 1970 Dodge Coronet in Newport, Rhode Island

Chassis No. WS23R0G219666

As recounted in "Home Again," the January 1998 Mopar Muscle feature that accompanies the car, Charles Custer of Columbiana, Ohio, ordered this Coronet R/T Hardtop from Frederick Motors in 1970. To the $3,569 R/T he added the 426 Hemi at $718.05 and the four-speed manual, a pairing that in turn required the Track Pak, bringing a 3.54-geared Dana 60 Sure Grip axle, a seven-blade fan, and the 26-inch performance radiator. Custer continued his order with the Rallye instrument cluster, the center console, and the AM radio with eight-track.

Interestingly, he deleted the standard Bumble Bee tape stripe and selected the iconic "High Impact" shade of Plum Crazy Metallic over the deluxe White vinyl bucket-seat interior. Most 1970 Mopars left the line on the new Rallye wheels, while this example wears 14-inch road wheels with deep dish hubcaps, shod with Goodyear Polyglas raised-white-letter tires. The accompanying original broadcast sheet and the original fender tag confirm every aspect of the specification, along with a scheduled build date of 13 April 1970 at St. Louis.

According to the article, out of 2,319 Hemi Coronet R/T Hardtops produced for 1970, just four were equipped with the 426 Hemi and the four-speed manual transmission. Completed in the winter of 1996, the car received a full rotisserie restoration by Kevin Boyle using NOS parts to the highest standard possible. Boyle recently recalled that the car was never rotted, retaining all its original body panels, its engine, and its transmission, stating, "You can search the world over and you will not find a better restoration." The car went on to earn a Gold Certificate at the 1997 Mopar Nationals.

Hemi B-bodies survive in reasonable numbers, but seldom in a specification this desirable, combining the seldom-seen four-speed manual, and arguably the most iconic and vibrant color combination Dodge offered that year. Retaining its original matching-numbers 426 Hemi, four-speed transmission, fender tag, and restored to Gold Certificate standard, this extraordinarily rare Coronet R/T would be a welcome addition to any serious collection of the rarest American muscle cars.