Mighty Mopar Street Survivor: Unrestored 1966 Dodge Coronet 500 Street Hemi 4-Speed

After raising suspicions by taking the top four starting positions at the 1964 Daytona 500 and then sweeping the top five when the dust settled, Chrysler’s 426ci Race Hemi was banned from NASCAR for the 1965 season. With that year being a relatively snooze-worthy all-Ford show, thanks to Chrysler’s withdrawal and GM’s weirdly self-enforced factory racing ban, NASCAR suddenly found itself in deep trouble. That is, until reason prevailed and following protracted negotiations, Chrysler agreed to homologate the potent new motor with production of street versions for 1966. For that model year, both Dodge and Plymouth built a limited run of Hemi cars – 1,206 by Dodge and 1,521 Plymouths. While few external cues hinted at the monstrous powerplant lurking underhood, these cars featured strengthened unibody structures, specific underpinnings, the virtually bulletproof Dana 60 Sure-Grip rear axle setup, and a choice of the virtually bulletproof A727 TorqueFlite automatic transmission or equally stout, Hemi-specific A-833 4-speed manual transmission by New Process matched to an 11-inch heavy-duty clutch. Immediately, these few Hemi-powered Mopars carved out a fearsome reputation on the street and strip alike, one that continues uninterrupted today.

Our subject car for today’s post is a choice example – an unrestored, “1 of 204” 1966 Dodge Coronet 4-speed with the high-zoot ‘500’ interior including bucket seats. Sold new in Texas and then taking place as one of the highest-selling cars of its kind by 1991, this amazingly preserved Hemi Coronet does have a 1969-dated replacement engine block, unsurprising how these cars accumulated their mileage and use one quarter-mile at a time. Very well-preserved and retaining both the original, appliance-like white enamel paint and jazzy original-appearing interior and red upholstery, this exceedingly rare Hemi Coronet looks great throughout, down to the ridiculously small original-spec Goodyear Blue Streak tires. Sharp-eyed Mopar fans will notice the added 1967 Coronet R/T hood vents and wisely updated dual-circuit brake master cylinder, seemingly the only changes made to the old warrior in its 55 years in existence. Full highlights and equipment are listed on the advertiser’s online sale ad.