Car Spot: 1967 Dodge Coronet R/T Convertible

Typical late 60s car with power and style …

I think the mid- to late-60s were the golden age for American automobile manufacturers, mainly because horsepower was king and each company was trying to outdo the others. This week’s spot, a 67 Dodge RT Coronet Convertible, is a great example.

In 1967, Dodge was tardy to the party, introducing the Coronet RT. Plymouth introduced the Road Runner in 1968, and Dodge was out to prove it could hang with Detroit’s meanest street machines. The Coronet R/T was its opening statement. R/T stood for “Road/Track,” and it was Dodge’s way of letting the world know this wasn’t just a fancy sticker package. It was a high-performance sub-brand born at the peak of the horsepower wars. While the base Coronet was more family sedan than street brawler, the R/T turned the B-body into a full-fledged muscle car. The 1967 Dodge Coronet R/T gave Chrysler Corp. its first generation weapon to fight the muscle car image battle. It was big fun on the cheap as the MSRP for the drop top was just $3,438.

RELATED Spot: The next best thing to the real deal, a promo model.

That first year of R/T production, Dodge was in a go big or go home mode as far as engines went and the car could be ordered with either the standard 440 Magnum or the optional 426 HEMI, both backed by a choice of a TorqueFlite automatic or a 4-speed manual. Dodge built 10,181 Coronet R/Ts for the 1967 model year, the vast majority of which were two-door hardtops (9,553). Specifically, 3,438 came with a four-speed manual, while 6,743 were fitted with the automatic.

Of those, only 1,360 were 440-powered hardtops with the four-speed manual, making the car part of a rare slice of Mopar muscle history. For even more perspective, fewer than 290 were built with the 426 Hemi, this week’s spot, across all configurations, putting the 426 four-speed cars at the heart of the R/T’s real-world street legacy. I found one claim that said only three Coronet RT Convertibles were built with the 426, and of those three, just two were stick shifts, making this spot incredibly rare.

1976 was the final model year for the Dodge Coronet, and its body style choices were whittled down to just a four-door wagon and four-door sedan. The Coronet 2-door model would reappear in 1976 as the Dodge Charger Sport.

R/T version was meant for more than just showing up in parades.

As it turned out, this was one of the higher-priced classic cars that I saw just sitting in the parking lot of the golf course where I work during the summer. A check with Hagerty finds one in Fair condition valued at almost $90k and $70 grand more in Good condition. One in Excellent condition jumps $100 grand, and if you wanted one in Concours, it would set you back $268,000!

Add on another 20% for the 4-speed, and you’d be looking at $321,600! As I write this blog entry, we are getting our first snowstorm here in Wisconsin, so I’m betting that this beauty is tucked away all cozy and warm, covered in a heated garage.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my latest spot. I love convertibles! Come back next Sunday for another one of my finds, along with some of its history. Have a great week.