This 1966 Dodge Coronet 440 is an interesting study in how awesome it was to order a new car in the 1960s. No “packages” or “option groups” to bog you down, you could simply go in and select from a truly massive list of options and get them all ala carte. This was particularly true over at Chrysler, where they had a penchant for sneaking some pretty serious hardware out the side door just as long as the buyer knew the right option codes. The upside was that there are some very cool cars out there with a very unique combination of options, or, as in the case of this cool little Coronet, the lack thereof. Now, don’t get me wrong, a loaded car is cool, but the fact is, someone walked into a Dodge dealer sometime in late 1965 and said, “Give me the lightest, fastest new car you’ve got, and paint it a quiet color so the police don’t notice me.” No, nobody ordered this car by accident.

This car was built for combat, pure and simple. Fast, light, and stealthy, that’s this Coronet. It must have been one heck of a predator on the streets of the mid-60s and it’s every bit as much fun today.

When the car was restored a few years ago (sorry, we don’t know who did the work), they stuck to the original recipe. The fender tag reveals that there are no upgrades or changes to the original spec as you’d expect, and the result is a very proper, very clean, and very entertaining car that will put the hurt on some pretty serious machinery. Take a look at the fender tag decode and see for yourself:

Production date: December 29, 1965
Shipping order: 08260
Car line: Dodge Coronet
Price class: High
Body type: 2-door hardtop
Trim grade: High (32H)
Seat type: Vinyl bench (334)
Trim color: Black (34X)
Paint 1: Pale Yellow (27S)
Paint 2: Pale Yellow (27S)
Paint scheme: Monotone (291)
Upper door frame: Black
Engine: 383 cubic inch V8, 4-barrel carburetor, 325 horsepower B (376/382)
Transmission: 4-speed manual, floor shift (393)
Radio: Music Master AM, 2-watt

As you can plainly see, the mission was to put the biggest engine in the lightest car and give it a nondescript paint job to keep it out of sight. Nothing that would add weight or slow it down. And that, my friends, is some seriously cool stuff.

The restoration was quite nicely done and this was obviously a very clean car to begin with. The super straight bodywork is in excellent condition, and quite honestly with this design, there’s no place for shoddy workmanship to hide. The doors close and latch with a very precise-sounding click that’s uncharacteristic of a high-mileage Chrysler product but perfectly in tune with one that’s crisp and fresh. The Light Yellow paint is spot-on for what it would have been originally, as we parked it next to the all-original 1966 Plymouth Belvedere we sold a short while ago (http://www.harwoodmotors.com/vehicles/inventory_details.php?id=506) and it was exactly the same color. No metallic or other modern twists, just a clean, uncluttered look that works especially well on Chrysler’s “cantilever” styling. There’s also a bit of chrome and stainless trim that’s in great shape, especially the grille which is beautifully preserved and the stainless strips running along the car’s flanks. There are a few signs of use and age, a few nicks and scratches, and a bit of paint worn off the very rear edge of the right rear fender extension where it’s pretty vulnerable, but none of it is visible from even five feet away. This is a really nice little car!

Inside, the plain-Jane interior is very nicely finished, with correct materials and patterns used throughout. It’s certainly possible that some of it is original, but given the excellent condition, I think that things like the door panels, seats, and carpets are new. The foam under the seat covers must also be new, as it’s firm and comfortable and it’s easy to get comfortable behind the wheel. You don’t need buckets and a console to have fun with a stick shift, and many folks love that industrial-strength look of the shifter just jutting out of the transmission tunnel like that. It’s certainly a cool contrast to all the family-oriented Dodge sedans of the period. The thin-rimmed steering wheel feels great in your hands and makes power steering unnecessary, as it handles well and even at very low speeds it remains quite manageable. The gauges are probably original and in good shape with just some light yellowing on the outer edges, but they all work properly, as do the wipers, horn, and lights. Heat and defrost were standard equipment in 1966, which is probably the only reason this car has them, and there’s a Music Master AM radio in the center of the dash. The radio powers up but does not make sound, and we suspect that there is no speaker in the dash. We found some stray speaker wires in the trunk leading to the package shelf, and believe that there might have been an aftermarket stereo system in the car prior to it being acquired by the current owner. And speaking of the trunk, it’s neatly turned out with a reproduction mat, jack assembly, full-sized spare, and absolutely zero signs of rot or rust repair. As I said, this is a really clean car.

Now, in 1966 you could get a Hemi in your Coronet, but it would almost double the price of the car, so the smart guy on a budget did exactly what you see here: a 383 cubic inch V8 with a 4-barrel carburetor and 325 horsepower. Offering bulletproof reliability, this was way more fun than you should be allowed to have with your clothes on. We don’t know if this is the original engine, because matching-numbers as a thing didn’t exist in 1966, but there’s no reason to believe this is not a correct engine for this car. It was apparently rebuilt to stock specs because it starts easily, warm or cold, and idles smoothly even when it’s on the choke. It doesn’t smoke or even leak in any significant way and it stays ice cold in traffic on hot days. The only visible modifications are an aftermarket ignition coil and a flashy chrome air cleaner, but the original air cleaner is included in the trunk if you want to really build a sleeper. Nicely finished cast iron exhaust manifolds lead to a new Magnaflow dual exhaust system with polished tips under the rear bumper, and they kind of give away the sleeper act but you won’t complain about how this car sounds. It’s muscular and fun at full throttle, but settles down on the highway to a distant V8 burble that’s quite pleasant.

The 4-speed shifts beautifully with delightfully light clutch action and there’s so much torque on tap at any speed that it’s almost impossible to stall this lightweight car. Out back, the 8.75-inch rear has 3.23 gears inside, so it’s a great highway car that’s happy at 65-70 MPH and the smooth-riding suspension never beats you up. The undercarriage is impressively clean, with lots of new components, including shocks and fresh brake cylinders, and the original floors are protected by a light dusting of undercoating that hides nothing. Standard steel wheels with dog-dish hubcaps are the right look for a sleeper like this and carry recent 205/75/14 Coker redline radials for a period look and modern handling.

If it’s not already obvious, we like this car a lot. It’s got the right hardware which makes it an absolute blast to drive, but the low-key looks are as effective today as they were in 1966 at masking your presence. It’s also practical, with a usable back seat and a truly massive trunk, and that 383 is about as reliable as internal combustion engines come. There’s a lot to like here, and if the Plymouth we sold is any indicator, there are a lot of guys out there who really dig these low-profile Mopars. Call now!