1970 Dodge Hemi Coronet R/T Convertible

After 3 years of using the same body shell, Chrysler's Dodge division chose ambitious styling changes for the 1970 Dodge Coronet R/T, including a complete front and rear redo.

The R/T’s back panel was once again blacked out. The add-on bodyside scoop on the rear quarter was changed to a single large simulated vent with an R/T medallion recessed onto it. The bumblebee stripe was simplified, becoming almost identical to that used on the 1967 Camaro SS.

The new dual looped bumper front end selected for the 1970 Coronet has become highly controversial over the years. Dodge stylists felt that the loop bumper was a way of distinguishing their products from rival Plymouth, whose B-body still employed a conventional bumper. The loop bumper on the Coronet was styled to look like independent tapering wedges, although the design was actually one piece, with a recessed area in the center connecting the loops.

Recessed inside each loop were dual headlamps with vertical plastic grille bars that were blacked out on the Super Bee and R/T, and outlined by a red accent line. Concealed headlights were considered, but in the end those were confined to the Dodge Charger.

The new bumper meant a new hood, which sported a raised “boattail”  that faded as it moved toward the windshield. At the center, a ridge rose up and then back to the windshield. The R/T medallion was mounted to the hood just above the hood/bumper. R/Ts and Super Bees added a new-style power bulge featuring forward-facing simulated hood scoops that were artfully faired into the hood surface.

The ’70 front-end design still invokes the word “odd” often used to describe the appearance. But the new nose job on the Coronet was more aerodynamic.  The oval nose of the Coronet cut through the air better and produced better speeds in tests. Engines were the same as before, with the Hemi an additional $718 more. The 426 Hemi equipped Coronet R/T was rated at 425 bhp .

1970 Chrysler Corporation muscle cars were highlighted by big engines, sexy styling and trick graphics combined with vivid colors like Plum Crazy, Go-Mango, Hemi Orange, and Top Banana. The party would continue one more year, but without the Coronet R/T. 1971 was the last year for the Super Bee and R/T, as they were replaced in 1972 by the Charger Rallye, which offered increasingly detuned engines.

Still, it was fun while it lasted. What’s left today are some highly collectible vehicles with a cult of collectors and enthusiasts devoted to them. However, Coronet R/Ts seem almost neglected in favor of the more charismatic Chargers, Super Bees, and Road Run­ners, just as they were by customers back in 1968-1970.

The one collectible advantage by the Coronet R/T over other Mopar models that year is that it was always offered both as a hardtop and a convertible. Only 14 Hemi Coronet R/Ts were built, (12 hardtops and just 2 convertibles.) Today, if you see a Hemi equipped 1970 Dodge Coronet R/T Convertible...unless you are at a high end collector car show or see a slew of guards surrounding the car ( okay, that part I made up )...you can best believe you are looking at a "tribute" or "clone". But, hey...those can be as much fun, for less anxiety, and a lot less dollars to get your greasy mitts on one.