1968 Dodge Coronet 440 / 426 Hemi Two-Door Post

Today we have another rarity, this time from Mopar. Before Dodge released the Super Bee, Mopar muscle car guys who wanted a big engine in a de-contented midsize pretty much had to do it themselves. This Dodge Coronet 440 is the result of such an effort, combining a Hemi engine with the 440 trim level and two-door post body style. First, a little history...

The Dodge Coronet was initially the division's highest trim line in 1950, but was busted down to the lowest trim line by 1955. In the 1960s, the name was transferred to Dodge's mid-size entry.

The Dodge Coronet and the Plymouth Belvedere both received complete redesigns in 1968, as did the Dodge Charger, which shared the B-body platform. In addition to the new sheet metal, the big news was a budget performance Coronet  for Dodge’s 1968 intermediates. The 117-inch wheelbase was kept,  the all-new body gained a flowing new roofline, it recieved a new grill, and rear fenders that swelled around the wheelwells then tapered to a create a modest spoiler effect at the tail. Trim levels initially included the base Coronet, Coronet Deluxe, Coronet 440, Coronet 500 and Coronet R/T. The Coronet Super Bee was introduced in early 1968 as a companion to the Plymouth Road Runner.

Like the 1967 model year, the 440ci RB V8 was only available in the Coronet R/T in 1968. The 426ci Hemi V8 was supposed to be limited to the R/T and Super Bee, but just two Coronet 440's are known to have been built with the specifications of combining a Hemi engine with the 440 trim level and two-door post body style, according to acknowledged authority Galen Govier. Both were built in 1968 with a 425HP/426 Hemi engine. Both are 4-speed cars with the 3.54:1 Dana 60 Axle. They were both built two months before the debut of the Dodge Super Bee, the first cousin to the Road Runner.

Of course, Galen Govier should know all of this...he is the current owner of this particular example of the two oddball rarities. Which means with the exception of the owner of the second, the rest of us can all just stare at the photo, and choose the option of which level of envy we wish to wallow in. Make my shade green, please...