The Rarest Mopar Ever Sold: 1966 Dodge Coronet

By Dave Ashton

Digging into the back history of any muscle car requires the skillsets of an experienced journalist and/or detective. Uncle Tony’s Garage highlights this depth of inquiry perfectly in the video below about the not-so-obvious rarity that is this 1966 Dodge Coronet 426 Wedge car.
Even if muscle cars are not your thing, it’s a great tale of pulling together all the hidden bits of information, and then interpreting the findings with an experienced eye.

With just a passing glance, this 1966 Dodge Coronet looks entirely run of the mill. However, it’s quite the anomaly. The car initially appeared to be a regular 383 four-speed car, but anomalies were discovered, indicating that it was originally a 426 Hemi car. Further investigation revealed that the car was internally ordered as an insurance policy by Chrysler in case the planned 500 units of Street Hemi cars couldn’t be produced. The car’s history and unique features make it a highly unusual and significant find.

There are a lot of facts and information deconstructed here, so the full length of the video is worth ploughing through. But, if you want a brief summary of the main points, then here you go:

The car initially appeared to be a regular 383 four-speed car.
💎 Anomalies were discovered, indicating that it was originally a 426 Hemi car.
💎 The car was internally ordered as an insurance policy by Chrysler.
💎 The car’s VIN number and build sheet confirmed its rarity and uniqueness.
💎 It was not intended to be used as it was but served as a backup plan.
💎 The car has historical significance due to its association with Mr Norms and Chrysler’s production strategies.
💎 The 426 Wedge engine was not available for production in 1966, making this car even more unusual.

The video comments are also worth reading to expand on the information. If car history is your thing, and you love to read about all the juicy details, then you will love the depth of research that has gone into the back history of this great car.

 

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