Hemi Four-Speed! 1966 Dodge Coronet 500
The words “Hemi Four-Speed” can sell just about anything. Hemi Four-Speed, uh, clothes washer? You bet I need that. Hemi Four-Speed lawn tractor? Heck, yeah, buddy; I’ll be right over! While this fine-looking Dodge has value all by itself, the fact that it’s an original 1966 Dodge Coronet 500 (trim level) with a (presumably non-original) 426 cid (7.0L) V8 featuring the legendary hemispherical combustion chambers… that puts it in a league of its own. The appliance white Coronet in Bee Spring, Kentucky seeks a new owner here on eBay, where at least 10 bidders have jumped its market value above $40,000, including a $20,000 increase in a single bid. Some years ago any genuine Hemi car was a guaranteed six figures, but it will be interesting to see where this one ends up.
Unlike some high-performance engines of its day, no one ordered up a 426 Street Hemi to pull a travel trailer. Adding nearly $1000 to the price of a sub-$3000 car, the Hemi is happiest at Wide-Open-Throttle, and notoriously unsuited for running errands around town. That said, Jay Leno owns a similar car and drives it in this video somewhat normally through California neighborhoods and highways.
New for ’66, the Street Hemi graced the engine compartments of fewer than 1000 Coronets that year, including two sedans! Dodge had to sell the ferocious “Elephant” Hemi in the show rooms to run them in NASCAR, and speed freaks were only too happy to oblige. I owned a white ’66 Coronet, and I remember reading the engine specifications in the owner’s manual, comparing my engine to the column for the mighty 426. With power brakes and power steering, this one may not have been ordered strictly for drag-racing, but you can bet the original owner didn’t miss an opportunity to bury the go-pedal. The chassis is Galen Govier-documented, and the listing includes several mercifully-clear close-ups of various stampings, no claim of originality is made for the 426 or four-speed.
The stylish console and extra trim of the top “500” trim level also suggest this Dodge spent at least part of its early life on the street.
The Coronet’s C-pillar treatment and hardtop with vinyl almost give it the look of a convertible. A video here on YouTube.com shows a drive-by and other details. Before you buy one of these, take a look at the six-inch steel spike protruding from the underside of the hood. If you do your own wrenching, be prepared to gash your scalp on that hood latch at least once a year. Would you pay that price to run this beast through the gears?
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Comments
Very, VERY cool. I remember, before Road Runners and big block Chevelles, these were some of the most powerful cars you could buy. They literally dominated racetracks, and a couple made it to the streets. The horsepower ratings were grossly under estimated, and these motors from the factory were pushing 500 hp. For some reason, 425 was the limit and was advertised as such. Traction on these beasts was the biggest problem. As mentioned, it was the cost that held many back, but the ones that didn’t care, got the fastest sedan you could buy and bring home a trophy to boot. They were neat cars, the likes we’ll never see again.
To see a modern equivalent all you need to do is go to your local Dodge dealer. There are several Chargers available, such as the Scat Pack and Hellcats with significantly more power and performance offered than the one featured above. Granted, they don’t appeal to the same buyers, but they exist and have for the last decade.
Steve R
I think there are a lot of Mopar lovers that will be bidding on this one. $40K and reserve not net – expect this one is planned on going a lot higher before it sells.
I recall a magazine article years ago about a station wagon built on special order with a Hemi. Customer wanted dual quads for towing…. can’t recall what year if was, maybe a ‘66? Anyone else know?
Several high performance 4speed MOPAR wagons were built to participate in a specific drag racing class. Most likely participation was based on horse power to weight ratio. The wagon body put more weight over the back wheels and also contributed to the front to rear weight transfer increasing traction leading to a harder launch.
I’m speculating and cannot and will not present evidence to back my suppositions.
What a car to own and with all due respect Steve R the new ones are just or more powerful but this is a car you could work on your self without computer diagnostic tools and having to know resistance on a sensor that’s giving you an issue!! The days of the high horsepower muscle car that you could pretty easily work on yourself are gone!!!
I’m not a fan of the new performance cars, but he said we will never see powerful sedans again, which simply isn’t true. You can argue merits if one over the other, but these cars exist and have for quite some time. Anyone can add as many caveats as they want and say there isn’t a direct comparison, but by doing so they dilutes their argument. The main problem I see with the new cars is they have no character, they are soulless.
Steve R
That’s not exactly what I meant. What I meant, is we won’t see basic family sedans with mombo motors and 4 speeds. Modern Challegers and such, are machines of wizardry, this was just a cheap Dodge with a hemi and a 4 speed. It was the factories answer to the “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” theme and Mopars were on a roll in NASCAR in the 60’s.
You don’t, because who special orders a car anymore? You can spend hours with a salesperson only to have them offer you a really good deal on a car on the lot of you drive it home today. Manufacturers have tended to make cars with what most people want so that the car can be leased. Since becoming a family man 41 years ago the only time I go to a dealer is when I need a new car, and then my intention is to drive it home.
This began 30 years ago…when Westinghouse tried to get leased trucks without air, AM/FM, and power windows the leasing company said no way.
I still order my cars and trucks. Why spend at least 50 thou and not get something you like? I only go to the dealer to pick them up. All price conversations done my email. Been buying new cars that way( except email) for about 45 years.
I had the chance to drive a new V6 Challenger a few years ago. For a rental car it wasn’t bad. At the time I was trying to get the gremlins out of a Kenwood TS -940S, a top shelf ham radio from the 1980s. Most of the radio’s problems were caused by poor quality solder and solder joints.
Modern cars are so dependent upon electronics that I can’t see many of them lasting 30 years, let alone 50. The Barn Finds site of 2050 will feature cars that don’t run because the electronics have failed and replacement parts don’t exist.
Modern cars are safer, more efficient, and rust resistant than those built 50 years ago, but their dependency on electronics is their Achilles heel.
Well, their are Hemi Coronets that were ordered to tow. A 66 Coronet 4 door sedan. Hemi.
Jay Leno brings either a 66 Hemi, a Stanley Steamer, a Turbine, or a 58 Imperial convert to our show in Van Nuys
Greg, there was a factory lightweight hemi wagon built:
https://www.hotrod.com/articles/factory-built-64-hemi-wagon-really-happened/
I owned that Hemi Wagon in 1973. I have pix’s of it.
It wasn’t just the cost that dissuaded the casual purchaser that wanted a lot of power from stepping all the way up to a Hemi in this era. Those were the days of Chrysler’s then-exclusive 5 year, 50,000 mile warranty, and it applied to everything from the lowliest Slant Six to the most powerful 413 or 440. But the assumption in Highland Park was that anybody that ordered a Hemi was headed to the track, so in addition to the high price, purchasers of the Street Hemi waived the big warranty, too, getting only 90 days or 4,000 miles of coverage, whichever came first.
My 70 Boss 302 had a factory warranty of 90 days or 6,000 miles !!!
Every old Mopar I bought that was the first thing I took off was that secondary hood latch.
You learn your lesson after the first time you hit your head on it.
I think that the attraction of these cars, and most others in this same vein, is the pure rawness of them. Whether this or a 427 Galaxie or an SS427 Impala, driving one of them was like trying tame a T-Rex. Yeah, you can hop into a HellCat, a ZL1, or ?? and turn on the AC, turn up the stereo and put your road trip into the Nav system, but it just ain’t the same!
Going fast in something old, is a complete different feeling from something new, old, you were completely held accountable for your actions, new, not as much thrill, lot safer, but I still prefer my 73 Grand Prix, with its gas guzzler 455 in it, compared to my 18 E43 AMG which is only a 6 cylinder and will smoke that 4000lb 250 hp Pontiac
If your Grand Prix is not your daily driver, I think you like the E43 more. I have old muscle cars and new cars, a couple years ago I finally got honest to myself. I like the new cars better, I have the old muscle cars because they remind me of a younger time of my life.
Well, we are 2 adults and my 15 yr old who doesn’t have a license yet, we have 4 cars, the E43 is not a daily driver either, it’s a company car, that’s 2 yrs old and has 7500 miles on it, we use it for vacations and beach weekends to the shore, my wife has a Fusion for work and I have a Camry, to be honest I love the Benz, but living in NY I don’t use it a lot, especially in the snow, potholes and so on, the next time the lease is up, I need a car for my son, so it’s probably my last one sadly
Why does the conversation about these cars always turn into a comparison between old and new. There is nothing to compare. These cars are miles apart, the feel, the sensation. If you think new is better then read road and track, not BF. I would buy this car in a heart beat, I would never buy a new one. Totally different beast. We just do not be wasting our time on new cars.
This is pretty much the point I was trying to make ACZ!! Your hard pressed to get a standard floor shift!! Paddle shifters just don’t cut it!! It’s not the pure muscle like the old days!! You can’t tune your car today by changing plugs and points!! I’m sure if you have your laptop and your software you can but that’s not really worth talking about!! These cars were simply sheet metal with powerful drive train not a blue tooth, with navigation and power ports to plug in your phone with backup cameras and lane assistance!! I want to drive the car let my wife sit in the passenger seat with the atlas and not have the computer tell me to turn in 50 feet!! It’s part of the experience of taking the trip!!
Amen, Tim!
Might not want to own it, but I would sure want to rent it for the weekend!
the pic of the drivers compartment taken from the passenger side says it all. This baby was meant to drive the snot out of and a side of whiplash. That shifter stickin’ thru the floor gets the juices going. Any one of us would be chomping at the bit to take ‘er around the block. Add the perfect stance and the dog dish hubcaps–This is what us gear heads live for. Good luck and stay safe.
Cheers
GPC