FOR SALE: 1966 Dodge Coronet 383/4-speed

[Matt Harwood]

For two days this week, I had a pair of these neat little Mopars here in the showroom, but the 1966 Plymouth Belvedere with just 22,000 original miles is now on its way to a new owner. In its place, however, I have acquired this even cooler 1966 Dodge Coronet 440 hardtop. I'd like to meet the guy who originally ordered this car, because he must have walked into the dealer and asked for the fastest and most affordable car possible and this was the result. A thumping 325 horsepower 383, a 4-speed with floor shift, and an AM radio and that's it. Nothing to slow it down. Then he chose a low-key color like Pale Yellow and a black vinyl bench seat interior just to keep it clean. I acquired this car from an estate along with two others, and they don't know much about the car other than the widow bought it as a gift for her Mopar-loving late husband, who did indeed own some pretty serious hardware. This was a car they enjoyed together because it's so pleasant to drive and docile (well, until you stomp on the loud pedal). It has obviously been restored and is quite good overall, with shiny paint that's the right shade, great gaps, and what I believe to be 100% original sheetmetal, because I can't see a single patch anywhere on the car. The doors open and close easily, the hood fits well, and the bodywork--whose design doesn't really allow for sloppiness--is quite straight. There are a few signs of use here and there, but overall it looks pretty sharp and all the chrome and stainless trim sparkles almost like new.

 

The interior is spartan, but the firm bench seats are comfortable and have also obviously been restored. Correct materials were used and it looks quite handsome in basic black. There are new carpets on the floors, reproduction door panels, a new dash pad, and a fresh headliner, so it's ready to enjoy. The gauges are probably original and there's some very, very minor yellowing around the edges, but that's just about the only defect. The original Music Master AM radio is in the dash, but it doesn't work. It powers up but I think the speaker(s) have been removed and I suspect there was a different stereo in there prior to the widow purchasing it. I found some stray speaker wires in the trunk leading to the package shelf. And speaking of the trunk, it's spotless with good floors, a new mat, a jack, and a full-sized spare stowed underneath.

 

But the real treat with this car is the 383 cubic inch V8 under the hood. The fender tag confirms this is how it was ordered and while you can't document matching-numbers on a 1966 Dodge, there's no reason to believe it's not a correct engine. It runs superbly and aside from the air cleaner and ignition coil, it's pretty stock. I like the smooth idle and there's so much torque that it's almost impossible to stall this car with the lightweight bodywork. It pulls well through all four gears and happily cruises at 65 MPH thanks to 3.23 gears out back. The floors are excellent with no patches or rot, and it's all protected by a light dusting of undercoating. A new Magnaflow dual exhaust system sounds great but doesn't get annoying on the highway, just a nice V8 burble coming from out back as you cruise. And I especially dig the dog-dish hubcaps and new Coker redline radials for a period performance look.

 

This is one neat little sleeper and the guy who originally owned it probably had a blast. Now it's your turn. Clean, easy to drive, and quite handsome in an industrial-strength kind of way. I certainly didn't expect to like this car as much as I do. We're asking $27,900 and we're always open to reasonable offers. Thanks for reading!

Edited May 14, 2015 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[Guest exbcmc]

Dodge's version of the Road Runner. Can I ask what the '67 went for? There is a nice '67 GTX here in So Cal for 39k.

[Matt Harwood]

I don't think it was until 1968 that the Coronet/Belvedere started sharing the same platform as the Super Bee/Road Runner/GTX. In 1966, it was merely the Coronet/Belvedere.

 

As far as the '67, which car are you asking about? I sold a green 440/4-speed 1967 GTX about a year ago. There was a trade on that deal, so I can't say what it actually sold for, but when it was all said and done, it was probably around $40K. That was a really nice, numbers-matching car with a high-quality restoration. I also have a yellow 1968 Road Runner currently for sale for $39,900 which is an extremely nice numbers-matching car with factory A/C.

 

Just wait until you Mopar guys see the 1968 Charger R/T I have coming up. 38,000 original miles, dark green, and spectacular...

 

Edited May 15, 2015 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[Guest exbcmc]

Shoot, I knew that....I thought the Coronet was a 68. I was curious what the yellow 67 Belvedere went for, or a ballpark figure....

[Guest exbcmc]

You are really bringing back my teens with these Mopars. A buddy of mine had a 69 Charger 440.....what a car. I had a 68 RR, 383. Traded it in for $500 for a new 73 GMC truck we still own. During the first oil embargo I could not give the RR away.