Before the days of the Dodge Super Bee, and its cousin, the Plymouth Road Runner, Mopar offered similar performance options, as found in those two models, in such cars as today’s Mascot, Tennessee-domiciled 1966 Dodge Coronet 500. This one has all of the good stuff as possessed by those previously mentioned muscle cars, it’s just packaged in a plain brown wrapper. Charlie B. is responsible for this discovery and it’s available, here on craigslist for $32,000.
While there was no specific performance model at Dodge, such as an R/T, available in ’66, the Coronet 500 rode the top of the food chain and was available as a two-door hardtop or convertible. Moving on down was the 440 trim level (nothing to do with a 440 CI V8 engine), the Coronet Deluxe, and then the plain old taxi-cab influenced Coronet. But true to form, as with all domestic manufacturers in ’66, options galore were available to make your Dodge your way.
And having it your way in this case meant the inclusion of a 325 gross HP 383 CI V8 engine tethered to a four-speed manual transmission – helpful in the go, went, gone department. The seller tells us that this is a number matching Coronet but nothing is said about its running characteristics. Besides an upgraded carburetor and aluminum intake manifold, this 383 is puttin’ on the ritz with its cast valve covers and open-element air cleaner.
The seller states, “Car does need paint and interior work, but no parts are needed“. Yes, the exterior is a bit rough, it looks mostly sound and straight but the finish is burned through in places and there are some scrapes and contusions visible. While I prefer the lines of the follow-on B-body cars (’68-’70) both Dodge and Plymouth get honorable mentions, at the least, for this boxy, semi-fastback design. It’s a look that so typifies the mid-’60s era – gone but certainly not forgotten. As an afterthought, the images are before and after as the passenger side shows this Dodge wearing Mopar rally wheels and white letter tires while the driver’s side looks like it just got out of bed and is still donning white stripe tires and a no-wheel cover look. It would be good to know which version of this Coronet is actually for sale.
There really aren’t any interior images included except for one of the instrument panel, and this one, of the bare steel driver’s foot well. OK, so the floors, what can be spied, look OK, but how about the rest of the environment? Well, recall the seller’s comment, “…needs interior work..” That’s a pretty open-ended statement and the one image of the dash shows a pretty distressed-looking dash pad – a harbinger of what lies beyond?
Research shows Dodge knocked out about 55K Coronet 500s in ’66 – that’s a healthy production number but they’re just not encountered too often today – 57 years later. This one is a nice find owing to its powertrain equipment but is it $32,000 worth of nice considering its exterior condition and unknown interior status? I’m not feeling it, how about you?
Way too much for this Dodge. Although I have always liked the Coronet 500. Especially with a 4 speed.
One of the guys that I went to high school with picked up a 340 and was casting around for something like a Dart to toss it into but was having no luck. A while later he came across a Coronet 4dr in that sort of oprange color that they were in 66 and 67 and, as his dad was on his case about the 340 sitting on the floor of the garage, my friend payed the Coronet owner $200 to clean out Her garage. We yanked the old engine out and installed the 340 in along with a set of cheapo headers and dual exhaust. We then got the car up and running well in suprisingly little time and took it out to have at it with the kids in their Camaros and Firebirds. That car may have looked like a family sedan but the 340 really woke it up and there were a lot of red faces on Portage avenue that night. My friend was so pleased with the Coronet that he left the engine in until he wrote the car off about five years later.
Too rich for my blood.
For $32k I was hoping for a gas pedal, too. Given some of the 66-7 Chargers on this site for 2/3 the cost I am not seeing it for this one at this price.
10k over priced. These models aren’t as sought after as the ’68-70 B bodies.
Beanie Andrew,Mule Skinner blues.
I understand Mopar prices are through the roof and this car is pulled up some by the Chargers and e bodies but yikes! I would think it would have to be show quality at this price and a hard sell even then.
Rare is the car that looks good with any skirting covering the wheels.
Crazy high price !
People watch too much TV. Unrealistic prices!
Love the last line the seller uses. “No more being made” Ya think?
It does look like the engine bay has been cleaned up and the glimpse of the driver’s seat shows well.
If I was a betting man I’d say he got it from the original owner (pic with no wheel covers) to restore and realized the cost wasn’t worth the squeeze so it’s being flipped.
Seriously.
The body isn’t too bad but for me it’s not 32K good, especially when one of its two strong points, the original 4-bbl set up(I’m guessing maybe an AVS, somebody correct me if I’m wrong?) is gone.
And I like the ‘no parts needed’ remark: matbe I’m just being fussy but 32K for one of the much less popular B bodies SHOULD include the damn gas pedal,…
Save your 32K and look for a ’68 Road Runner 383, there’s still a few out there,…
Cool car, let’s talk @ 10k – 15k. Sorry man it’s not an R/T or GTX…….
Wow, this seller must have found sumtin under the back seat.
These cars have very nice lines, admittedly.
However, the amount of blood sweat and skinned knuckles needed would indicate to me that the owner might want to reevaluate his BIN price.
Sure do enjoy all the memories tho.
Has potential.
Hey guys, I’m responsible for this gentleman asking what he is for this vehicle.
I’m 70 and still alive able and kicking.
These people believe that there are not any of us “good Ole boys” still breathing out here in “high-tech-ville to know what is correct or incorrect about older first generation muscle cars.
Well, allow me to say that there are.
I’m not 70 – but I will be in two months, and the $32K is almost worth it to me. My dad bought a new ’66 Coronet 500 the same color (gold with black gut) but it was a 318 automatic. I loved that car; I washed it every Sunday 9 months of the year (lived near Buffalo – you know, winter) for three years until he traded it on a ’69 Polara. There were two brothers up the street at the time, one with a gold Coronet 500, the other with a matching ’66 Charger, but both with the 383. They would flat tow their 426 hemi powered ’56 T-bird to the drags behind the Dodges.
Seller will be sitting on this one for a while. Nice car, good potential but price a little to high considering paint,body, interior and who knows what else. With the total costs involved to bring this one back your better off buying a nice completed road runner or 340 a body.
Check FB marketplace in Cincinnati. There’s a ’66 440 in the same color for 1/2 the price and the pictures show much better.
At that price he’s getting into Hemi territory. There was a very nicely restored ’67 R/T that sold for 43K last summer on Hagerty.
List it on eBay for $16K and we’ll talk.
When I compare the ’68 Coronet to this ’66, the ’66 looks like a dog. It appears that Chrysler hired all new design engineers for the ’68 model year and they did a wonderful job. $32k for this ugly duckling? I don’t think so, just because a car is rare does not mean that it can command a high price.
Nice, but $10K would be closer. Wish the owner luck.
At that price it should be damn near perfect. I’ll consider it when the price is well under 10k. Dodges of that era had a lot of rust. That car will cost way more to restore than it will ever be worth.
I’m with you on the price. It’s going to cost 32,000 just to restore it or more.
Wow,I thought this was barn finds. It’s more like Barret Jackson or Mecum anymore. Everyone wants a bunch of cash.
He’s basing his price on the inflation rate. If beer and bratwurst are twice as expensive then his car should be too. Give it a couple more years for the economy to catch up..nobody will have any money but they’ll say $32K is a great deal!
Looks like it would’ve been cool to drive around in when I was in high school.
Another flipper trying to retire off every sale.
Plenty of cars out there can we avoid the ones that are still on a trailer. Smh.
Any mention of the center console somewhere? Asking price is too far out for this project!
Freshly bought from the original owner for pennies and now the flipper is trying to make a killing. Throw out a line, see what happens.
They have already lowered their asking price by 4K.