For one day in July everything shuts down in my hometown and everyone attends a big parade. There are plenty of floats and candy, but my favorite part has always been the classic cars. Sometimes a beauty queen or politician would be in the back, but that did not interest me much. I was excited to see these pristine classics because their owners only brought them out once a year. This 1958 Dodge Coronet is just one of those cars and it only has 9,369 miles on the odometer to prove it. The car is located in Northbrook, Illinois and is listed for sale on eBay with bidding currently at $3,550.
The Coronet may have been the base model at the time, but it looks far from plain to us. Huge fins, plenty of chrome, and some good options make this Dodge a keeper. The previous two owners must have thought so too because they have taken good care of it. The first owner put 9k miles on it before selling it in 1973. Then the second owner only drove it once a year in the annual 4th of July parade, accumulating just 300 miles in 39 years!
Since the Coronet was considered the base model, most were equipped with inline-six engines. Luckily this particular car was optioned with the Red Ram 325 V8 engine and push-button two-speed transmission. This combo makes the car perfect for cruising activities such as parades. Just make sure that radiator is clean so you don’t overheat on main street.
This car really does provide a glimpse into the past. The red, black, and chrome interior looks perfect to us and is claimed to be original. The only thing lacking here is an air conditioning unit to make those hot summer drives a little more comfortable.
We love the two-tone paint scheme. The seller claims that the car has not seen rain in the last 39 years and that it has never needed any bodywork. They do not mention if the paint is all original, but with so few miles on the clock we would not be surprised. Potential buyers will just want to verify these small details before bidding. These are the sort of cars you want to find stashed away in barns. Ones that were loved and driven sparingly. As long as the previous owner kept up the maintenance this one should have many more parades in its future.
Source: eBay
Thanks for the nice writeup
Good luck with the sale Ron. Looks like a great car. Can you fill us in with a few more details? Do you have paperwork to verify the mileage? Original paint? I’m sure any other tidbits you can share would be appreciated by our readers.
What a magnificent car!
Beats the hell outta that buried Plymouth!
Unfortunately I do not have much paperwork to substantiate the 9300 miles. As mentioned it was purchased in 1973 from a collector in Highland Park. He was a fanatic who liquidated all but two of his twenty four cars. I do have the original title from 73 that reads roughly 9000 miles. The only paint on the car is the roof. The original owner had that done since he was so fond of two tone cars. The only other modification is the spinner style hubcaps, I do have the originals in the trunk. Serious inquiries can be sent to ron@autowerksracing.com Once again, thanks for posting this up. I may just drive it home tonite and take the kids for ice cream!
~ extremely nice. near perfect condition.
You mean the “Buried Plymouth” that actually sat in a tank full of water for 50 years?
Trying to control my drooling.
Don’t think the seat belts are original. I had a 1957 DeSoto and my father put seat belts in the front in probably 1961. My grandfather’s 1958 DeSoto also did not come with seat belts.
(I drove the car in college in the mid-60s)
Hey Ron, that car is amazing. I am surprised a few guys off of Forwardlook haven’t seen this thing. I know Neil Vedder would go nuts if he saw it! This car isn’t the base model, It’s the Lancer (denoted by the knight and lance on the fins, and the presence of reverse lights), which was the stopgap between the base Coronet and the Custom Royal. Seeing this car really makes me regret selling my all black ’58 four-door hardtop. It’s neat to see the original interior with all the material still there (last time I heard someone in the midwest had a large NOS horde of the black/white/mylar weave bench). Later
KFD