This 1967 Dodge Coronet R/T came across our Barn Finds tip line defined as “Crazy” but it actually looks more serious than crazy – and that’s serious about straight-line performance. A car with some celebrity TV status, this Dodge is located in Salt Lake City, Utah and is available, here on Facebook Marketplace for  $36,500.

Starting life as a true, first-year, Coronet R/T, (VIN checks out) this example has been massaged into a sort of street racer/rat-rod as the modifications were performed by Welderup Garage and Fab which is featured on the Discovery Channel show, “Vegas Rat Rods” (season 4, episode 9). So it has been patined, I guess, there are few accompanying details. I gather from our readership that the patina look is something not universally appreciated. I, in fact, have withdrawn its use from my article titles but my titles get over-written sometime so the term appears anyway. Regardless, I’d agree with that sentiment, there’s just something very poserish about the whole approach. Don’t get me wrong, this Coronet has been “aged” very well, but short of the genuine article, and vehicles usually don’t age uniformly, it’s time to move on from this look.

What I see when I view this Dodge is what I recall from the early to mid-’70s when a Dodge Coronet R/T was just another used muscle car, and frequently, not in great shape. At least not in great looking shape; running? That’s another matter entirely as I remember many similar cars that looked like they were right off the farm but ran like a scalded dog, and that’s what I see here. Especially reminiscent is the hood scoop, side-exit exhaust, American Racing style wheels and what looks like Douglas cheater slicks – this one has the perfect street racer vibe. Even the Dodge billboard is not out of place but I remember such proclamations usually showing up displayed across the rear window. And it’s far from completely posed, this R/T has “Road Kill” style rusted-through lower quarters – good to see that they weren’t fixed.

One thing this Mopar has under the hood that didn’t exist years back is a double-shot nitrous hook-up feeding the 440 CI V8 engine. The seller doesn’t go into detail regarding this Dodge’s motivational capabilities but he does state, “This car was built for unlimited fun and is one of a kind“. I bet! Being a genuine R/T, this engine could be the original 375 HP mill that was dropped in at the St. Louis assembly plant 54 years ago. Some number matching, sleuthing around would have to happen to know for sure. Those slicks get lit-up with the assistance of a four-speed manual transmission.

The interior is mostly late ’60s Mopar all the way, save for the seats that are out of something newer. It has a standard, black vinyl, utilitarian way about it but is all in very nice condition. Adding to the business-like environment is the lack of a center console. Interesting to note is that there is no visible tachometer on this four-speed, manually shifted car – seems a bit risky actually. Finally, there are no auxiliary gauges in sight so the driver will have to make do with the standard Dodge indicators.

The question that will rage is, did it make more sense to go this way with this Coronet R/T than it would have to pursue the restoration route? The price for this car does and doesn’t seem out of line – it depends on how it’s viewed. Every collectible muscle car from that long ago era doesn’t have to remain a survivor or go the original restored route, that’s just been the trend for the last twenty years or so and market value frequently drives those decisions. Maybe it’s good that the shop and the seller chose a different path for this undeniably valuable Dodge. What do you think?