This Wonderful 1969 Dodge Coronet Deserves All The Love

The Dodge Coronet is like the unloved brother of the Charger, but they both ride upon the same Mopar B-body chassis that also underpins the Plymouth Road Runner.

The Charger was introduced in 1966 and was immediately recognized as just a fastback version of the same year Coronet, a name that had been around since the 1950s. While the Charger’s styling evolved into its own when it was facelifted for 1968, the Coronet remained true to its earlier iteration with wide hips over the rear wheels and notchback styling.

Despite being almost identical, the Coronet held on for as long as it could before eventually being surpassed by the more popular Charger. By 1971, the older brother eventually turned into the unwanted middle child in between the Charger and the Road Runner, and lost its two-door option for the sixth generation, becoming strictly a sedan.

Everybody goes nuts for the 1968 Charger‘s taillights, but for what it’s worth, we think the Coronet of the same year had a much more aggressive style, critical for intimidation at the drag strip.

This 1969 model also features (in our opinion) a more well-designed front fascia. Finished in the rare shade of A4 Silver, this Coronet is one of less than 6,000 R/T trims models produced in that color. The hood features the famed Ramcharger twin “Raisin Bran” scoops, which grab enough air for the 426 Hemi V8 under the hood. According to the seller, the engine has been fully rebuilt and dyno-tested at 553 horsepower and 484 lb-ft of torque. All that grunt is sent to the rear wheels via a three-speed 727 automatic transmission with a column shifter.

A die-cast model of this very vehicle was also made by Autoworld, limited to 1002 pieces, which makes it rarer than the car itself.

This fully-restored golden-era Mopar is currently for sale at MGM Classic Cars for $169,900.

Would you take this over a Charger?