Dusty & Rusty – 1967 Dodge Coronet R/T – 440 & 4 speed – $8,500

The ever increasing popularity of muscle cars has made getting into the hobby with anything from 1964-1972 powered by a V8 a fairly expensive endeavor. Enter this 1967 Dodge Coronet “R/T” listed on Craigslist in Judsonia, Arkansas. The base price for a 1967 Coronet when it was new was $2,594, which is a hair over $20K in 2020 dollars. At $8,500, this Coronet is essentially priced as a used car in need of a little TLC. It looks like one too, take that how you want. We’ll take a closer look, but first some brief history of the Dodge Coronet.

The Coronet name was introduced in 1949 as the top trim line for Dodges. By 1955, it represented the cheapest cars from the brand. The name was put to pasture following 1959, only to be resurrected in 1965 as a mid sized car. By 1967 there were four levels of the Coronet, the base (just Coronet), Deluxe, 440 and 500. There’s a common misconception that 440 indicated the engine size. When it came to Coronets, this was a trim level, but a 440 motor was an option. Fortunately, this Coronet actually has a running 440 cubic inch V8 in under its hood. Better yet, it’s connected to a four speed. So is it a Coronet 440 or something else? If you look closely, you’ll see it has an R/T badge on it…

When Dodge introduced the Coronet R/T for 1967, it came with a 440 ci V8. With the R/T package you could opt for a 426 Hemi for an addition $906. One source says only 238 426 Hemi Coronet R/Ts were built in 1967, compared to 10,109 440 R/Ts. While this car has an R/T badge on it, the seller makes no mention of this, so it’s unclear if it is an actual R/T or a clone. It does feature other R/T items, like vent windows and bucket seats. Whatever it is, it needs exhaust and turn signals to be a driver. The seller is also including a parts car and a “lots of new parts.” Who knows that that means.

The body appears to be fairly straight, but is suffering from areas of rust. If you’re a fan of patina, this thing’s got a lot of it. Feel free to jump on the bandwagon and make it run down the road and look like it just came out of the field. I’m not in love with the look, but I can respect it. It also makes enjoying old cars a lot less expensive, seeing as so much time and money goes into body work and paint.

Inside we have a pair of buckets and you can see the glorious four on the floor. The dash looks to be intact and the carpets are there. The interior doesn’t appear to be that bad. Though the driver seat is ripped and it is either melting or wet.

Getting into the muscle car game can be spendy. This Dodge is a great entry level Mopar that will slap a smile on many faces at the car show. With similar cars selling around $15,000 and restored cars fetching upwards of $35,000 (and apparently a 426 R/T for $162,000…), this car appears to be priced more than fair. So, what say you car gal or guy? Is this a car worth restoring or is it not worth the bloody knuckles? Before you answer, just picture yourself with an open Hawaiian shirt doing burnouts.