Even though the Coronet started off as a postwar car with an inline-six under the hood, Dodge leveled up to a V8 for the second generation. Fast-forward to the fifth from the latter half of the 1960s, and the Coronet transitioned to the B-body platform of the Dart, Charger, and a few legendary Plymouth models such as the Belvedere, GTX, and Road Runner.
This fellow here is a 1965 Coronet but “stock” isn’t the right word to describe it. Listed for sale by RK Motors Charlotte at $99,900, this custom-built strip slayer features a custom chassis and an altered wheelbase, a stroked HEMI V8, a three-speed automatic transmission with a 2,500-rpm stall, a Dana 60 rear axle with 4.10 gears, and a Sure Grip differential.
The Ramcharger ram tubes poking out of the hood are connected to a 511-cu.in. leviathan. The 8.4-liter motor is good for 488 rear-wheel horsepower, translating to 495 PS if you’re more comfortable with the metric system. That’s quite a change from the Slant-6 Coronet Deluxe sedan it used to be back when the car rolled off the assembly line, isn’t it?
Built by Funny Car enthusiast Richard LeFebvre, the two-door sedan features composite fenders and bumpers from Fiberglass Plus as well as plastic side windows. A 22-inch radiator and a high-volume water pump keep things cool, and oiling is the duty of a seven-quart pan.
If you were wondering why this dragstrip warrior looks so weird in terms of wheelbase, that’s because Richard wanted to move some of the static mass on the rear tires for better launches off the line. Stopping power comes courtesy of drums, and the steering remains a manual affair.
The 7.75- by 15-inch BF Goodrich Silvertown tires up front are complemented by 275/60 by 15-inch Mickey Thompson ET Street S/S rubber boots at the rear axle. The street setup is joined by a pair of steelies painted in the same color as the body and wrapped in 10- by 15-inch slicks.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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