Rare 1969 Dodge HEMI Coronet R/T Roars Back to Life After 37 Years in Storage

The Coronet started life as a full-size vehicle in 1949, spearheading the division's first post-WWII efforts. The nameplate spawned four generations until it was discontinued in 1959. Dodge revived the Coronet badge for the 1965 model year. But the Coronet was no longer a full-size rig. The company assigned the name to a brand-new midsize automobile.

Introduced as a replacement for the Polara, which had just been reassigned to the full-size market, the Coronet quickly became synonymous with high performance. It was among the first Mopars available with the 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) HEMI V8 and the first Chrysler vehicle to get the R/T package. The Coronet R/T debuted in 1967, while the Charger did not get the bundle until 1968.

Of course, the Coronet is also the intermediate that spawned both the Charger and the Super Bee. It had a similar role to the Plymouth Belvedere, which became the basis for the GTX and Road Runner.

But unlike the Charger and Super Bee, which felt more like specialty cars limited to two-door configurations, the Coronet was available in a wide variety of body styles that also included sedans and station wagons. And that's one of the reasons why it's not as sought-after as the Chargers and Super Bees.

But that has started to change recently, with more and more Coronets getting rescued from junkyards and barns. While some are still being used as parts cars for the Chargers and Super Bees, some are being restored and returned to the road. The 1969 HEMI you see here, which is quite a rare gem, is one of the lucky ones.

About a week ago, we showed you how the folks at "Mopars5150" brought this Coronet R/T back into the light after 37 years. Well, our hosts did not waste any time. They took the Mopar back to the shop and got the iconic 426 HEMI under the hood running again. It wasn't an easy task, and this Dodge will need more to become road-worthy again, but it's a wonderful start for a classic that took nearly four decades of storage like a champ.

Why is this rescue important? Well, for starters, the HEMI Coronet is a very rare classic. Sure, Dodge sold a whopping 175,600 Coronets in 1969, but only 7,200 examples left the assembly line in R/T specification. And you know how many also got the 426 HEMI? Just 107! Furthermore, only 45 had the V8 paired to an automatic transmission.

But this Mopar is much rarer than that if we also factor in the color, optional Air Grabber hood, rear stripe delete, and center console. I don't have factory statistics to back it up, but I'm pretty sure this Coronet is a one-of-one gem. But that's enough talk for today. Hit the play button below to see this HEMI R/T spring back to life after many years off the road.