SEPTEMBER 2019 57“The Coronet quickly
morphed to race car status”
Dodge also made two versions of the more homely two-door
post Coronets, the base Coronet and a Coronet Deluxe. A total of
34 base Coronet two-door sedans were equipped with the Street
Hemi engines. Breaking that down a bit further, 11 of them were
four-speed stick cars, and 23 of them came with the 727 Torque-
Flite. The upscale Coronet Deluxe two-door sedans came with
side molding and minor trim and interior upgrades. A total of 49
1966 Coronet Deluxe two-door sedans were born with the 426
Street Hemi, 31 four-speeds and 18 automatics.
This Hemi Coronet Deluxe was sold new at none other than Mr.
Norm’s Grand Spaulding Dodge in Chicago. The original owner
fluffed up his new Dodge with steeper gears and headers for
enthusiastic acceleration testing in the Chicago area. For some
unknown reason, the Hemi Coronet was traded back to Mr. Norm’s
in 1968. Just a guess, but that post car might have been taken on a
few afterhours joyrides by some of the staff at Mr. Norm’s.
About that same time in 1968, Mopar guy Lou Costello from
Mankato, Minnesota, was feeling pretty ticked off. Though former-
ly the king of the streets in Mankato with his 1964 Plymouth, some
wise guy in one of those newfangled Camaros had arrived in town