Dodge does not build many cars like the Dodge Coronet: a 2-door coupe / 2-door Roadster (automobile) / roadster/Sportabout / 2-door hardtop / 2-door Coupé / business coupe / 4-door sedan (car) / sedan / 4-door limousine (8 passenger) / 4 with 230 cuin Dodge Straight 6, built from 1949 to 1976 in a decade split by war, when civilian production stopped and restarted.
The story
The Dodge Coronet is an automobile that was marketed by Dodge in seven generations, and shared nameplates with the same bodyshell with varying levels of equipment installed. Introduced as a full-size car in 1949, it was the division's highest trim line and moved to the lowest level starting in 1955 through 1959. The name was reintroduced on intermediate-sized models from the 1965 until 1976 model years.
Muscle car versions were available starting in 1965 with the 383 and 426 wedge cu in (7.0 L) Chrysler RB engine, followed in 1966 by the powerful 426 cu in (7.0 L) Chrysler Hemi. Other performance models included the "Superbee", and featured, the 383 cu in (6.3 L) Magnum, among other engine options. The nameplate "coronet" is a type of crown worn by royalty. In the 1980s, the Coronet was used on Dodge models marketed in Colombia.
What is underneath
Under the skin sits 230 cuin Dodge Straight 6. The gearbox is a 2-speed automatic / 3-speed manual / "Gyromatic or Fluid drive". The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The wheelbase is 115 in / 123.5 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
Where it sits in Dodge's history is not in doubt: the Dodge Custom came before it; the Full-size: / Dodge Dart (1960) / Dodge Polara (1960) / Dodge Matador (1960) / Mid-size: / Dodge Monaco (1977) followed it; it was built at Hamtramck, Michigan (Dodge Main. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Chevrolet Bel Air, the Citroën 2CV, the Porsche 356. Nearby in the Dodge catalogue sit the Dodge 1500 and the 1955 Dodge.
The money
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Dodge Coronet has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.