Photos by Matthew Litwin.
Dodge, despite its monster Hemi, had fallen behind in the muscle car image race: the Coronet 500 name didn’t have the requisite sizzle, despite crisp new lines for 1966. (Not helping: the Charger, twin to the Coronet below the beltline, and its scene-stealing fastback style). Dodge had to do something. Its solution: the R/T package.
Meant to convey the impression of a dual-purpose performance machine (for Road and Track), the Coronet R/T was available only as a full-on performance car–fast engines, cop-car suspension, a 150 MPH speedo, and no nonsense. The standard 375hp, 440-cu in V-8 underscored that point. The 10.1:1-compression mill was tweaked for performance duty starting in ’67–new heads with 1.74 intake valves, larger ports, new low-restriction cast-iron exhaust manifolds, and a lumpier camshaft were among the tweaks needed to make the Carter AVS-fed four-barrel reach its 375hp peak at 4,600 RPM. The R/T’s only ($457) engine option was Chrysler’s legendary Street Hemi. Twin Carter four-barrel carbs, cast-iron heads filled with 2.25/1.90-inch intake and exhaust valves, 10.25:1 compression and low-restriction dual exhaust strove to manufacture a conservatively estimated 425hp, 490-lb ft Hemi-powered anything is rare, owing to the high entry price; just 238 Hemi Coronet R/Ts were built for 1967.
The R/T was issued with Chrysler’s 727 TorqueFlite transmission, shifted through the steering column; shift action moved to the floor if you ordered a console. The A-833 four-speed manual was a no-cost option; standard in the A-833 was a heavy-duty 11-inch clutch, plus mandatory Sure-Grip differential and heavy-duty axles.
The R/T benefited from what Dodge called its Police Handling package–heavy-duty (.92-inch) torsion bars, ball joints, one-inch shock absorbers, a .94-inch front anti-roll bar, and six-leaf extra-heavy-duty rear springs. Standard binders were manually operated 11 x 3-inch drums in front and 11.25-inch drums in the rear–a step up from the standard manual 10-inch drums that lesser Coronets received. Of course, vacuum power assist and 10.04-inch front disc brakes were available on the order sheet; the front disc brakes, which required power assist, are a coveted option today.
Standard-issue wheels and tires for the R/T were 7.75 x 14 red-streak nylon tires on 5.5-inch steel wheels and pie-pan hubcaps. Full mag-type wheel covers and the chromed five-spoke Road Wheel, popularly known as the Magnum 500, were also available.
Available only as a convertible or two-door hardtop, the Coronet R/T’s look is remarkably subtle for something aiming itself at the boy-racer crowd. The hood grew a set of scoops, a specific grille with vertical bars is repeated on the full-width trim across the rear, taillamps are hidden in the louvered trim, die-cast metal R/T badging adorns each side, and a fine body-side pinstripe is used to help bring out the Coronet’s Coke-bottle sides. Bucket seats, carpeting and a 150 MPH speedometer were part and parcel of the R/T package.
A total of 10,109 people agreed that the Coronet R/T two-door hardtop was the way to go, which emboldened Chrysler for future high-profile performance models clear into the new millennium. True R/T convertibles are rare: Just 628 were built.
This article originally appeared in the November, 2013 issue of Hemmings Motor News.
See original article at" https://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2016/09/19/year-make-and-model-1967-dodge-coronet-rt/
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