In June 2016, I visited the northern parts of Sweden and the town of Piteå to do a feature on a 1969 Dodge Coronet. A car partially decal-tuned to resemble a Super Bee, but fully worthy of its muscle car status in its own Coronet identity.

Since the photo shoot and interview, not much has happened with the car, other than it changing owners and countries. Today, it resides in Finland (to be more precise, in Åland). As of September 28, 2020, this Dodge has been owned by Tommy Lampén.

According to Lampén, he bought the Coronet due to his great passion for cars and, jokingly of course, because he doesn’t yet have a guardian managing his personal finances.

“What have I done since buying it four years ago? Not much. I’ve had it inspected as a classic car here in Finland and taken good care of its maintenance. My future plans are simple: I’m just going to enjoy the car. Unless someone buys it, of course. There have been quite a few inquiries over the years,” Lampén says.

Yes, the Coronet is outrageously popular. Individual photos I’ve taken and posted on social media have made several rounds around the globe. The car is somewhat known in Scandinavia, and whenever it’s mentioned, Mopar_® fans get a dreamy look in their eyes.

Thus, it’s high time for a little reprise of the original feature. Why not firmly place this beloved Mopar vehicle on the map in both Europe and the U.S.?

Back to Piteå and 2016, and the original feature. While everyone else was buying a Dodge Charger or Plymouth Road Runner, Patrik “Agge” Johansson from Piteå chose his own path. He opted for a 1969 Dodge Coronet, a slightly more unusual bird among the Mopar B-body family.

Some people change cars like they change socks. Then there’s Johansson, a mature and loyal Norrbotten native who keeps his muscle cars for a long time.

“In short, I owned a bold ’57 Chevy for several years. But eventually, I decided to sell it and planned to go without a fun car for a while. But you kind of panic … It took maybe 2.5 weeks before I bought a new one…” Johansson says.

It was all, of course, the fault of the local American car guru Micke Hedqvist. When Johansson’s withdrawal symptoms were at their worst, Micke tipped him off about a nice Coronet nearby. Not far from Piteå, in fact. Just a few miles outside the town. You can probably imagine the wolfish grin on Hedqvist’s face.

Johansson could always go take a look. You don’t have to buy just because you look, right?

“But the Coronet was already on my wish list. Honestly! I do think that car model is cool. I had heard about the car, but I had never seen it in Piteå. So, we went over to take a look. If I remember correctly, the deal was done within a few days,” Johansson says.

Four years have passed since that day. But he remembers it all as if it were yesterday.

“There I stood with a Coronet, and I was damn happy. I thought I could drive it around town without doing much to it. At least, that’s what I thought then. But it didn’t turn out that way,” Johansson says.

No. It rarely works out that way. Halfway home, most people are already mentally rebuilding the car during the maiden voyage. Johansson was no exception.

“I probably knew this deep down, right from the start. If I think about it. You always want cool wheels. And then the journey begins again,” Johansson says.

Pretty quickly, Johansson checked whether the rear axle was equipped with a limited-slip differential, something he hadn’t checked when buying the car because, in his eyes, the car was perfect otherwise.

“I had to find a gravel road because the car had sturdy rear tires, and the torque converter was so tight it felt like the Dodge had direct drive. I quickly confirmed that the rear axle had a limited-slip diff, but also that I needed a new torque converter that slipped a bit more,” Johansson says.

Johansson took the opportunity to really enjoy the roads during that first summer. He drove around and generally had a great time with his Coronet. The car, which had been Super Bee-styled with various scoops in the U.S. before it was shipped across the Atlantic, shone beautifully. The 383, upgraded to a slightly sharper HP version to fit the Super Bee conversion, rumbled nicely.

But he was itching to tinker.

“That first winter, I replaced the converter. A torque converter from TCI called Breakaway, with a stall speed of around 2,500 to 2,800 RPM. The Ramcharger parts, which are from the original Super Bee, were renovated and installed,” Johansson says.

After another summer of just driving, Johansson seriously started sorting through his parts. The bench seat was sold to a Finn, and the column shifter was replaced with a floor shifter. With two pristine front seats from an R/T SE car that Micke Hedqvist arranged, a center console could be installed.

Then his thoughts started wandering … towards … you guessed it … a new V8!

“I began thinking a lot about how fun it would be to buy a new engine. Or at least get more power out of the one I had. So, I spent a lot of time browsing different internet forums. After a while, I got in touch with the engine-building company Muscle Motors in Michigan, USA,” Johansson says.

They build only Mopar engines, Johansson continues, and he gave them a call to explain his situation. After some conversation, Muscle Motors and Johansson jointly decided that the 451 now in the car would be a perfect fit.

The V8 is suited to both the rear axle ratio – 3.73:1 – and the car’s weight and exhaust system. The engine is neither too large nor too small. One requirement was, of course, that the Ramcharger parts under the hood would fit. The hood had to close. So the intake height was important. Incidentally, the intake is a bit of a story in itself. Since Johansson wanted a somewhat original look in the engine bay, he tracked down an old Edelbrock intake on the internet and bid on it.

The intake was listed in Masini’s parts catalog back in 1969. It’s one of the first dual-plane intakes from Edelbrock and bears the product name DP4B. It fit perfectly on top of the engine and doesn’t add too much height. Muscle Motors dyno-tested the 451 before shipping it, and it produced 506 horsepower. Agge explains that the V8 is a special build, thought up by some clever guy in the early 1970s who then started outrunning everyone.

“Basically, it’s a 400 cui block. This is machined down to accommodate a 440 crank, and among other things, the bearing seats are lowered. The bore is also larger than stock. With this, you get an engine that’s lighter than a 440, and you have a rotating mass that’s three kilograms lighter than the original 440. These engines come in different setups, from 500 horsepower and up. My engine is moderately built, but it still delivers plenty of power. The max output comes at 5,400 to 5,600 RPM, but you can rev the engine up to 7,000 to 7,500 RPM,” Johansson says.

He then adds that with good cylinder heads and the right camshaft, you can easily get 700 horsepower. And the engine is very responsive for a Mopar big block.

The valve covers? They’re reminiscent of the Max Wedge, Chrysler’s old ultra-cool race V8s.

“Haha, yeah, that’s right. I got inspired by the Max Wedge 426 decal and wanted a similar style but with Muscle Motors’ name. I think it added a nice touch,” Johansson says.

Back to the fact that the Coronet is Super Bee-styled without being a clone. If Johansson remembers correctly, the Ramcharger parts have the option code N96. The hood scoops are cable-operated from inside the cabin, so the driver decides when the engine gets some extra fresh air. The side gills on the car, however, are fake and are mounted purely for show, unlike the functional side scoops on, for example,
Shelby Mustangs.

“According to Chrysler, the Ramcharger system with additional fresh air cuts a tenth of a second off the quarter-mile and gives 1.5 mph more in top speed. This is debatable, though, and is probably something to say with a wink,” Johansson says.

Why does Johansson sport yellow headlights, Centerline wheels and beefy tires with a hefty profile? Because it gives the car character, he says.

“There’s a saying in Piteå: ‘If the rear tires don’t rub against the inner fenders, then your tire size is wrong…’ So yeah, it’s got to be fully packed! To fit those Hoosier tires, my friend Micke Hedqvist modified the inner fenders. The tires are 29.25 inches tall and 11.5 inches wide, but they fit without needing to tub or move the leaf springs. Plus, the tires aren’t too wide or narrow; the car has the right proportions
with them,” Johansson says.

Johansson asks to wrap up our pleasant conversation with a little anecdote.

“When I owned the ’57 Chevy, I got a G-Tech meter to measure drag times. It turned out that after a few runs, the meter was very well-calibrated and close in time to the drag strip’s timing. To see what the Dodge could do, I drove out to the famous ‘Haraholmsrakan’ on the way to Piteå harbor,” Johansson says.

Once there, he noticed some people in the woods doing everything from picking berries to geocaching. They had eyes like saucers when Johansson came roaring by.

“After a moment of reflection, it was time to start the equipment and warm up the tires. Pedal to the metal, and the hood rose. The car took off like hell, I thought. When I kept it floored, it started going really fast after a short while. The thing is, a light on the meter flashes when you hit the quarter-mile. The problem was, it never lit up, and eventually, when I thought it was seriously getting scary, I lifted my foot … And just then, the light flashed…” Johansson says with a big grin.

Then came the tedious task of stopping the car. For anyone who’s braked a car with drum brakes, you know it takes a real man – or woman – to pull that off quickly and efficiently.

In the Coronet’s case, you have to pump the brake pedal three distinct times to stop the car, and the third time, something happens. The brakes feel like they turn into a gas pedal when the drums heat up…

“Full of adrenaline, I sat there screaming in the car. The meter showed 12.52 seconds and 180 km/h in top speed. That’s in a heavy car with me in it. That’s when the thoughts really start going. High elevens aren’t impossible with this muscle car,” Johansson says.

Johansson laughs again. He starts outlining various ideas for how to make the Mopar even faster. Maybe change the camshaft, carburetor and intake. That should give at least another 50 to 75 horsepower. Yes, with the way the engine is built, including the compression ratio.

“But soon enough, you’ll also have to change the exhaust system. And the converter. And then the journey begins again … No, sometimes you have to breathe deeply and practice yoga to stay away from the drag strip and too much tuning. This car is way too nice for drag racing,” Johansson concludes.