– Canadian HEMI® car found, saved and restored long ago
– Was recognized by Otis Chandler’s famous Muscle Car Museum
– 1-of-1 built with 4-speed manual transmission
For the 1970 model year, Dodge dealerships offered several different versions of high-performance automobiles to their potential customers: The Charger R/T, the Challenger R/T and T/A, the Super Bee, the Dart Swinger 340 and the Coronet R/T. Dodge promoted their line of muscle machines as the “Dodge Scat Pack, the cars with the Bumblebee stripes” and they were priced from low to high, and could be equipped with a number of specific “go-fast” options, as well as creature-comfort options and option packages. These were exciting times for lovers of high-horsepower automobiles!
This year really was considered the pinnacle of the muscle car era and Dodge new-car salesmen had plenty of body styles/models for buyers to choose from. 426 HEMIs, 440 Six-Packs, 440 Magnums, 383 Magnums, 340 Six-Packs, 340 Magnums – there were plenty of potent Mopar® engines offered!
Gas was cheap, it was the “pre-smog equipment” era and it was all about high horsepower! The streets and highways of America (and Canada as we’ll soon find out) were filled with Detroit’s hottest offerings.
The “budget supercar” from Dodge was their best seller in the group – the Super Bee – as it totaled 15,506 in sales. Following that was the compact Dart Swinger 340 model (13,785), with Charger R/T next (10,337) then followed by Challenger R/T (Coupe: 3,979, Convertible: 1,070) and Challenger T/A model (2,399). The Coronet R/T shared the body style as the Super Bee but was priced higher and didn’t get anywhere near as many sales: 2,319 hardtops and just 296 convertibles. Perhaps Dodge actually offered too many choices that year? No matter, the 1970 Coronet R/Ts never generated impressive sales numbers; those expensive models never had much of a following in terms of sales, surely for cost reasons.
However, just because a car didn’t sell well when it was brand new doesn’t necessarily mean it is not a cool and very desirable vehicle on the used-car market. Looking back, the Coronet R/T was premium priced and buyers could get about the same looking car in the Super Bee, with as much “flash” but for less cash.
B-BODY DROP TOP
However, if you wanted a convertible in the Dodge lineup of high-performance cars, there were only two choices – the pony-car-sized Challenger R/T or the larger-sized Coronet R/T. Of all the “Scat Pack” cars sold in 1970, clearly the rarest was the Coronet R/T Convertible.
R/T Coronets were top trim models and came with the 440 Magnum as standard equipment (375 horsepower) with two engines available as options – the 440 “Six Pack” 3×2 multiple carburetion mill that cranked out 390 hp (option code E78, $119.05) or the “King Kong” 426 hemispherical-head engine that was rated at 425 horses (option code E74, $718.05). The heavy-duty TorqueFlite® automatic transmission was also standard as was heavy-duty suspension. These were well-equipped cars (bucket seats standard) and were not inexpensive.
In the late 1970s, an enthusiast named Gerry Lefebvre had heard about one such 1970 Coronet R/T drop top in his area (Ottawa, Canada) and he knew the car was uncommon, as one just never saw too many of them, as only a total of 296 were manufactured. The word was that a junkyard in southern Canada had a convertible 1970 Coronet R/T in its inventory, but Lefebvre had no idea what its condition was. So a trip was in order and soon the discovery took place.
Seeing the car had to be a mixed blessing no doubt as – yes it was what he had heard – an authentic 1970 Coronet R/T convertible, but it was heavily damaged, and in a big way. The rear quarters were damaged in a collision, the front end was hit hard and several parts had already been stripped away. A “basket case” if they’re ever was one, but Lefebvre was intrigued.
MEANINGFUL NUMBERS
He jotted down the VIN #WS27R0G140258 and noted that the fifth digit R indicated the engine was originally a 426 HEMI, even though that powerplant was no longer residing between the fender wells. A call to the National HEMI Owners Association confirmed it – this car was a real HEMI car and it was a rare one. Very rare, in fact about as rare as you can get.
The HEMI Association said that Chrysler records showed that only one 1970 Dodge Coronet R/T convertible with a HEMI engine was built … and that was enough news for Lefebvre to make a beeline back to that yard and purchase the hulk! But he was now concerned if the junkyard owner knew how rare this wrecked car was, but nonetheless, a deal was struck and one hundred dollars later, the rare but banged and bumped car was on its way to a resurrected life! Without a doubt, it needed a great deal of attention, as well as numerous parts, including an engine, but it was the real McCoy: a 1970 HEMI Coronet R/T convertible, just in need of some serious TLC!
After an exhaustive two-year search, a correctly numbered 1970 HEMI vintage engine block was located, as were all the critical missing parts found, and with these components the once-proud Mopar muscle machine now had a fighting chance at being fully brought back from the dead. No easy task finding the parts but it happened.
As it turned out, this particular car was actually sold in Canada and was not the one listed in the Chrysler records for USA vehicles. The Chrysler records that the HEMI Association talked about were for vehicles sold in the United States, and it was later believed that particular car was destroyed in a fire … gone forever.
This pictured car is reportedly the only one to go “north of the border” so in effect there were two of these 1970 Coronet R/T ragtops with factory-fitted 426 HEMI engines sold in “North America.” In recent years, a third “export” specimen of this model, a 1970 Coronet R/T Convertible w/HEMI engine is said to have turned up as well.
The VIN WS27R0G140258 assigned to the car divulged the details of this rare machine as delivered from the factory. This Canadian gem came equipped with numerous options: power windows, power steering, power brakes (front discs), console, AM radio with stereo tape, remote RH mirror, A34 Super Track Pak w/4.10:1 gears (Dana 60 HD rear axle) and bright exhaust (chrome) tips, among other factory options, including the New Process 4-speed transmission with Hurst “Pistol Grip” shifter. And yes, the “R” meant 426-cid HEMI. All added up, the original price was $6,160.00!
E74 426 HEMI
10.25:1 compression ratio was used on 1970 426 HEMI engines, and new for the year were hydraulic lifters which eased the maintenance requirements of past solid lifter models. No longer the need for time-consuming valve adjustments. Chrysler press information at the time said the need to change to hydraulic lifters was to control valve lash and camshaft overlap, which had a strong effect on exhaust emissions. That talk of emissions was the beginning of the end for 426 HEMI production, as in 1971, they were no longer offered.
N96 RAMCHARGER HOOD
Special doors in the Ramcharger hood open/close from inside the car, boosting power with cold air ducted directly to the carburetors. Standard equipment on this HEMI engine-powered car.
With a debut at the 1984 Mopar Nationals, this one-of-a-kind Canadian Dark Tan Metallic HEMI Coronet R/T was the talk of the show. The machine had a non-stop crowd surrounding it the entire duration of the show and the story of it being found in a junkyard left for dead, and its restoration, well, it was amazing. Thanks to all of this goes to the extreme hard work and determination of this Canadian Mopar fanatic…
In fact, Lefebvre had done such a good job that in years to come, the vehicle caught the eye of famed newspaper magnate and muscle car collector Otis Chandler, who subsequently bought the car and moved it to his “Vintage Museum of Transportation and Wildlife” located in Oxnard, California. When talking about the rarest of the rarest in Mopar circles, this “big brute” 1970 Coronet R/T Convertible with HEMI engine is at the top of the list!
This classic B-body convertible has changed hands and today it is a fully restored example of a plush, full-sized classic muscle car that still is capable of 13.9-second runs (at 105 mph) down the quarter-mile. Besides a fast machine, the stylish vintage Mopar vehicle still provides genuine head-twisting good looks while out cruising the boulevard. With its history, it is a wonder the car was even still around … however, that was a long time ago when it was found in that junkyard!
BIG BRUTE
Back in the day, these cars were considered “intermediate” in size, and featured a 209.7-inch overall length, rolled on a 117-inch wheelbase and 3,610-pound shipping weight.
Front and side R/T emblems, along with on the rear, identifies the car as seen on the road. The side emblems are fitted on the non-functional side scoops, which were standard equipment.
INTERIOR
Equipped with optional A62 Rallye Instrument Panel Cluster, a $90.30 addition that provided gauges instead of idiot lights. Optional S-81 Wood-grained steering wheel, stainless-steel spider, standard bucket seats, optional C16 console with storage compartment. 4-speed Pistol Grip Hurst shifter, with reverse warning light. 2.44 low gear ratio. 11-inch diameter clutch.
ROLLING STOCK
Code W21 styled Rallye-type road wheels optional, requiring F60 x 15 fiberglass-belted tires. The rear brake drums came painted red from the factory.
BUMBLEBEE STRIPE
V8W is the white bumblebee stripe color code, with the other hues available being black, red, green and blue.
These triple-lens taillights, with built-in backup lights located in between, were unique to the R/T models and different from the Super Bee lights.
Plenty of cargo space inside the trunk, factory black-painted wheel with spare F60 – 15 Goodyear Poliglas GT tire.
RESTORATION DETAILS
Attention to detail is paramount when properly doing a Mopar muscle car restoration! Among the nitty-gritty is correct battery/cables, authentic OEM plug wires and coil markings, OEM replacement radiator hoses, Cleaner Air System fender sticker, O.E. replacement voltage regulator, jack instruction label inside truck.
R/T FEATURES
440 or HEMI, heavy-duty everything, Power Bulge hood standard. Large amounts of options, including Ramcharger hood, which was standard on HEMI engine applications.
BROCHURE
The color pages of the 1970 Coronet dealer brochure highlight all the variations of the model, with the Plum Crazy Coronet R/T pictured as the only available convertible available.
Author: James Maxwell
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