Car: Dodge Coronet 500 Convertible
Year: 1968
What makes it special: Dodge’s Coronet received a complete redesign in 1968, and shared the B-body platform with the Charger and Belvedere models. Trim levels initially included the base Coronet, Coronet Deluxe, Coronet 440, Coronet 500 and Coronet R/T. Coronet 500 retained its 2-door hardtop, convertible and 4-door sedan through 1970.
What made it famous: In convertible form, the 1968 Coronet was massive with character lines embedded in the quarter panels, the fenders and trunk lid. The clean grille and simple yet effective deck lid made the car look lighter than it was. The majority of car owners wanted nice, modern transport with some styling and creature comforts. Eyeball flattening speed wasn’t on their hit list. For those people, the Coronet 500 was just the ticket. The 500 was Coronet’s premium trim model and came with bucket seats, console, extra goodies including full carpeting, ashtrays, lighting and nice wheel covers to go with your quarter panel trim. The 500 was always V8 powered, usually the 318 was the main weapon although the 383 was also offered in two and four barrel guise. You could also get stick shift or the 727 automatic transmission.
Why I would want one: You always hear for the R/T and Super Bee models for performance, what’s nice about the 500 model is you can get the performance side of the coin with the creature comforts that make the ride more plush.
Fun fact: A Coronet is a small crown consisting of ornaments fixed on a metal ring.
