It was finally discovered after years of sitting.
The Dodge Coronet was a very interesting car for automotive enthusiasts back in the day. On one hand it sort of combined luxury and style with performance to make a muscle car. On the other hand it was also big and bulky and had a bit of a reputation for being a grandma‘s car. Either way, enthusiasts today look at this car and think of how crazy it is that all the manufactures were able to build something so versatile in the late 1960s. One example of a car sort of known for its performance, or lack thereof, while also wearing the cornet badge was the Coronet 440 which many thought had a 440 cubic inch V8 under the hood. However, as one knowledgeable enthusiast went on to explain in video format, this was not necessarily the case.
Found in an abandoned junkyard surrounded by other similarly forgotten classic cars, this Coronet is a story told far too often within the automotive community. Covered in dust and dirt from decades of sitting in an open field, this Coronet has become little more than a vacation home for rats and rodents everywhere. It looks like there might’ve been a vinyl top on the car though that is clearly rotted away and the trunk and windows have been left open probably for this car's entire time having been sat here. Of course it’s not the condition of the car that this particular enthusiast is concerned about but rather educating the masses on Mopar‘s oddly deceptive naming system for this particular model.
Boasting a 440 badge on the side, you might expect there to be a 440 cubic inch engine, nicknamed the magnum, under the hood. However these cars were actually powered by a 273 cubic inch eight-cylinder engine which was, at the time, the smallest eight cylinder powerplant offered. For the 1967 model year there weren't many other options than that for the 440 despite obviously alluding to a much more desirable engine. Why the brand decided to name this B-body the 440 is pretty much a mystery to anyone who wasn’t actively working for Dodge at the time. Regardless of why it happened, this is still a neat piece of historical information about a car that made a name for itself by being unique and versatile. As for the car itself, it may one day be rescued from its suffering and restored but, whatever happens, it certainly doesn’t deserve to sit in the yard for one more second.
