Fascinating Story Of The Rarest B-Body Mopar On The Planet

Summary

• A-bodies, B-bodies, C-bodies, and E-bodies are the car platforms Mopar used to build some legendary muscle cars. Packed with power.
• Dodge Coronet R/T Hemi convertibles are ultra-rare classics with impressive performance specs. A true collector’s dream for Mopar fans.
• Thanks to passionate collectors like Brett Torino, rare Mopar muscle cars are being rescued, restored, and appreciated for their unmatched value.

Understanding the Mopar car platforms is as easy as ABC. The A-bodies were compacts, B-bodies mid-size, and C-bodies full-size. D-body got skipped over because that was for trucks, and the E-bodies were coupes like the Challenger and Barracuda. The B-body platform was the foundation upon which most of the mightiest Mopar muscle cars were built upon. For Plymouth, it was used for the eerily similar Belvedere, Satellite, GTX, and Road Runner models, while over at Dodge, it was Chargers and Coronets.

The fifth generation Coronets were the quintessential B-body Mopars, so much so that when Dodge made a variant, it was dubbed the “Super Bee,” after the platform. While the Charger was the rock star of the B-body line-up, coming only in kick-ass two-door form, the Coronet was the versatile nameplate, with two-door, four-door, and wagon configurations. There were also rare convertible Coronets available between 1965 and 1970, that have gone on to become some of the most collectible Mopars ever made.

Dodge sold more Coronets during the classic muscle car era, though not all of them were muscle cars, but despite the big production numbers also have the rarest Mopars among their ranks. A Dodge Coronet convertible equipped with the 426ci Hemi engine, from any year, is likely to be one of less than a dozen cars. For 1970, the final year for cool Coronets, a Hemi-equipped convertible is a one-of-two car and the rarest Hemi B-body car ever produced.

In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from various manufacturer websites and other authoritative sources, including Hemmings, Mecum, and MotorTrend.

1970 Dodge Coronet R/T Convertible Hemi

In 1970, Dodge produced 114,955 Coronets, which, when contrasted with the approximate 49,800 Chargers they built that year, is a lot of cars. Also that year, Chrysler decided that only branded muscle cars could option the 426ci Hemi V-8 engine.

In the Coronet’s case, that meant the R/T, of which 2,615 left the factory. The numbers started shrinking even more because a mere 15 Coronets were ordered with the Hemi engine. There were 296 Coronet convertibles built in 1970 and just two of them were Hemi-equipped.

Power and Performance

(Performance stats sourced from Hemmings)

The Coronet got a complete redesign in 1968, and then in 1970, received a new front fascia that made it look like a pair of double-pupil, evil scowling eyes. It was the last year for the R/T hardtop and the convertible, as well as the final time a Hemi was available in a Coronet.

With such low production numbers for the performance Coronets, they have become some of the rarest Mopars from the classic era. Of the two Coronets that came with a Hemi, one had a three-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission and the other a four-speed manual.

Fate Of The Hemi Convertible R/Ts

With the insane rarity of a Hemi-powered ’70 Coronet R/T convertible, it would be assumed these magnificent cars would be cared for, cherished, and enshrined in museums. The reality is, that both of them were beaten to hell, and one of them was murdered.

The Hemi R/T convertible with the automatic transmission was reportedly destroyed beyond repair, which left just one surviving example. That one, too, had a rough life, but thankfully was in restorable condition.

Junkyard Dog

The 1970 Coronet R/T Hemi convertible with the four-speed was found at a junkyard in Canada. It was a smashed, rusting mess and the entire drivetrain was missing. Luckily, the anonymous genius who found her took a look at the fender tag

They noticed that the car was factory-equipped with the 426ci Hemi engine and four-speed transmission, making it worth restoring. It was brought back from the dead and equipped with a 1972 426 Hemi crate engine, so while it wasn’t a matching-numbers car, it was as correct as it could be.

Graveyard Carz Resurrects The R/T Hemi Convertible

The rescued 1970 Coronet R/T Hemi convertible eventually ended up with noted Mopar collector, Brett Torino, who considered it one of his favorite daily drivers. At some point, the Hemi had a major oil pressure drop and started making noises, so he figured the engine required a rebuild.

While the initial restoration was presentable, it wasn’t a 100-point show-quality job, and there was an unsightly dent in the front fender, so Torino opted for a total refresh and took it to Mark Worman at Graveyard Carz.

Worman is one of the premier Mopar restorers in the country, if not the top dog, and has done several other cars for Torino. This ’70 R/T Hemi convertible, however, would not be a quick flip, taking around five years to complete.

The start-to-finish restoration was fit into an hour-long episode of the Graveyard Cars TV show, but in reality, it was a half-decade effort. It was definitely worth the wait because Worman and his crew brought the Coronet back even better than when it originally rolled off the factory floor.

Challenging Restoration

No matter how solid a car looks on the outside, once it starts getting broken down, it will reveal any number of horrors. In the case of the R/T convertible, the initial restoration wasn’t done correctly and there was a lot of Frankensteined sheet metal work that had to be fixed.

As is the case with all classic Mopars, parts aren’t easy to come by, especially interior components, so everything that was there needed to be preserved and refurbished. Even pulling and re-installing the Hemi engine was a pain because there is about a millimeter of wiggle room that makes the difference between a clean mount and scratched paint.

’70 Coronet R/T Hemi Convertible Features

• 1972 426ci Hemi V-8
• A833 18-spline heavy-duty 4-speed transmission
• Hurst Pistol-Grip shifter
• Deep Burnt Orange Metallic paint
• White Bumblebee stripe
• AM radio/8-track player
• 15×7 Chrysler Rallye Wheels

Million Dollar Mopar

The restoration of the Coronet R/T Hemi convertible was so meticulous that it included replica factory usage stickers as well as assembly line marks and stamps on the undercarriage. Mark Worman often referred to this beautiful restoration as a “seven-figure car” and a million-dollar Mopar.

Seeing as how it is the only one in existence, there are no auction prices to determine its worth, and being a one-of-one classic Hemi-equipped Coronet puts it in the same league as other million-dollar-selling Mopars.

Rare Hemi Coronet Convertibles

Dodge and Plymouth muscle cars from the late 1960s and early 1970s are already collectible because they were the coolest looking of the classic era, and they were made in far fewer numbers than their Chevy and Ford counterparts.

Only 9,000 to 11,000 Mopars were ever factory-equipped with a 426, so a Hemi under the hood takes that collectability to crazy, and expensive levels, and if it has the four-speed manual, it’s even rarer. The last piece of the puzzle for a Mopar Holy Grail or Unicorn car is whether it has a ragtop, and the Coronet nameplate sports some of the rarest ever made.

1967 Dodge Coronet R/T Hemi Convertible

With three examples made, the 1967 Coronet R/T Hemi convertible is only slightly less rare than the ’70 R/T Hemi convertible. Actually, it’s positively common compared to the last one in existence, because all three of these beauties are still lighting up the blacktop.

Prices, however, are nowhere near the seven-figure mark, with the auction gavel coming down between $216,000 and $269,500. A white ’67 R/T convertible, the only one equipped with the automatic transmission, went up for sale in a 2023 Mecum auction, but the $100,000 high bid didn’t cover the reserve and went unsold.

1969 Dodge Coronet R/T Hemi Convertible

For 1969, Dodge broke production records by making four Hemi-equipped Coronet R/T convertibles, and despite their relative abundance, are the most expensive to have ever sold at auction. A Bright Green Metallic R/T Hemi convertible set the record for Coronets at Mecum Kissimmee 2016, selling for $687,500.

It was in perfect condition and is the only one to have the Hemi V-8 paired with a four-speed manual transmission, so the price was certainly justified. That was also eight years ago, so it’s not impossible to imagine it may be worth close to or over a million dollars now.

Last 1970 Coronet R/T Hemi Convertible Standing

Next to Hemis, four-speeds, and ragtops the most important thing in determining the value of a Mopar is matching numbers, but in the case of Brett Torino’s 1970 Coronet R/T Hemi convertible, that might not matter all that much.

While it doesn’t have the factory-installed drivetrain, it does have a period-correct 426ci Hemi V-8 engine and four-speed manual transmission, which technically matches the Fender tag code. With the automatic R/T smoking its tires in Mopar Heaven, Torino’s ride is the only one left, and that’s a name-your-price level of rarity.

Torino isn’t just a Mopar collector, but a genuine lover of the awesome classic muscle cars. He has sold part of his collection before, as documented by a 2016 Hot Rod magazine piece that was republished by MotorTrend, so one day we may find out if this really is a million-dollar Mopar.

On the other hand, seeing how much Torino adored the finished product on his Graveyard Carz restoration indicates that the ultra-rare Hemi-powered Coronet is a permanent part of his epic Mopar collection, and probably a favorite daily driver.