Back in 1966, the muscle car arms race was in full swing, and Dodge unveiled the earth-shattering 426 Street Hemi V8. Out of a staggering 250,900 Coronets produced that year, Dodge crammed the glorious “Elephant Engine” into just 741 of them. Overall, Chrysler built only 2,730 Hemi vehicles in 1966, making the Coronet the highest-volume host for tire-shredding madness.
Yet while most sane buyers opted for sleek hardtops or breezy convertibles, a handful of weirdly practical speed freaks chose the plain-jane two-door pillared sedan. Drag racers loved these “post coupes” for their rigid frames, but everyday shoppers avoided them like a bad rash.
That structural austerity makes this unassuming grocery getter the ultimate factory sleeper. Certified by Galen Govier documentation as one of just 11 two-door sedans built with the 426 Hemi and a four-speed manual transmission, this specimen takes rarity a step further: its striking dark blue metallic paint likely renders it a genuine one-of-one.
Back in 1966, ordering this beast meant you either possessed incredible foresight or a complete disdain for fuel economy and tire longevity. The base Coronet sedan cost roughly $2,265, but checking the boxes for the 425-hp, 490 lb-ft Hemi ($908) and the heavy-duty four-speed manual ($188) inflated the sticker price by a staggering 50 percent. Whoever originally bought this monster in Iowa wanted to humiliate everyone at the stoplight.
Showing a surprisingly honest 61,000 miles, this blue-on-blue survivor sports dog-dish hubcaps, modern radial tires, a Sure Grip rear differential, and bench seats protected by day-one covers. Mechanically, the 426 Hemi roars through a dual exhaust while the column-mounted Autometer tachometer keeps tabs on the violence.
Back in 2005 at Kruse Auctions in Arizona, bidding stalled at $57,000, and it left the block unsold. Fast forward to 2026, and a survivor of this pedigree commands six figures without breaking a sweat.
Currently listed at a whopping $159,900, it’s a steep asking price, but for a 1-of-11 Mopar unicorn that turns rear rubber into smoke faster than you can say “Elephant V8,” someone will undoubtedly pay for the privilege.
