Dodge’s entry in the Musclecar marketplace may have been short on sex appeal, but the ’65 DODGE CORONET DELIVERED MID-SIZE & MAX-PERF!
Dodge covered all bases, catering to performance enthusiasts in 1965. New Dodge Coronets could be ordered with 365-horsepower 426 Street Wedge engines with four-speed or TorqueFlite. Unlike the GTO and 4-4-2, Mopar middleweights were void of eye-catching decor. But they were strong enough to get the job done. A total of 2,100 Coronets with 426 Street wedge engines were built for the 1965 model year. The ’65 DODGE CORONET DELIVERED MID-SIZE & MAX-PERF!
If Dodge engineers and product planners had gotten their way, the 426 Street Hemi would have been introduced along with the 426 Street Wedge with the 1965 mid-size and full-size product line. But that was not to be. Only Street Hemi development vehicles were ever built. In the summer of 1965, at the 1966 model Long Lead Press Preview at the Chelsea Proving Ground, there was one production-ready prototype 426 Street Hemi Coronet 500 hardtop, above & right, available for test driving. It was truly awesome
Both Dodge and Plymouth carried over successful Super/Stock programs based on shorter wheelbase Code A-990 intermediates powered by 426 Hemis with aluminum heads and magnesium intake manifolds. Factory built with 60-percent-lighter, acid-dipped steel front fenders, scooped hood and doors; they were fitted with Corning lightweight side glass. Four-speed or automatic NHRA-legal Super/Stock racecars could be ordered at any authorized dealership. Dodge built 101 426 Hemi Coronets; Plymouth produced 102, and Dodge built 2,100 426 Street Wedge Coronets, below.
When building Hemis for Factory Experimental, the wheelbase was shortened to 110 inches. The rear wheels were moved forward 15 inches and the front wheels by 10 inches, providing an incredible improvement in weight distribution. Each FX car was also treated to a special Plaza Fiberglass Mfg. “diet” which included scooped hood, front bumper, front fenders and doors, trunk lid, and dashboard. Average weight loss was 80 pounds. Other weight reduction tricks included an 18-pound steel front K-member and Dart/Valiant front spindles and brakes for a 50-pound advantage.
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