Back in the 60s, the muscle car era was in full swing, with some of the most elaborate paint jobs and V8 engines we have ever seen.

It was, at least in the automotive industry, a period of excess and huge success built on that excess. Everything demanded more; more displacement, more power, more features, and naturally, more gas. This period of extremes obviously came to a crashing halt when the oil crisis set in by the early 70s, some might say it was a timely intervention, but not before it gave us some of the thirstiest, most spectacular big block muscle cars.

One of those was the famous Dodge Coronet R/T, especially potent with a Hemi, especially rare with a soft top.

10 Coronet History

The First Of The Dodge Coronets Came Out In 1949 In Post-War America, Along With The Dodge Power Wagon
via Mecum

Introduced with a typical 40s design in 1949, the midsize car initially came with a simple flat-head inline 6 engines that were good for around 100 horsepower.

Dodge

On the back of solid sales, the model got a radical redesign in the 50s, with the obligatory tail-fin and a couple more powerful Hemi V8 engine options. The model was dropped for a time between 1959 and 1965.

9 Chrysler B-Body

via Hemmings

When the Coronet returned in 1965 it was reborn as a fairly tame-looking sedan, based on the prolific Chrysler B-body platform.

1967 Dodge Coronet R/T 426 Hemi Convertible Parked
Via: Mecum

Although the base-model looked fairly tame, as you climbed the options tree, things got altogether more interesting. The 440 with a six-pack was one pretty enticing option given the value it offered, but for those with deep pockets, there was a full-on race-spec Hemi on offer.

Related: Rare 1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda Set To Fall Under The Hammer At Mecum

8 Elephant Motor

Via clubalfa.com

The 426 might technically be a few cubic inches down on the 440 motor, but you certainly wouldn’t be able to say so by having a look at the sizable Coronet engine bay it fills out so well.

1969 Dodge Coronet RT Convertible 2 Cropped (1)
Via mecum.com

Nor does it disappoint on the spec sheet, as it produces 425 horsepower, a good 35 more than the 440. It is a proper performance engine, and although back in the 60s and 70s the extra cost may have not seemed like good value, 30 years down the line, it is one of the few V8 engines that have become exceptionally desirable.

7 No-Charge Optional 4-Speed

1970 Dodge Hemi Coronet RT 3
via Mecum

For most enthusiasts, it might seem pretty bizarre how few manual muscle cars there are left on the road today, but it was really never something anyone cared for back then.

Extremely Rare 1967 Dodge Hemi Coronet R-T 426 Convertible Classic
Via: Mecum

At the time, the slushbox was convenient and pretty new tech, today they seem laborious and archaic, even compared to the average four on the floor manual transmission. As a result, pretty much all manual transmission muscle cars are pretty rare, and the Coronet is no exception. Less "no-charge" more "no-dice."

Related: Here's Why Swapping Your Automatic Transmission For A Manual One Is A Bad Idea

6 Short Lived R/T

1967 Dodge Coronet R/T 426 Hemi Convertible Parked
Via: Mecum

Introduced for the 1967 model year as a hardtop coupe or convertible, the R/T would only be around for four short model years.

Dodge Coronet Hemi 426
Via Mecum Auctions

The R/T was sold with the powerful big block 440 motor, the Hemi engine was always only an option, at around $1,000 more, it was also a fairly exclusive option.

5 Controversial Restyling

HotCars

For 1967 the styling remained fairly pedestrian, with squared off lines that could easily blend into the contemporary automotive landscape.

HotCars

That all changed rather dramatically in 1968, so much so that these cars would hardly pass for a modern facelift but might get categorized as an all new generation. A combination of this bold new styling and the tailing off of the muscle car era saw a sharp decline in sales by 1970.

Related: This Is How Much A 2015 Dodge Challenger Hellcat Costs

4 Rudimentary Suspension

1970 Dodge Coronet RT Convertible with 426 5
via Hot Rod

In the front you just got a pretty run-of-the-mill torsion bar setup, something that some pickups still use today, but even back in the 60s this was far from modern technology, even though Chrysler confusingly marketed it as their “Air Ride Suspension.”

via HotRod

At the rear you got good old-fashioned leaf springs, so this was not a car destined for the track, unless that track was a drag-strip.

3 Outdated Brakes

1968 Plymouth Road Runner wheels
Steve Magnante via YouTube

To be very clear disc brakes, not experimental racing disc brakes, commercial mass-produced disc brakes were already in use since the late 50s.

No More Drum Brakes
via CarFromJapan

For a car with this amount of power and weight to come off the showroom floor with all-round drum brakes is shameful. Disc brakes were still only an option at the time…

Related: This Is The Best Feature Of The 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1

2 Drop-Top Muscle

Pinterest

As much as people love to focus on muscle car specs, something that actually evolved into an all out arms race between the big three, they were never about performance at all. They were all about the experience.

Rarest cars in the world
via Mecum

In terms of an experience, this convertible delivers. A big rumbling Hemi powering you along the highway with the top down is the image they would sell you, and for most, that is an experience worth paying for.

1 Unicorn Cars

via Hemmings

With the slow down in sales by 1970, just under 300 convertibles were made, of those 300 only two, that is right, two, came equipped with the Hemi from the factory.

1970 Dodge Coronet RT Convertible with 426 3
via Graveyard Carz

Of those two cars, one had its engine replaced with a genuine Hemi and factory four speed (above), the other car is an automatic that actually also got optional disc brakes. Truly rare beasts.