A NOTE ABOUT RHMJr's. first R/T from RHM Jr.
In 1968, I was single, in the military and stationed in Sioux City, IA. It was there that I bought a new Dodge Coronet R/T. It was painted dark blue with white bumblebee stripes and came with the standard R/T equipment (440 CID, 375 HP engine, dual exhausts, heavy duty suspension and brakes, wide tread tires with narrow red sidewalls and hub caps). When I first saw the car at the dealership, I immediately liked its body style. However, it was the test drive that sold me on the car. The performance was stellar. I can still remember the thrill it gave me. Shortly after buying the car, I was transferred to Arizona. I made the trip with everything I owned either in the trunk of the back seat of that car. The added weight didn't significantly hamper performance. I can still recall the surprised look on the face of a GTO driver in Colorado Springs as the R/T beat the GTO three times between consecutive traffic lights. After the third defeat, the GTO made a right turn and disappeared down a side street. It wouldn't have surprised me to learn he was headed for his local Dodge dealer. In 1969, I got married and we used the R/T for our honeymoon trip. My friends took special care not to mess up the R/T when decorating it. For this I was thankful. Given they knew how much attention I gave that car, I suspect they decided it would be best not to do anything foolish to it. In 1970, I was reassigned to Viet Nam. My wife took excellent care of the car while I was gone. In 1971, upon my return we drove it to New Jersey. After a short stay there, I was reassigned to Georgia. No matter where we went the car drew a lot of attention. The sound it produced was seductive but at the same time sinister. In 1972, I was reassigned to Germany. In preparing for the move, we were told that the price of gas was over $2.00 per gallon in Germany. Based on that information and our limited budget, we decided to sell the R/T. Upon arriving in Germany, we found the military provided gas coupons, which allowed gas purchases at approximately $0.25 per gallon. Needless to say we were not pleased when we learned this fact. I often think how much fun that R/T would have been on the German autobahns. It has been 35 years since I sold my R/T. In the interim, my wife and I raised a wonderful son and I have retired from both the military and the corporate world. One of our near term goals is to own another 1968 Dodge Coronet R/T. |
