1968 Coronet History & Overview
For Dodge, 1968 was a very special year. In that year, Dodge introduced some of the most aggressive and attractive body styling ever offered. That happened in part because in 1964, Dodge hired design wiz Richard Sias away from General Motors. He was immediately put to work on a redesign program eventually aimed for the 68-70 B-Body class automobiles. Reporting to the Studio Styling Manager Charlie Mitchell, the "coke bottle" styling differences between the boxier 67 Coronet and 68 Coronet were as result of his vision. Redesign of the 1968 Coronet started in 1965, rendering clay models as early as late 65. Eventually, Sais's design ideas were approved by the Vice President of Styling, Elwood Engle and the Chief of Design Bill Brownlie. The styling ideas were so impressive that the approval was given to incorporate similar features to the infamous 1968 Dodge Charger which also received a make over for 1968. Sias's ideas for the 1968 Coronet had such a large impact on the MOPAR design community, sister company Plymouth incorporated the styling into its lineup as well.
In 1967, Dodge released their first automobiles with the now legendary R/T badges. The first of these automobiles was the Coronet. The 1968 Coronet would be no different as it would be offered with R/T badges and amenities.. The R/T badging which stood for "Road & Track" indicated a baseline of performance equipment found on these automobiles. The engine was nothing smaller than a 440 Cu-in engine with a Torqueflite 727 transmission. The R/T's were also available with the 426 HEMI. They came standard with enhanced suspension, top of the line amenities (Air Conditioning, Defog etc.), bucket seats, 150 MPH Speedometers, dual exhaust, and the R/T only dual tail stripes. The 1968 Coronet R/T was also available via a factory order in convertible form.
Other 1968 Coronet Models include the Coronet 500, Coronet 440, Coronet Deluxe and in Mid-Year 1968 The Coronet SuperBee. The SuperBee along with its Plymouth brother the Roadrunner, was a no frills, stripped down racing machine that came standard with much of the R/T's performance equipment. - RHM III |
