Man Saves 1968 Dodge Coronet R/T From Fire, Gets Surprise From Seller

Most cars that spend decades in barns or junkyards usually end up in the crusher. And most of the ones that are saved are sourced for parts and never make it back on the road. It’s not all hopeless, though. Some vehicles get lucky and end up in restoration shops, even when they emerge as rolling shells. This 1968 Dodge Coronet R/T is one of those classics.

Found in Missouri by YouTube's “A Mostly Mopar Family,” this golden-era Coronet spent decades off the road. It also lost a lot of components while sitting, so our host found an incomplete rig that needed several parts to get it up and running again. The two-door was also missing its VIN and fender tag.

Most enthusiasts wouldn’t touch a classic Mopar without a VIN, but that didn’t stop our guest from making a purchase. And in a surprising twist, he was able to get in touch with the person who purchased the dash frame that included the VIN, reuniting it with the car. He then left the Coronet with the seller because he didn’t have the space to transport the R/T home.

A month later, our guest returned to the depot to pick up the Mopar. And he got the surprise of his life when the salesman told him he had found the missing fender tag. With both tags now present, the vehicle is much easier to authenticate. And that’s a big deal, because this is no ordinary Coronet.

This Mopar is a true R/T, which makes it quite rare compared to all the other versions. The Coronet was quite popular in 1968, selling nearly 200,000 units. The R/T, the top-of-the-line performance-oriented version, found only 10,280 customers that year, representing only 5.2% of total production.

The R/T was available with one of two V8 engines for 1968. It came standard with the 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) RB, and the option list included the mighty 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) HEMI. This Coronet rolled off the assembly line with the 440 four-barrel, as did a total of 9,734 examples delivered to U.S. dealerships.

It’s not exactly rare by that figure, but the fender plaque confirms that it was equipped with a four-speed manual transmission. This transmission was much less popular, and only 1,983 examples were made. When you factor in the F8 Dark Green Metallic paint and two-tone green and white interior, you’re probably looking at one of fewer than 100 examples built just like this one.

It’s unclear whether this Coronet will get a full restoration or if the revival will be more of a survivor-type makeover, but our host says he’ll be getting the car back on the road. And that’s great news for a classic that needs a long list of parts and a five-figure sum to get it up and running again. Check it out in the video below.