1966 DODGE Coronet 440 wagon- Volo

Story and photographs by and copyright D. S. Brown. Coronet owner's manual images copyright Chrysler.

The records indicate that this Coronet was driven for a few years and then became frozen in time until a collector discovered it in 1995. The Coronet has been driven marginally since then and is essentially in the same condition that it was back in 1969 when the first owner stopped driving it. The original paint, interior and drivetrain were authenticated at a few Mopar shows in the 1990s.

 1966 was the second year for the Coronet. In 1965 when it was first introduced, the Coronet was intended to compete in the new 'intermediate' class against the GM "A bodies" (Chevelle, Tempest, F85, Special) and Ford's Fairlaine. The first year Coronet had simple lines and was somewhat nondescript. To jazz up sales, the 1966 version featured creases and accents in the sheetmetal. The new body also served as the basis for the 1966 Charger which added a fastback roof to the Coronet body to create a new series.

The Coronet came in several trim styles. The fleet version was a stripped 6 cylinder chromeless version called simply Coronet. The Coronet Deluxe had marginally more trim and came in base form as a 6 cylinder. The Coronet 440 was well appointed but also came standard with a 6 cylinder. Only top dog 500 came standard with a V8 and a full complement of extras.

The station wagons were offered as six and nine passenger cars. The six seater bodystyle 45 was available in low trim as well as the 440. The nine passenger cars, bodystyle 46 had a third bench seat and were rated for more weight. In order to get the 9 passenger wagon you first needed the 440 trim level and second needed an optional V8 engine.

The six seater came as a six cylinder. The original purchaser of this wagon, George Sklar opted for the 440 trim level and jumped from the standard 6 cylinder right over the optional 273 V8 to the 318 engine. This wagon came with the optional mattress, sized to make the most use of the space in the wagon with the back seat folded flat.

George's Wagon was built in the Newark, Delaware factory and shipped to Ebbets Field Dodge Inc. in Brooklyn, New York. To read about the dealership, see the story in the DEALERSHIPS section of this website.

George's Coronet wagon was serviced at Ebbets Field Dodge Inc. as attested by the dealer number 57375 recorded in the original purchase record page of the owner's manual and again in the service record riveted into the inner door of the glove box.

The first mileage and date entry is for July, 1968 and 1,044 miles when the car was brought in for its 24 month service. Apparently the car was driven so infrequently, the frist 2 years of service dates were just filled in but no service was performed. The service record ends in 1969 at extremely low mileage.