Ultra-Rare967 Dodge Hemi Coronet W023 Could Become World's Most Expensive

When talking about the B-body Dodge muscle cars, we often think about the Charger and Super Bee. Both were based on the Coronet but restricted to two-door body styles. The Coronet, on the other hand, was also available as a four-door sedan and station wagon. It was Dodge's bread-and-butter midsize car before anything else.

But customers could also order it with the company's high-performance big-block V8 engines, including the mighty 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) Hemi. And did you know that the iconic "R/T" badge debuted on the Coronet? Yup, the emblem debuted on the Coronet in 1967, one year before it found its way on the second-generation Charger.

Like all 426-horsepower rigs, the Hemi Coronet is quite rare. The engine was offered in the midsize car from 1966 through 1970, and Dodge sold only 1,411 examples. The white hardtop you see here is one of only 349 assembled for the 1967 model year. That's less than 0.2% of the total Coronet production.

This number is small enough to turn a Coronet into a six-figure car at public auction, but this hardtop has an even smaller figure to brag about. That's because it's one of only 55 W023-spec Coronets produced that year. Furthermore, the four-speed manual gearbox reduces that number to just 16 examples.

What's a W023 car, and what sets it apart from the regular Hemi? Well. It's a lightweight muscle car developed with drag racing in mind. It was created alongside the Plymouth Hemi Belvedere II R023, and it was pretty much a base-level Coronet with a 426 V8, a trunk-mounted battery, and a Pursuit Police pack suspension.

All cars were built on February 12, 1967, and some were raced in the NHRA A/Stock category. It's unclear how many of these W023 Coronets are still around today, but this white example has to be one of the finest in existence. The result of a thorough restoration, this Mopar looks flawless inside and out and packs the correct Hemi setup under the hood.

The car is said to have retained all factory body panels, which is a rare feat for a strip-oriented vehicle. On the flip side, the ad says the 426 Hemi is a "period correct" unit, meaning the original powerplant is no longer in the car. Likewise, there's no confirmation whether the four-speed manual and Dana 60 rear end are numbers-matching.

The vehicle comes with the original broadcast sheet and a report by Mopar expert Dave Wise. Both confirm its authenticity as a W023 vehicle.

The Coronet is one of the stars of Mecum's upcoming Indy 2025 auction in May. The company doesn't provide a pricing estimate, but this Coronet will definitely cross the block for a six-figure sum. Assuming the bids exceed the reserve, that is.

In January 2024, an almost identical W023 with an automatic transmission changed hands for $125,000. Given the rarer four-speed automatic, this hardtop should exceed that amount to become the most expensive 1967 Coronet ever auctioned. The car will go under the hammer on May 16.