It’s no secret that we at MyStarCollectorCar seek out the story behind the vehicle because its history is the most important element of our articles about vintage rides. We even put the story element in our motto when we fired up in April 2009.
Every vehicle does indeed have a story, but some are simply better than others, so we seek the interesting story angles at car shows during the summer and on social media platforms during the winter.
Jim Sutherland
We discovered a 1972 Dodge Coronet 4-door sedan on a social media platform and were fortunate enough to connect with its owner on a page dedicated to cars from the past. The car in question was kept by a member of the original owner’s family after she passed away in the mid-1970s.
The ’72 Coronet was stored in a barn with very few intervals of use since 1976, so it had not racked up mileage or wear and tear over the decades. In fact, the Coronet only had 43,000 miles on its odometer over the past 53 years when its current owner spotted the car in an online buy/sell ad.
The previous owner was the grandson of the woman who originally purchased the car from her local Dodge dealership in 1972 before she passed away only a few years later. The former owner stored the car, occasionally fired it up for brief intervals, and finally decided the Coronet needed a new owner.
The last owner eventually sold the ’72 Coronet to a young car guy named Travis Gregory after he discovered the ad and was willing to drive 9 hours to purchase it. The car ignited plenty of interest from other car guys, but Travis was a motivated buyer and became the Coronet’s latest owner.
Here’s the kicker: Travis is not even 30 years old and is a young family man. He was raised in the hobby because his father is a car guy and took a hands-on approach to his vehicles. “I grew up around cars 24/7”, in Travis’s words, and he clearly loved the experience because he owns a variety of unusual vehicles from a bygone era before Travis was even born.
Any vehicle put into storage for long periods of time will typically develop issues from an extended timeout, but Travis was spared from serious complications when he got the rust-free car a few months ago. He was able to clean out the fuel system, replace the factory spark plugs and get the Coronet back on the road.
The tires on the car needed replacement because they had Grand Canyon-sized cracks in them and Travis wanted to ensure he and his young family could enjoy the car in safety. A retro 4-door sedan was a practical choice for Travis because he could include his family in the road trips.
At this point, Travis chooses secondary roads because their lower speed limits factor into his family’s safety levels, so he is comfortable at 55-65 mph on two-lane highways. The car is lightly optioned, but its reliable 318 and 3-speed automatic transmission can easily handle the pace.
These days, a dedicated under-30 car guy is a rarity, but an under-30 car guy with a 53-year-old sedan from the Nixon years is an even rarer species in our opinion here at MyStarCollectorCar.
Even better, this 1972 Dodge Coronet has a happy ending for the car and its new owner.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
- CLICK HERE to Sign Up for the Newsletter
- CLICK HERE to Like us on Facebook
- CLICK HERE to Follow us on Twitter
- CLICK HERE to Follow us on Pinterest
