The keep-the-classic-car-in-the-family back story is a favorite at MyStar because it speaks to a deeper connection with an old vehicle.
That’s the back story to this 1968 Dodge Coronet 500 two-door hardtop.
Jerry Sutherland
Kim Kelly remembered this car when he was a kid, because his cousin bought it brand new, so Kim grew up with this car. The car was used at his parent’s wedding, so it was clearly part of the family biography. Kim liked the Coronet so much he told his cousin this: “If you ever sell it let me know”.
Kim said his cousin refused any offers—even when Kim yanked his chain by asking: “You still got that Charger for sale?”. Kim made his regular inquiry one day back in 1993, and two weeks later his cousin finally said, “Yes, it is—it’s sitting in my mom’s garden”. Kim couldn’t cut a check fast enough for the ’68 Coronet.
The next stage was to evaluate the car from top to bottom because Tim was concerned about a car sitting in a garden for several years. He learned the ‘68 Dodge wasn’t devastated by the sketchy storage—but it did need work.
Tim found out the car required metal work like the quarter panels, but overall, it was a very realistic project. The vinyl roof had survived but the interior needed work. Tim’s game plan was to bring the Coronet back to factory mint—just like the day his cousin rolled it out of the local dealership.
His ‘68 Coronet 500 still has the big-block 383 it was born with—plus the optional 4-speed factory manual transmission. Tim knows the transmission option is extremely rare with the Coronet 500 model–plus his cousin insisted on a rear-mounted, driver’s side radio antenna when he bought the car. Tim doubts that anyone else ordered that antenna option on a ’68 Coronet 500 that year—especially combined with the 4-speed option.
Tim had the 383 rebuilt to 60 over, so the car has more punch than it did under his cousin’s watch, but Tim’s keep-it-stock game means the 383 will never see headers or any other performance tricks.
The Coronet came in Turquoise Blue LL-1 Blue–that’s the code Tim insisted on when the paint question came up during the restoration. It also came with the factory certicard, so Tim knows every option on the car is documented.
The restoration process started in 1995 and ended in 2003, and since then it’s seen 10,000 miles. Tim knows he can smoke the tires, but he said “they’re too expensive” so they won’t go up in a cloud of smoke. The 500 came with Magnum wheels but Tim also has dog dish wheels and Center-Line wheels as options for the car.
Tim described the driving experience as “beautiful”, thanks to a long and careful restoration process. He took his dad for a run in the Coronet 500, and his dad was blown away by how his wedding car from years ago still ran like a champ.
The final tribute? Tim’s cousin wants the car back—and even offered a new Challenger as bait but Tim’s not in a selling mood.
He waited too many years to own it.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
- 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
Please re-post this if you like this article.
