There are many reasons why people never sell a car.
The biggest reason is an emotional attachment to an old car because of the built-in memories that come with long-term ownership.
Another reason is purely financial—that’s where this 1976 Dodge Royal Monaco two-door hardtop sits.
Jerry Sutherland
Brian Gallelli bought this car from a Dodge dealership back in 1976. He traded in a 1972 Oldsmobile because the Olds couldn’t handle the stress of pulling a trailer, so the big 455 overheated under load.
He liked the torque of the big-block 400 under the hood, but he was alarmed by the smoke that poured out of the exhaust after a few weeks of ownership. Brian said they tried everything to fix it, but the diagnosis came after someone admitted they’d filled half the gas tank with diesel then topped it off with gasoline. Brian said, “It didn’t hurt the car, but it was scary for awhile”.
Brian’s Dodge has the infamous Lean Burn ignition system, but over the years he’s figured out how to live with this early form of electronic spark control. He found a new one in Mexico that was better than the original one and it’s functioned well for many years. It’s been dialed in since then and the car runs great.
He has replaced several valve cover gaskets because the design of the exhaust sits right next to the cover, so they get heated up to a point of failure. The other problem were the valve seals—once they go, the car starts smoking so Brian upgraded to neoprene.
Brian has stayed with a ‘keep it original’ game plan because the Dodge still has only 67,000 original miles on it. He drove it for a few years, then his wife took over for awhile–but most of the time the Monaco sat in a garage.
He lent it to his daughter for a few weeks then it went into more long hibernation. Brian started the car regularly, but it never saw much more daily use. He wanted to trade it in on a Bronco in 1984, but they would only give him 500 dollars for trade-in.
Brian walked on that deal because, as he said, “I paid 8800 dollars for it, and it was still in great shape”. He knew the car was worth more than that because it was still mint and the two-door hardtop version of this Dodge was extremely rare. Brian said, “Most of these cars were Landaus” and an online search only turned up three examples of these hardtop cars. At that point, Brian knew he’d never sell the car.
The car is basically the same as when he bought it—except for the new paint. The interior is still in great shape, and everything works. The only exception is the factory 8-track.
This Royal Monaco was built for the open road, and it winds down the road with ease. Brian said it “still rocks down the highway—it’s beautiful to drive”.
This Monaco was never a long-term deal for Brian—it just worked out that way. He couldn’t be happier.
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.
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