In the 1960s, drag racing was at its height. Two cars going head to head for a quarter of a mile. There were many different classes in drag racing, such as top fuel, gassers, and of course the Super Stock category, where the every-day car was turned into a beast.
Photos/Story: Maxx Kominsky • Model: Miss AC
Cars of that era included the 1964 Ford Thunderbolt, Chevrolet bubble-top BelAirs and Impalas were hopped up, and even the Dodge Coronet was an example.
Darin Smith’s 1965 Coronet is a perfect tribute to this particular page in history. Darin Smith is the big cheese of DWS Classics in Huntington Beach, California.
Recently, Smith has taken on another project: he is currently the host of a show called History Driven, which tells the history of certain classic cars, like the Dodge Charger and Chevrolet Corvette.
Just a garage door down from the main shop is where Darin keeps one of his prized cars, this 1965 Dodge Coronet 440 turned into what easily could have been a drag car from back in the day. The rear wheels are wrapped around Firestone Dragster 12” cheater slicks and a Dana 60 rear end with all the parts offered from Strange. The transmission is a 727 reverse manual. The front wheels are period correct American Racing Torq Thrust wheels wrapped around a pair of Firestone bias-ply tires.
Smith found what was left of the car while visiting relatives several years ago. What he found was a totally rust-free body for a ’65 Coronet and spent the next few years looking for the correct parts. Since Darin is a huge drag racing fanatic, he thought this was the perfect car to start with. “I’ve always wanted one since not many of these were around, and they are handsome cars”, Darin stated. “Add a hemi, and oh my gosh, you have a badass car”, he added.
The Ruby Red Metallic paint job is the original color, but is not the original paint, which is long gone. Inside the car is a single set of Crow Enterprises lap belts, and a set of gauges from the legendary Moon Equipment Co., which are period correct to the car. The engine is an equivalent to a bored and stroked 426 Hemi, topped with Holley carburetors and velocity stacks. As an extra special treat, there are stickers in the windows from the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), and the American Hot Rod Association (AHRA). “It’s the ultimate B-Body from the Max Wedge/Hemi era”, Darin also said. At the time, it was all Dodge vs Plymouth, and the other manufacturers could barely keep up with the Mopars”, he also added.
This Coronet is definitely badass. When Darin brought the car out for the shoot, it was so loud that it set off the alarms of the modern day cars that were parked nearby. This is definitely a car worth seeing up close; a period correct build with new-old-stock components all around.
