I was at several of Don’s front engine Swamp Rat performances and where ever he went in the pits, crowds followed him. He won over and over again. A great driver and quite a man.
I was one of the first 2000 thru Don museum. Pat said he was out back tuning a neighbors Oldmobile. He showed me around his shop. Met him again a few years later at a diner in Carson City He was working on someone's AA/FC. Always a gentleman.
I was one of the first 2000 thru Don museum. Pat said he was out back tuning a neighbors Oldmobile. He showed me around his shop. Met him again a few years later at a diner in Carson City He was working on someone's AA/FC. Always a gentleman.
I’ve had the pleasure of going to The Don Garlits Drag Racing Museum. Actually was approached by Big Daddy Don Garlits himself! As nice a man as you will ever meet, humble an honest and full of wonderful stories! I hope he sits down some time with a biographer, to tell the story of his life!
For any racer to match Don Garlits' legacy they would have to design the car, build the car, build the engine, tune it, drive it, and own and operate the whole operation. That will never happen again. In addition, that person would have to build one of the best museums in all of motorsports. And in addition to that, he did it all while based in Florida and not having the advantage of living among the Southern California speed culture at the time. He is absolutely drag racing's GOAT. How fortunate we are to have him still around and promoting the sport.
I met Don Garlits as a kid at the mopar nationals in Columbus Ohio in the 80's. The next year we went and met him again and he remembered me. Said I got a little bit bigger. Very nice guy, let me sit in his dragster and stuff.
I flew from the UK in 1990 to see this car at DG museum, I still have the pics sat here today of it.....that "Tom Thumb" rocket go kart that was there was a hoot., a nice Lady gave us 4 Yorkshire Lads a tour, loved it.
@@SquirminHermanthe1eyedGerman H3LL YEAH Growing up in the 70's my dad & his Pal's had Hot Rods around all the time! Must be where I got love for the smell of BURNT RUBBER!
Didn't every one of us have a friend where we all met up to wrench on our cars that would always get b¡tchy an say "don't smoke the tires or leave any skid marks on the dam road!
I remember reading an article in a muscle car rag in around 1990 about a guy had either a coronet or belvedere, don’t remember which, was red, four door hemi, original owner still had it, bought it to tow his holiday trailer.
THERE WAS A GOLD WITH RED INTERIOR 4 DOOR CORONET HEMI BOUGHT NEW IN CANADA BY A VETERINARIAN . I EVEN SPOKE WITH HIS SON . IN 2005 A FELLOW FROM VEGAS I BELIEVE OWNED 2 OF THEM I MET HIM AT MOPRS AT THE STRIP IN 2005 . A RED ONE AND THE GOLD ONE . THE RED ONE WENT THROUGH BARRET JACKSON AND BID TO $600K HE HAD TO BID TO BUY HIS OWN CAR BACK BECAUSE HE WANTED 1 MILLION . HE PUT IT N EBAY A MONTH LATER AND IT BID TO $100K . SHOULD HAVE TAKEN THE $580K ( HE BID 600K ). IT COST HIM A BUNDLE TO BUY HIS OWN CAR BACK. BUYERS FEE, SELLERS FEE AND THE ENTRY FEE.
I wonder how rare our 1966 Coronet station wagon was? 426 hemi, 4speed trans, power steering but regular brakes. We had it for two years to tow a camper trailer with. It got wrecked in January of 1969, hit by a snow plow. I pulled the engine and trans to put in a 1964 Dodge that I was turning into a drag car.
Here's another one. In Austin, TX., in 1968 my friend and me looked at a 1966 steel blue 4 door Coronet 426 badged Hemi engine 727 auto transmission car owned by a lady that said she never raced it. She let us pop the hood and it had the dark orange color big block Hemi engine with the orange air cleaner assembly with 426 HEMI 425 HP logo on it. There were two small metal 426 Hemi badges on the cars 2 lower front quarter panel areas.This was during the summer of 1968 right behind Twin Oaks Shopping Center on S. Congress Avenue. There were more out there for some reason.
Scored a 68 Chevy Two, badge on fender 307 , pulled out the engine, gave it to my father, he rebuild turns out to be a 327, 375 HP, he put it in a 66, 4 door impala.
I knew a guy that had a 641/2 Charger with a mechanical camshaft Hemi with 4 speed. So I wish he had sold it to me LOL. Ofc he refused to let it go. Don't know what happened to it but I hope he still has it.
I was the second owner of a hemi roadrunner 1968 with four-speed not completely stock but it ran very well the way we got it equipped it after it been stored during the oil crisis in the 1970s I wonder where it is now? I still remember it rather vividly..
1965 there were 6 426 Hemi station wagons produced. Also offered in MOPAR station wagons for a few more years until 1971. Guaranteed that "Big Daddy" Don Garlits knows all that. For several years, he ran the 392 hemi engines instead of the 426 hemi.
Been to his museum twice. So cool. Met him a our drag strip Speed World in central florida. Again at a car show in Panama City and always see him at the Gatornationals. If you can get to his museum it will be plain to see what an innovator he was and is. What a life.
I remember reading about a '66 Plymouth Satellite convertible that wound up in a salvage yard. It had a hemi/4-speed engine & was a prototype. It was the ride of someone in the Plymouth division. It had prototype on a lot of the pieces that were found when it was being restored. I'd say that car beats 'em all.
FYI, the rarest 426 Hemi is the Ball Stud Hemi built in late 1960's using a standard big block engine, not the RB block, but the "383" style block or the 9.980 deck height and originally built on 426 cu in displacement. There were several built, but all were destroyed by Dodge except one and it is in private hands on a blue 68" Barracuda. It is seen on various car shows.
Housewives were going to Kmart in muscle cars back in my day..my mom had a 63 Bonnieville with a 389 V8, four barrel carburetor, badass mom with a badass car..
There was a 66 white 4 door in Tulsa in 66, it was ordered of Oklahoma Highway Patrol, but they wouldn't touch it....the Hemi emblem was down on the fender, it was a 4 speed bench seat, rubber floor mats...it wS at New Dodge City at 11th and Harvard....I was 16 when I saw it...
YES AND 1 WAS SOLD NEW IN CANADA AND WAS RESCUED FROM A JUNK YARD IN QUEBEC AND RESTORED . OTIS CHANDLER ENDED UP WITH IT THEN BRENT TORINO WHO HAD GRAVEYARD CARZ DO A COSMETICE SPRUCE UP ON THEIR SHOW .
I was at a Kruse auction many, many years ago, and two of the 4-dr Coronets were up for auction. The story at the auction was that the FBI ordered them for pursuit work, it was a special order, but there were indeed 4 of them on the loose.
There were 5 early 2000, perhaps 2003 Mercury Marauders or Marquis built for the FBI. I saw one in the alley in Coral Gables, FL, and asked the driver why their were cobra snake emblems on the lower front fenders. He said he had to of them, and his other one has bullet holes in it. The car had government plates, but the snake emblem is what got my attention. He said only 5 were made.
Don’t know the exact number produced, another rare hemi is the see through cut away ones . The vocational center I attended had one in our automotive class.I heard that Chrysler tried to buy it back a few years ago, and they refused to sell it.
My grandfather was a MOPAR salesman from 1946 to 1977 so I grew up on them & I have never even heard that a 426 came in a Coronet let alone a 4 door! I would take that baby in a heartbeat! MOPAR OR NO CAR!
I used to drool over a 66 Coronet 500 Hemi car in the very first Northern Wheels car magazine, it was called Knecht Moves(the owners last name pronounced "night") and was 1 of about 100 made. The car was in the Calgary area.
Seen him run one time in Jackson , Mississippi his crew pulled the engine apart after a run ,all the way to naked block , 45 minutes later they fired it up to check everything , scared the crap out me when they busted it off , I was about 100 yards away , needless to say he put on a show an smoked the guy that came to race him , never forget that day , that big methanol himi was something else
Met Big Daddy at Bandimere Raceway in Morrison Colorado 2017 3 lucky people got to race him with 3 new Dodge Challengers. Got my 1970 Dodge Challenger hood scoops signed by Don Garlits.
I can tell you what happened to one of the 2 in Canada. It was written off in an accident on Albion Rd west end of Toronto in 1975 by it's owner, My best friend's dad. Who had been a Mopar gearhead since the early 60's & worked at Roadsport Chrysler dealership until he retired 20 years ago.
We had one here in Bethesda MD. Supposedly it was going to Arizona to be a highway patrol car. My mother had it for 2 day's. No a/c. Black on black I was only 14 however I remember the Goodyear's. Automatic. I also remember the coin (police suspension) Coronet!!
ONE WAS SOLD NEWW IN BRACEBRIDGE A GOLD WITH RED INTERIOR. I BOUGHT A 427 BISCAYNE IN 1985 OFF THE 2ND OWNER. HE BOUGHT IT WHEN IT WAS TURNED IN AFTER 3 WEEKS ( A VET BOUGHT IT NEW WHEN AN IDIOT SALESMEN SOLD HIM A CAR TO TOW A TRAILER AND BOAT ). THE GUY EVEN SHOWED ME 5 OR 6 ALBUMS OF PICTURES OF HIM RACING IT .
@@HEMI66US2000 story I got from 2nd owners brother. His brother was a mechanic who bought it when the original owner a dentist returned car to dealer. the car was bought new in Huntsville by a dentist. The mechanic sold again but he did not know where it went. I saw the car when it was for sale at the Barrie Auto Flea market when it was held in Barrie at Formosa Springs Brewery. Last I heard it was in Owen Sound area. Was the guys last name Holinshead?
Big daddy is the man! I remember seeing a Satellite early 70's that was Butterscotch, black interior with orange piping on the seat, with a Hemi. Think it was the last one off the line.
$6000 even 15 years ago for a shell with a hemi code would have been a good price, but a shell with the numbers matching engine still in it , would have been the deal of a lifetime. let alone one of four !
The rarest hemi made is actually the 1970 dodge coronet R/T hemi convertible. They only made 2. Otis Chandler had one in his car collection and the other was lost in a fire some year back.
This is the first time I have even heard of a Hemi Coronet. I knew they made them with 318s, but I doubted if anyone had put one of the power house motors in one.
I was at the "WORLD OF WHEELS" in Tampa Fl late 80's and I was taking a picture of a car and this man stepped in front of me (three feet away) just as I snapped the picture, I didn't even realize who it was until I showed my friend the photos after getting the film developed, he saw the pic. and said "do you know who this is?", and pointed at the man, I looked at the pic and then just realized it was "BIG DADDY" himself, Don Garlits! Thanks for the memorable pic DON!!!!!
Yes, I was extremely disappointed when the video suddenly ended. I was expecting the features to be examined at least, because this one really is fascinating.
I've been to the museum. It'll take someone who's very skinny to squeeze between those cars. He has so many, there's barely a foot between them. so he can display them all. He had to build a second building.
Not all things are as they appear. In 1966 I worked for my fathers business. A Dodge dealer in Perrysburg, Ohio. I sold a light blue Coronet 440 to a client. We had to order the car. It was powered by a 426 hemi 4 speed. In a 4 door Coronet. Now this changes the story. I guess there were 5 made.
A 4 speed HEMI 4-door? Was it a center console shift car, or was it column shift? Although I've heard an explanation for the discrepancy between official Chrysler build numbers and actual model production - I believe it had to do with the dealers doing more 'under the book' kind of deals with clients, I've heard that you could get dealer-installed A/C on a HEMI car, although it was incredibly expensive (around 10 to 12k then). It would explain your experience.
Murray ran across this today , life long resident of Toledo . Racking my brain trying to remember that dealership , I was 17 in 1966 . Refresh my memory !
The dealership was Gingrich Brothers on Front st. We were a small dealership but carried more inventory of Hemi's than most huge dealers. The car in question was a 66 or 67. I don't remember excatly. It was a special order. We also sold Hemi Darts. Fifty made. At car shows there are fake Hemi Darts. They came with one seat not heater or ac.
Absolutely. While he didn't invent the rear engine dragster, he worked long & hard to perfect it, because until that point, the very few rear engine dragsters that existed, were un-driveable on the track. Don Garlits changed all that & probably saved at least dozens of racer's lives because the front engine dragsters were killing drivers practically every year. Of course he did many other great things for the sport as well. Cheers.
If you havent been you need to go to Big Daddy's museum down in Ocala Fla. It is one of the most unique places in the world...! See you again soon Bigs....!
I owned a 71 coronet when i bought it it had a 426dropped in it. But I had the guy put the.383 comando back in her. My coronet came withgreen matelic paint factory green tint windows a cool can for the fluids it had pro trac 50s inside the fender wells with a cut and narrowed dana rear with 411 gears 3quater cam racer browd purple shaft cam to muchbto list. This car ran low 11s in the quater mile. Not bad for an almost 4000 pound car. I miss her shemade me a lot of money and won me a 340 duster demon
The RAREST Hemi would be an A-925 - the famous Doomsday Machine. 426 DOHC 4v Hemi. 750hp..... NONE ever ran under their own power (unfortunately), but at least one survives. OR the Ball-Stud Hemi - the A279. Up to 12 were built - only ONE Survives!
Veterinary Dr. Les Pensvalto of Bracebridge Muskoka, Ontario, Canada...had an ugly sand brown '66 4dr ( taxi bench seats) 426 hemi , dual quad ,auto , on polyglass rubber, c/w bullet holed dog dish hubcaps!!!!! We used to drool as young teens just looking and listening to what to this day is on my all time sleeper list...the early 70's Manitoba St. muscle car Friday drive by...!
I worked on that car. Served my apprenticeship at Ecclestone.motors in Toronto. Watched it come off the truck. New it went to a vet in Bracebridge. Not sure what happened to it but I hear its being restored. Everything I get to florida have to stop in Ocala. Garlits was my hero when young. Still is
I ran in to Big Daddy several years ago in my hometown at ZMax dragway. He was running one of the Dodge Challenger dragpak cars in Super Stock then. I approached him in the staging lanes where he was waiting and spoke to him for several minutes in addition to taking some pics. As others have said, he was so down home cordial and friendly it made it a real thrill to meet one of my life long drag racing heros!
I am thinking I read that there were 5 station wagons in 66 or 67 that 426 Hemis in them. I know from watching Graveyard Cars that there were only 2 1970 SuperBee convertible 426 Hemi 4 speed cars ever made and one was crushed back in the 70s. Graveyard Cars did the other one back to perfection like it was when it came off the production line. It auctioned on either Barrett-Jackson or Mecum for 1.5 million.
In 1969 Dodge made a Charger that was one of their main photograph/PR cars. It was bronze with a cream colored top and a tan interior and it had a Hemi. What makes it rare? It was an XP car which means it wasn't an R/T. R/T's were all XS cars, the first two letters of the VIN. That makes that Charger 1 of 1. It was found in the woods of Georgia I think about 15 years ago and restored but resto modded. It was on an episode of "Chop, Cut, Rebuild".
Not sure, but I believe that one had the gas filler in the bumper, and made problems under the obvious acceleration of the Hemi, the filler on following models was moved to the top of the left fender for that reason more so than to mimic nascar. BTW, I had a 68 427 vette with the gas hole in the middle of the top rear deck but never even gave the acceleration or sideways g-forces a thought as to why it was where it was.
The 1971 Plymouth roadrunner came as a four-door sedan its engine packages were the 383 440 and a 426 hemi I don't understand what is so rare also in 1966 Coronet came as a four-door with a 426 hemi
I've been to Don Garlets Museum several times. I've seen the car in person myself. Don doesn't like me much. My 3rd cousin Jerry Brown was his crew chief. They fought all the time
Met a guy at mopar nats 2004 has a list of close to 400 documentary 4 door hemi 4 doors but not geared as performance but to tow stuff with and the red one was for sale at $4.500 at the time. Galen never got the list due to refusing to pay just wants copy. Guy said no and we walked away
I got the opportunity to watch Big Daddy Don Garlit race in Columbus Ohio in the late 80s and it blew my mind how those car's sounds. They sounded like thunder going down the track and rooster tails of rubber higher than a telephone pole when doin a burnout lol. In today's world it's called a power pole lol...If you don't jerk your head back to the starting line you missed the next race lol
Don Garlits is a real class act and one of a kind.
I was at several of Don’s front engine Swamp Rat performances and where ever he went in the pits, crowds followed him. He won over and over again. A great driver and quite a man.
I was one of the first 2000 thru Don museum. Pat said he was out back tuning a neighbors Oldmobile. He showed me around his shop. Met him again a few years later at a diner in Carson City
He was working on someone's AA/FC. Always a gentleman.
I was one of the first 2000 thru Don museum. Pat said he was out back tuning a neighbors Oldmobile. He showed me around his shop. Met him again a few years later at a diner in Carson City
He was working on someone's AA/FC. Always a gentleman.
I’ve had the pleasure of going to The Don Garlits Drag Racing Museum. Actually was approached by Big Daddy Don Garlits himself! As nice a man as you will ever meet, humble an honest and full of wonderful stories! I hope he sits down some time with a biographer, to tell the story of his life!
Their will never be another big daddy such an innovator of drag racing a true legend met him once very nice guy still kicking ass with his elec
For any racer to match Don Garlits' legacy they would have to design the car, build the car, build the engine, tune it, drive it, and own and operate the whole operation. That will never happen again. In addition, that person would have to build one of the best museums in all of motorsports. And in addition to that, he did it all while based in Florida and not having the advantage of living among the Southern California speed culture at the time. He is absolutely drag racing's GOAT. How fortunate we are to have him still around and promoting the sport.
I met Don Garlits as a kid at the mopar nationals in Columbus Ohio in the 80's. The next year we went and met him again and he remembered me. Said I got a little bit bigger. Very nice guy, let me sit in his dragster and stuff.
Wish the entire interview was here. Great story and nice find. I have never heard of this configuration until I saw this!
th-cam.com/video/yuxzvdBGnIQ/w-d-xo.html
I flew from the UK in 1990 to see this car at DG museum, I still have the pics sat here today of it.....that "Tom Thumb" rocket go kart that was there was a hoot., a nice Lady gave us 4 Yorkshire Lads a tour, loved it.
Raceway Park englishtown New Jersey. He was so kind and gracious to fans- taking pictures with us and taking the time to talk with us. A true legend
One heck of a damn fast “grocery” getter, albeit an extremely rare example. Too cool honestly 😉
Ah, going to church Sunday morning's with mom and dad in their 4-door Coronet 426 HEMI.
hahaha I would rather lay rubber in the parking lot on the way out
@@SquirminHermanthe1eyedGerman H3LL YEAH
Growing up in the 70's my dad & his Pal's had Hot Rods around all the time! Must be where I got love for the smell of BURNT RUBBER!
Didn't every one of us have a friend where we all met up to wrench on our cars that would always get b¡tchy an say "don't smoke the tires or leave any skid marks on the dam road!
@@TyDomi to
You got to love You Tube for stories like this popping on a Saturday morning...
I remember reading an article in a muscle car rag in around 1990 about a guy had either a coronet or belvedere, don’t remember which, was red, four door hemi, original owner still had it, bought it to tow his holiday trailer.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's the first Coronet he showed.
THERE WAS A GOLD WITH RED INTERIOR 4 DOOR CORONET HEMI BOUGHT NEW IN CANADA BY A VETERINARIAN . I EVEN SPOKE WITH HIS SON . IN 2005 A FELLOW FROM VEGAS I BELIEVE OWNED 2 OF THEM I MET HIM AT MOPRS AT THE STRIP IN 2005 . A RED ONE AND THE GOLD ONE . THE RED ONE WENT THROUGH BARRET JACKSON AND BID TO $600K HE HAD TO BID TO BUY HIS OWN CAR BACK BECAUSE HE WANTED 1 MILLION . HE PUT IT N EBAY A MONTH LATER AND IT BID TO $100K . SHOULD HAVE TAKEN THE $580K ( HE BID 600K ). IT COST HIM A BUNDLE TO BUY HIS OWN CAR BACK. BUYERS FEE, SELLERS FEE AND THE ENTRY FEE.
I wonder how rare our 1966 Coronet station wagon was? 426 hemi, 4speed trans, power steering but regular brakes. We had it for two years to tow a camper trailer with. It got wrecked in January of 1969, hit by a snow plow. I pulled the engine and trans to put in a 1964 Dodge that I was turning into a drag car.
Don Garlits is one friendly and humble guy..he stood in the crowd at Bristol and talked with us like he knew us all his life..I’ll ever forget it..
Here's another one. In Austin, TX., in 1968 my friend and me looked at a 1966 steel blue 4 door Coronet 426 badged Hemi engine 727 auto transmission car owned by a lady that said she never raced it. She let us pop the hood and it had the dark orange color big block Hemi engine with the orange air cleaner assembly with 426 HEMI 425 HP logo on it. There were two small metal 426 Hemi badges on the cars 2 lower front quarter panel areas.This was during the summer of 1968 right behind Twin Oaks Shopping Center on S. Congress Avenue. There were more out there for some reason.
I remember when "big daddy don garliits raced in a little two bit track in Amarillo Texas. Way back in the day.
Bought for $6g now worth more than a Million bucks + Great Investment 👍
The ultimate sleeper! That's cool that Big D owns it.. an awesome ride.
Scored a 68 Chevy Two, badge on fender 307 , pulled out the engine, gave it to my father, he rebuild turns out to be a 327, 375 HP, he put it in a 66, 4 door impala.
Don one of the truest real car guys in the universe.
I knew a guy that had a 641/2 Charger with a mechanical camshaft Hemi with 4 speed. So I wish he had sold it to me LOL. Ofc he refused to let it go. Don't know what happened to it but I hope he still has it.
Big Daddy, there is no substitute
The one the only
I was the second owner of a hemi roadrunner 1968 with four-speed not completely stock but it ran very well the way we got it equipped it after it been stored during the oil crisis in the 1970s I wonder where it is now? I still remember it rather vividly..
1965 there were 6 426 Hemi station wagons produced. Also offered in MOPAR station wagons for a few more years until 1971. Guaranteed that "Big Daddy" Don Garlits knows all that. For several years, he ran the 392 hemi engines instead of the 426 hemi.
One of those Hemi Coronets is here in Finland.
albertvainaa Wrong. Only one (1) Hemi Coronet 4 speed still exist, it's in New Jersey.
Nope!
It's in my uncles barn in Comfinditville
I have a fifth one in boxes in my grammas basement.
Best engineered big block motor of all time!
Very very cool cars and a legend in that interview.
Been to his museum twice. So cool. Met him a our drag strip Speed World in central florida. Again at a car show in Panama City and always see him at the Gatornationals. If you can get to his museum it will be plain to see what an innovator he was and is. What a life.
I remember reading about a '66 Plymouth Satellite convertible that wound up in a salvage yard. It had a hemi/4-speed engine & was a prototype. It was the ride of someone in the Plymouth division. It had prototype on a lot of the pieces that were found when it was being restored. I'd say that car beats 'em all.
Seen an article in magazine about a car found in a junk yard it was a 1970 RT Coronet hemi 500 convertible 1 of 1
Cars & Parts magazine had an article on that car. It was the ride of some bigwig at a Chysler plant & was 1 of 1. Seems it was gray in color.
Iirc it was a metallic brown car. It was in a muscle car mag my dad subscribed to. It had a set of cragers on it. I read every one of those magazines.
FYI, the rarest 426 Hemi is the Ball Stud Hemi built in late 1960's using a standard big block engine, not the RB block, but the "383" style block or the 9.980 deck height and originally built on 426 cu in displacement. There were several built, but all were destroyed by Dodge except one and it is in private hands on a blue 68" Barracuda. It is seen on various car shows.
Housewives were going to Kmart in muscle cars back in my day..my mom had a 63 Bonnieville with a 389 V8, four barrel carburetor, badass mom with a badass car..
Supposedly, there's third 1966 (1967?) Dodge Coronet 4 door, also is a factory Hemi car. It's a medium brown color.
I briefly filmed that car here
th-cam.com/video/7DfzF31AciQ/w-d-xo.html
I saw that one at Garlits Museum in 2013. Awesome place.
71 Hemi Cuda convertible that's rarest muscle car ever and the baddest looking
I was gonna say I'm not even a racing fan and I know who the Daddy is!!!
I saw the 4 door hemi Coronet in South Hampton Ont in 1981. It rocked!!
there are two more in Nashville. Uncle Tony's Garage filmed them a couple of months ago.
I'm so glad you got yourself on YT...
There was a 66 white 4 door in Tulsa in 66, it was ordered of Oklahoma Highway Patrol, but they wouldn't touch it....the Hemi emblem was down on the fender, it was a 4 speed bench seat, rubber floor mats...it wS at New Dodge City at 11th and Harvard....I was 16 when I saw it...
Thought the 70 Cornett hemi convertibles were 2 only bulit
I briefly filmed that car here
th-cam.com/video/7DfzF31AciQ/w-d-xo.html
They were and are still the rarest pair.
Sure are.
YES AND 1 WAS SOLD NEW IN CANADA AND WAS RESCUED FROM A JUNK YARD IN QUEBEC AND RESTORED . OTIS CHANDLER ENDED UP WITH IT THEN BRENT TORINO WHO HAD GRAVEYARD CARZ DO A COSMETICE SPRUCE UP ON THEIR SHOW .
I saw those cars when I was in Detroit my late auntie ran the commercial line for Chrysler for USA and Canada
I was at a Kruse auction many, many years ago, and two of the 4-dr Coronets were up for auction. The story at the auction was that the FBI ordered them for pursuit work, it was a special order, but there were indeed 4 of them on the loose.
There were 5 early 2000, perhaps 2003 Mercury Marauders or Marquis built for the FBI. I saw one in the alley in Coral Gables, FL, and asked the driver why their were cobra snake emblems on the lower front fenders. He said he had to of them, and his other one has bullet holes in it. The car had government plates, but the snake emblem is what got my attention. He said only 5 were made.
What about The Coronet 426 hemi convertible only had two produced
My thoughts exactly.
I briefly filmed that car here
th-cam.com/video/7DfzF31AciQ/w-d-xo.html
Yes. 70 Hemi Coronet R/T 4 speed convertible. Two built and verified one is left.
I got a 66 cornet with a 426 hemi that has 17k original miles with the original hand written sales invoice .. its a 2 door
What about the only 2 426 hemi 70 road runner blue convertibles that currently exist?3rd one was destroyed in the early 70's
Don’t know the exact number produced, another rare hemi is the see through cut away ones . The vocational center I attended had one in our automotive class.I heard that Chrysler tried to buy it back a few years ago, and they refused to sell it.
Even more rare 1 Wagon made. Also more rare then the 4 door 66 Coronet Hemi is the 2 1970 Coronet RT convertible Hemi. But still such a cool car.
Here that car is
th-cam.com/video/BqInEbkGU9s/w-d-xo.html
My grandfather was a MOPAR salesman from 1946 to 1977 so I grew up on them & I have never even heard that a 426 came in a Coronet let alone a 4 door! I would take that baby in a heartbeat! MOPAR OR NO CAR!
I used to drool over a 66 Coronet 500 Hemi car in the very first Northern Wheels car magazine, it was called Knecht Moves(the owners last name pronounced "night") and was 1 of about 100 made. The car was in the Calgary area.
Seen him run one time in Jackson , Mississippi his crew pulled the engine apart after a run ,all the way to naked block , 45 minutes later they fired it up to check everything , scared the crap out me when they busted it off , I was about 100 yards away , needless to say he put on a show an smoked the guy that came to race him , never forget that day , that big methanol himi was something else
Thought 70 hemi Cornett convertibles were only 2 ever bulit
Here that is.
th-cam.com/video/BqInEbkGU9s/w-d-xo.html
Met Big Daddy at Bandimere Raceway in Morrison Colorado 2017
3 lucky people got to race him with 3 new Dodge Challengers. Got
my 1970 Dodge Challenger hood scoops signed by Don Garlits.
Number one on my bucket list- visit the Don Garlits museum.
I can tell you what happened to one of the 2 in Canada. It was written off in an accident on Albion Rd west end of Toronto in 1975 by it's owner, My best friend's dad. Who had been a Mopar gearhead since the early 60's & worked at Roadsport Chrysler dealership until he retired 20 years ago.
We had one here in Bethesda MD. Supposedly it was going to Arizona to be a highway patrol car. My mother had it for 2 day's. No a/c. Black on black I was only 14 however I remember the Goodyear's. Automatic. I also remember the coin (police suspension) Coronet!!
Don is simply the best, I saw him race. I’m a ford guy,69 Boss 429 but the Hemi was fantastic
Being a Mopar guy myself, can't argue with the Boss 429
I believe that one of the Canadian cars was sold to a guy in the Hamilton, Ontario area who wanted it to tow his travel trailer.
ONE WAS SOLD NEWW IN BRACEBRIDGE A GOLD WITH RED INTERIOR. I BOUGHT A 427 BISCAYNE IN 1985 OFF THE 2ND OWNER. HE BOUGHT IT WHEN IT WAS TURNED IN AFTER 3 WEEKS ( A VET BOUGHT IT NEW WHEN AN IDIOT SALESMEN SOLD HIM A CAR TO TOW A TRAILER AND BOAT ). THE GUY EVEN SHOWED ME 5 OR 6 ALBUMS OF PICTURES OF HIM RACING IT .
@@HEMI66US2000 story I got from 2nd owners brother. His brother was a mechanic who bought it when the original owner a dentist returned car to dealer. the car was bought new in Huntsville by a dentist. The mechanic sold again but he did not know where it went. I saw the car when it was for sale at the Barrie Auto Flea market when it was held in Barrie at Formosa Springs Brewery. Last I heard it was in Owen Sound area. Was the guys last name Holinshead?
Bigs Museum in Ocala is definitely a place you want to visit. Great place.
Big daddy is the man!
I remember seeing a Satellite early 70's that was Butterscotch, black interior with orange piping on the seat, with a Hemi. Think it was the last one off the line.
Big Daddy is a class act, people in racing should take a page out of his book. Like how to chat with your fans.
Don's my favorite drag racer of all time!
$6000 even 15 years ago for a shell with a hemi code would have been a good price, but a shell with the numbers matching engine still in it , would have been the deal of a lifetime. let alone one of four !
Ehh. 15K tops
Love Big Daddy Love those rare Mopars!
This is an awesome video thank you
You are so welcome!
The rarest hemi made is actually the 1970 dodge coronet R/T hemi convertible. They only made 2. Otis Chandler had one in his car collection and the other was lost in a fire some year back.
They were talking about the rarest hemi 4 door. Only 4 made.
This is the first time I have even heard of a Hemi Coronet. I knew they made them with 318s, but I doubted if anyone had put one of the power house motors in one.
I was at the "WORLD OF WHEELS" in Tampa Fl late 80's and I was taking a picture of a car and this man stepped in front of me (three feet away) just as I snapped the picture, I didn't even realize who it was until I showed my friend the photos after getting the film developed, he saw the pic. and said "do you know who this is?", and pointed at the man, I looked at the pic and then just realized it was "BIG DADDY" himself, Don Garlits! Thanks for the memorable pic DON!!!!!
He's a Tampa native....Florida Man
I loved and pulled for him. Never thought of a cornet
living legend!! Love the Big Daddy
Would have been nice for the camera man to walk around the car as Big Daddy talked...
Yes, I was extremely disappointed when the video suddenly ended. I was expecting the features to be examined at least, because this one really is fascinating.
I've been to the museum. It'll take someone who's very skinny to squeeze between those cars.
He has so many, there's barely a foot between them. so he can display them all.
He had to build a second building.
Not all things are as they appear. In 1966 I worked for my fathers business. A Dodge dealer in Perrysburg, Ohio. I sold a light blue Coronet 440 to a client. We had to order the car. It was powered by a 426 hemi 4 speed. In a 4 door Coronet.
Now this changes the story. I guess there were 5 made.
A 4 speed HEMI 4-door? Was it a center console shift car, or was it column shift?
Although I've heard an explanation for the discrepancy between official Chrysler build numbers and actual model production - I believe it had to do with the dealers doing more 'under the book' kind of deals with clients, I've heard that you could get dealer-installed A/C on a HEMI car, although it was incredibly expensive (around 10 to 12k then). It would explain your experience.
Well if you sold the car in '66 wouldn't it have been a '67 model year?
Murray ran across this today , life long resident of Toledo . Racking my brain trying to remember that dealership , I was 17 in 1966 . Refresh my memory !
Ed Schmidt ?
The dealership was Gingrich Brothers on Front st. We were a small dealership but carried more inventory of Hemi's than most huge dealers.
The car in question was a 66 or 67. I don't remember excatly. It was a special order.
We also sold Hemi Darts. Fifty made. At car shows there are fake Hemi Darts. They came with one seat not heater or ac.
What about the 1 of 2 coronet hemi convertible as the other was destroyed I think that might be more rare...
Big Daddy did the most for top fuel dragster racing than anyone in the world.
Absolutely. While he didn't invent the rear engine dragster, he worked long & hard to perfect it, because until that point, the very few rear engine dragsters that existed, were un-driveable on the track. Don Garlits changed all that & probably saved at least dozens of racer's lives because the front engine dragsters were killing drivers practically every year. Of course he did many other great things for the sport as well. Cheers.
I had a chance to see Big Daddy race at the Fremont Raceway in California back in the 70s. It was cool!
If you havent been you need to go to Big Daddy's museum down in Ocala Fla. It is one of the most unique places in the world...! See you again soon Bigs....!
Been maybe 5x. Always hit theBBQ next door
Like the 427 BB Chevy 4dr bank bandit car. Each manufacturer had a special order BB for their large sedans. Hardly anyone bought them in 4dr.
used to see his dragster parked in his from yard, in Wichita.
Very cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Two fools met, one offered $800K for this car and the second one that refused the offer.
I owned a 71 coronet when i bought it it had a 426dropped in it. But I had the guy put the.383 comando back in her. My coronet came withgreen matelic paint factory green tint windows a cool can for the fluids it had pro trac 50s inside the fender wells with a cut and narrowed dana rear with 411 gears 3quater cam racer browd purple shaft cam to muchbto list. This car ran low 11s in the quater mile. Not bad for an almost 4000 pound car. I miss her shemade me a lot of money and won me a 340 duster demon
The RAREST Hemi would be an A-925 - the famous Doomsday Machine. 426 DOHC 4v Hemi. 750hp..... NONE ever ran under their own power (unfortunately), but at least one survives.
OR the Ball-Stud Hemi - the A279. Up to 12 were built - only ONE Survives!
The headline should say, "Rarest Dodge hemi car ever produced."
OMG...another holy grail!
Veterinary Dr. Les Pensvalto of Bracebridge Muskoka, Ontario, Canada...had an ugly sand brown '66 4dr ( taxi bench seats) 426 hemi , dual quad ,auto , on polyglass rubber, c/w bullet holed dog dish hubcaps!!!!! We used to drool as young teens just looking and listening to what to this day is on my all time sleeper list...the early 70's Manitoba St. muscle car Friday drive by...!
I worked on that car. Served my apprenticeship at Ecclestone.motors in Toronto. Watched it come off the truck. New it went to a vet in Bracebridge. Not sure what happened to it but I hear its being restored. Everything I get to florida have to stop in Ocala. Garlits was my hero when young. Still is
I ran in to Big Daddy several years ago in my hometown at ZMax dragway. He was running one of the Dodge Challenger dragpak cars in Super Stock then. I approached him in the staging lanes where he was waiting and spoke to him for several minutes in addition to taking some pics. As others have said, he was so down home cordial and friendly it made it a real thrill to meet one of my life long drag racing heros!
Wasn’t there a sport Fury out there with a hemi? That seems more uncommon than a four door.
I am thinking I read that there were 5 station wagons in 66 or 67 that 426 Hemis in them. I know from watching Graveyard Cars that there were only 2 1970 SuperBee convertible 426 Hemi 4 speed cars ever made and one was crushed back in the 70s. Graveyard Cars did the other one back to perfection like it was when it came off the production line. It auctioned on either Barrett-Jackson or Mecum for 1.5 million.
one question :
i think the 1970 hurst chrysler 300 coupe is the only one car with only one produced hemi version !
He looks great!
My uncle had a 67 Sport Fury w/ a 426 wedge. Was it ever fast!
In 1969 Dodge made a Charger that was one of their main photograph/PR cars. It was bronze with a cream colored top and a tan interior and it had a Hemi. What makes it rare? It was an XP car which means it wasn't an R/T. R/T's were all XS cars, the first two letters of the VIN. That makes that Charger 1 of 1. It was found in the woods of Georgia I think about 15 years ago and restored but resto modded. It was on an episode of "Chop, Cut, Rebuild".
Not sure, but I believe that one had the gas filler in the bumper, and made problems under the obvious acceleration of the Hemi, the filler on following models was moved to the top of the left fender for that reason more so than to mimic nascar. BTW, I had a 68 427 vette with the gas hole in the middle of the top rear deck but never even gave the acceleration or sideways g-forces a thought as to why it was where it was.
And there's only one left
The 1971 Plymouth roadrunner came as a four-door sedan its engine packages were the 383 440 and a 426 hemi I don't understand what is so rare also in 1966 Coronet came as a four-door with a 426 hemi
I got to meet him at gatornationals in Gainesville Florida a class act
He was a great interview.
Is there more videos on this car
I've been to Don Garlets Museum several times. I've seen the car in person myself. Don doesn't like me much. My 3rd cousin Jerry Brown was his crew chief. They fought all the time
There were hundreds of 426 Hemi's built & sold by Mopar
over the years. What is it that makes these 4 so special?
Nice video and a thumbs up.
Thanks for the visit. Hope you subscribed.
What ya need is the Keith black hemi !
Met a guy at mopar nats 2004 has a list of close to 400 documentary 4 door hemi 4 doors but not geared as performance but to tow stuff with and the red one was for sale at $4.500 at the time. Galen never got the list due to refusing to pay just wants copy. Guy said no and we walked away
There are a few 1 of 1 or 2 Hemi cars out there, but I don’t know how specific you’re getting.
how about a 1970 coronet R/T hemi 4 speed convertible. 2 built, 1 survived?
Here it is.
th-cam.com/video/BqInEbkGU9s/w-d-xo.html
I got the opportunity to watch Big Daddy Don Garlit race in Columbus Ohio in the late 80s and it blew my mind how those car's sounds. They sounded like thunder going down the track and rooster tails of rubber higher than a telephone pole when doin a burnout lol. In today's world it's called a power pole lol...If you don't jerk your head back to the starting line you missed the next race lol
He's all electric now Carl.
Big Daddy is a legend!
1970 Coronet R/T Conv. With the 426 Hemi only 2 made in 1970.
That was one mighty motor. It likely had a 6 pack carb. Needed Top Flite or Fire Chief to run smoothly. Help! I just got another ticket!