Dodge Coronet

The Dodge Coronet is an automobile that was marketed by Dodge in seven generations, and shared nameplates with the same bodyshell with varying levels of equipment installed. Introduced as a full-size car in 1949, it was the division's highest trim line and moved to the lowest level starting in 1955 through 1959. The name was reintroduced on intermediate-sized models from the 1965 until 1976 model years. Muscle car versions were available starting in 1965 with the 383 and 426 wedge cu in (7.0 L) Chrysler RB engine, followed in 1966 by the powerful 426 cu in (7.0 L) Chrysler Hemi. Other performance models included the "Superbee", and featured, the 383 cu in (6.3 L) Magnum, among other engine options. The nameplate "coronet" is a type of crown worn by royalty.

In the 1980s, the Coronet was used on Dodge models marketed in Colombia.

The Dodge Coronet was introduced with the division's first postwar body styles. Lower trim lines were the Wayfarer and Meadowbrook, with the Wayfarer being built on a shorter 115 inch wheelbase. The only engine for Dodge was a 230-cubic-inch (3,800 cc) flat-head straight six cylinder engine with a single barrel Stromberg carburetor, producing 103 hp (77 kW) (gross). The stock Dodge Coronet was a smooth-running car, and the six-cylinder engine could power the car to 90 mph (145 km/h). A limited production model was a four-door, eight-passenger limousine, an extended version of the stock Dodge Coronet which was related to the DeSoto Suburban. One of the most notable features of the first-generation Coronet was Chrysler's four forward-speed, a fluid-driven semi-automatic transmission that Dodge Division called Gyromatic. After using the clutch and gear shift to select the high range, upshifts and downshifts were operated by the accelerator pedal on the floor. The clutch did not need to be depressed in stop-and-go driving once underway. It had full instrumentation and 37 inches of head room both front and rear.

All Dodge vehicles received a facelift for 1950 but like the 1949 models were still divided into Wayfarer, Meadowbrook, and Coronet lines. The 1950 models can be identified easily by the new grille design which featured 3 heavy horizontal bars. The upper and lower bars formed a stylish oblong shape. Within this oblong grille was a thick center bar with parking lights on each end and a large chrome plaque in the center bearing the Dodge crest. The 8-passenger sedan's length was 216.8 in (5,507 mm).

Dodge received yet another facelift in 1951 but this time the cars remained virtually unchanged for two model years. Busy manufacturing military vehicles for use in Korea, they chose not to dedicate valuable resources to completely redesign civilian vehicles. Still divided into Wayfarer, Meadowbrook, and Coronet lines through 1952, by 1953 the Wayfarer line had been discontinued. The grille of the 1951 model was similar in shape to the 1950 grille, but with the elimination of the thick vertical center bar and the addition of six vents running horizontally between the top and center bars, a whole new look was achieved. The Coronet Diplomat was Dodge's first hardtop coupe, featuring a pillarless steel roof styled after the contemporary Chrysler Newport. The speedometer was now circular, and the other four gauges were rectangles. For 1952 the Coronet had a painted lower grille louver.

For 1953, the Coronet was totally redesigned. It gained an optional 241 cu in (3.9 L) "Red Ram" Hemi Engine and set over 100 land speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats. The windshield finally became one-piece. Electric windshield wipers were standard, while the radio cost $83.

The Dodge Royal line was added above the Coronet in 1954. Dodge was putting more luxury into all of its models which included the Meadowbrook, Coronet and new Royal lines. Still, styling changes for 1954 were modest. The chrome molding on the hood lip was wider than on the 1953 models and a large chrome upright in the center of the grille replaced the five vertical dividers used previously. It still came with full instrumentation. 1954 saw Chrysler's first fully automatic transmission, two-speed PowerFlite, offered as an extra-cost option on all Dodges.

The 1955 Coronet dropped to the lower end of the Dodge vehicle lineup, with the Wayfarer and Meadowbrook names no longer used and the Custom Royal added above the Royal, Lancer, and La Femme. Bodies were restyled with help from newly hired Virgil Exner to be lower, wider, and longer than the lumpy prewar style, which in turn generated a healthy boost in sales over 1954. Power came from either a 230 cu in (3.8 L) Chrysler Flathead engine straight-6, now producing 123 hp (92 kW)