1965 · Dodge · United States
1965 Dodge Coronet: A Competition-Only Race Hemi, Counted Two Very Different Ways
The 1965 performance Coronets were competition-only Race Hemi lightweights, not showroom muscle cars, and even their number is published two ways.
United States · researched through 2026-09-23
For 1965 Dodge built a run of lightweight, Race Hemi-powered Coronet two-door sedans strictly for drag racing, cars that never appeared as a showroom option and sit outside the ordinary Coronet lineup entirely. These lightweights descend from the 426 Race Hemi program Chrysler began in December 1962 for the 1964 racing season, and they predate the rest of the Hemi story that most buyers actually experienced: the street-legal Hemi did not arrive until 1966, and the Coronet R/T nameplate itself followed a year after that, in 1967, meaning the 1965 lightweights sit chronologically and functionally apart from the whole later muscle-Coronet story this subject otherwise tracks.1,2
How many of these competition Coronets Chrysler actually built depends entirely on which reference book is read. Newhardt and Holmstrom's Hemi Muscle Cars states plainly that Chrysler built 101 of these strictly-for-racing cars in 1965, while Richard Langworth's Complete Book of Collectible Cars, describing the same car under the name "Coronet Hemi-Charger," gives an estimated 500 built. Langworth's own figure is explicitly labeled an estimate, and neither book cites an underlying factory build record, so the record shows both numbers rather than treating either as settled.3,4
The competition Hemi itself was rated 425 horsepower at 6,000 rpm with twin four-barrel carburetors in its "Acceleration" tune, sold at roughly $1,800 over the counter and explicitly not available to the general public. Ordinary Coronet buyers could instead order a genuinely street-legal alternative, the 426-S wedge, a single four-barrel V8 rated 365 horsepower at 4,800 rpm and priced at $444, restricted to a four-speed manual or automatic transmission with a 3.23 axle. Even that street engine's own specifications disagree between two factory-adjacent documents: the AMA specification sheet states 10.3:1 compression, while Over-Drive's fact sheet gives 11.00:1 for the same 426-S engine, a gap the record shows rather than resolves.5,6
The Race Hemi lightweight rode a wheelbase Langworth describes as 2 inches shorter than the other 1965 Dodge intermediates, which themselves measured 117 inches for passenger cars, making the racing cars a genuinely different chassis rather than a showroom Coronet with a swapped engine. Set against the ordinary Coronet line's own volume, the performance cars were a vanishingly small fraction of production: the bucket-seat Coronet 500 built around 33,500 cars for the year, all V8, and the full Coronet line totaled roughly 209,700, figures the fact sheet itself gives slightly differently in its own text (33,300 and 209,500) without explaining the discrepancy.4,5
A third V8, the 383 with a four-barrel carburetor, filled the gap between the street 426 and the base engines at 330 horsepower for $122, less than a third the price of the 426-S option. A separate set of enthusiast claims describes the 1965 package under the internal engineering code A990, states that 12 of the Coronets were built with a further altered wheelbase beyond the standard lightweight, and attributes reduced body panel thickness to acid-dipping; none of that has been confirmed against a primary Chrysler document, so it is held here as an unpublished lead rather than reported fact.6,5
Fact sheet · 1965 · United States
The numbers
1965 Dodge Coronet (Race Hemi lightweights) — The 1965 performance Coronets were competition-only Race Hemi lightweights, not showroom muscle cars, and even their number is published two ways.
Coverage: Partial — researched sections are shown; missing ones are not yet sourced. Researched through 2026-09-23.
Every figure is labeled with how sure we are. Reported means a manufacturer, registry, or reference figure we cite but have not reconciled against factory records ourselves. Disputed means credible sources disagree and both are shown. Rows are separately scoped; don't add them together unless the note says they make up a total.
Key facts
Production
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coronet Race Hemi lightweight (competition only)3 Coronet lightweight (Race Hemi) · 2-door sedan · 426 Race Hemi · not stated Langworth gives an estimated 500; see conflicts. | 101 | built, model-year | Disputed |
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coronet 500 (hardtop and convertible), rounded5 Coronet 500 · 2-door hardtop and convertible · not stated The same source's note 4 and its text say 33,300; all V-8. The Coronet 500 was the bucket-seat host for the 426 street wedge; this is not a count of performance-engined cars. | 33,500 | built, model-year | Disputed |
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dodge Coronet line, all series (rounded)5 all Coronet · not stated The fact sheet's text gives 209,500; context only, not a performance-car count. | 209,700 | built, model-year | Disputed |
Competition-only cars; not showroom configurations.
No source consulted gives the number of 1965 Coronets built with the 426 street wedge (426-S).
Prices when new
| Model | Price | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Base price, Coronet 500 2-door hardtop (AWP-23)5 | $2,637 | base price as tabulated by Over-Drive (manufacturer's suggested retail), 1965 model year |
| Base price, Coronet 500 convertible (AWP-27)5 | $2,852 | base price as tabulated by Over-Drive (manufacturer's suggested retail), 1965 model year |
| Base price, Coronet 440 2-door hardtop V-8 (AWH-41 as printed)5 | $2,465 | base price as tabulated by Over-Drive, 1965 model year |
Prices are the nominal dollars of the day, not adjusted for inflation.
Engines
| Engine | Factory rating | Availability | Built |
|---|---|---|---|
| 426 Race Hemi3,5 426 cu in | 425 hp @ 6,000, 480 lb-ft @ 4,600 (as Over-Drive transcribes the Chrysler bulletin for the twin 4-bbl 'Acceleration' Hemi (12.5:1)) | competition package only | Not yet sourced |
| 426 4-bbl 'street' wedge V-8 (426-S)6,5 426 cu in · 4-barrel | 365 hp @ 4,800, 470 lb-ft @ 3,200 (SAE gross (AMA power-team table)) | optional on Coronet V-8 (AW2) models, with 4-speed manual or automatic only; 3.23 axle | Not yet sourced |
| 383 4-bbl V-86 383 cu in · 4-barrel | 330 hp @ 4,600, 425 lb-ft @ 2,800 (SAE gross (AMA power-team table)) | optional on Coronet V-8 models | Not yet sourced |
Ratings are the manufacturer's advertised figures under the standard shown (SAE gross before 1972, SAE net after). They are not dyno results, and gross and net ratings can't be compared directly.
Options and packages
| Code | Option | Price | Installed |
|---|---|---|---|
|
426 cu in 365 hp 4-bbl 'street' wedge V-8 (426-S)5 | $444 | Not yet sourced |
|
426 Hemi race engines (400 hp single 4-bbl NASCAR; 415 and 425 hp drag versions)5 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
4-speed manual floor shift (361, 383 and 426 only)5 | $188 | Not yet sourced |
|
383 cu in 330 hp 4-bbl V-85 | $122 | Not yet sourced |
|
Sure-Grip positive traction rear axle5 | $50 | Not yet sourced |
Paint
| Code | Color | Built |
|---|---|---|
3 |
Pink Silver5 | Not yet sourced |
7 |
Pale Gold5 | Not yet sourced |
8 |
Yellow5 | Not yet sourced |
A |
Gold5 | Not yet sourced |
B |
Black5 | Not yet sourced |
C |
Light Blue5 | Not yet sourced |
D |
Medium Blue5 | Not yet sourced |
J |
Light Turquoise5 | Not yet sourced |
K |
Medium Turquoise5 | Not yet sourced |
L |
Dark Turquoise5 | Not yet sourced |
N |
Pale Mist5 | Not yet sourced |
P |
Bright Red5 | Not yet sourced |
R |
Beige5 | Not yet sourced |
S |
Ivory5 | Not yet sourced |
T |
Ruby Red5 | Not yet sourced |
V |
Cordovan5 | Not yet sourced |
W |
White5 | Not yet sourced |
X |
Light Tan5 | Not yet sourced |
Y |
Medium Tan5 | Not yet sourced |
Color names are the factory's. We don't show color swatches, because a screen color is no guide for a restoration.
Specifications
| Measure | Value | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Wheelbase relative to other 1965 Dodge intermediates4 | -2 in | Hemi-Charger lightweight, as described by Langworth |
| Wheelbase5 | 117 in | Coronet passenger cars (wagons 116) |
| Overall length5 | 204.2 in | Coronet except wagons |
| Shipping weight, Coronet 500 hardtop5 | 3,255 lb | AWP-23 |
| Shipping weight, Coronet 500 convertible5 | 3,340 lb | AWP-27 |
Where the sources disagree
1965 Race Hemi Coronet count
Show both. Langworth labels his figure an estimate; neither cites a build record.
Identification
Read a 1965 Dodge VIN
The VIN decoder runs in your browser and never sends the VIN anywhere. How the factory numbered this year's cars:
Same model year
Also in 1965
- Buick Riviera The Gran Sport arrived with the dual-quad Super Wildcat 425 and a 3.42 axle; 3,354 of 34,586 Rivieras had it.
- Buick Skylark Gran Sport, GS and GSX Buick's first Gran Sport was a Skylark option with the 401 'Wildcat' V-8 rated at 325 hp; a production tabulation counts 15,780.
- Buick Wildcat Second-generation B-body Wildcat on a 126-inch wheelbase in standard, Deluxe and Custom series; the 1965 total is disputed between published lineages.
- Chevrolet Chevelle and Malibu SS The Malibu SS continued with 327 options, and late in the year RPO Z16 put a 375 hp 396 into 201 Chevelles.
- Chevrolet Chevy II and Nova The 327 V8 appears in the source engine table; several body-style counts are unavailable. Enthusiast-compiled production: 122,800 cars; Super Sport 9,100.
- Chevrolet El Camino SS No factory Super Sport El Camino is documented for this year; the record carries the host El Camino production as context.
- Chevrolet Impala SS The record Super Sport year: 243,114 built, as the 409 gave way to the 396 mid-year.
- Chrysler 300 letter series The last letter car: a slab-sided restyle on a 124-inch wheelbase, one 360 hp 413, no cross-ram, and an illuminated grille medallion; 2,405 hardtops and 440 convertibles.
- Ford Fairlane A restyled small-block Fairlane whose performance ceiling was the 271-hp K-code 289 High Performance V8, offered with the Sports Coupe.
- Ford Falcon Sprint The last Sprint moved to the 289 V8 and a new V8 front suspension; the club records 2,806 hardtops and 300 convertibles.
- Ford Galaxie A new full-size body with the LTD added above the Galaxie 500 XL; the 427 continued in Q-code (410 hp) and R-code (425 hp) form.
- Ford Thunderbird A mild update of the 1964 body kept the 300-hp 390 as the standard engine; production fell to 74,972.
- Mercury Comet and Cyclone The Cyclone was the performance Comet hardtop: vinyl roof, chrome wheels, bucket seats and console, tachometer and a 225-hp 289 as standard.
- Mercury Marauder and S-55 The last year of the first Marauder generation: 74,590 Marauder-roof cars across Monterey, Montclair and Park Lane, per mercurystuff.com.
- Oldsmobile Cutlass, 4-4-2 and Hurst/Olds The 4-4-2 package moved to a 400 cu in V-8 rated at 345 hp, the name was reread as 400 cubes, 4-barrel, 2 exhausts, and production rose to 25,003.
- Oldsmobile Starfire A 425 V-8, Turbo Hydra-Matic and a rarely ordered four-speed; 15,260 built.
- Plymouth Barracuda and 'Cuda The first full-year Barracuda introduced the Formula S package and the 235-hp 273 Commando, and production reached 64,596.
- Plymouth GTX, Belvedere and Satellite The Belvedere became Plymouth's intermediate line, with the bucket-seat, V-8-only Satellite hardtop and convertible at the top and the 426 Street wedge as its hottest regular-production engine.
- Pontiac Catalina 2+2 and Super Duty The 2+2 gained a standard 338 hp 421 and reached 11,521 cars, its best year.
- Pontiac GTO Ratings up to 335 and 360 hp, and GTO production more than doubling to 75,352.
- Pontiac Grand Prix New 121-inch body and a 333 hp standard 389; 57,881 built.
- Pontiac Tempest and LeMans The LeMans adds a four-door sedan and the four-barrel 326 is rated at 285 hp.
- Rambler and AMC Marlin AMC's six-passenger fastback, introduced in February 1965. Its best year was 10,327 cars.