1966 · Dodge · United States
1966 Dodge Coronet: The First Street Hemi Year, Before There Was an R/T
The first year the 426 Hemi was sold as a street engine; in the Coronet it was an option on ordinary sedans, hardtops and convertibles, before any R/T package existed.
United States · researched through 2026-09-23
1966 was the first year Chrysler sold the 426 Hemi as a genuine street option, and the Coronet was one of two Dodge intermediates that could be ordered with it, the other being the first-generation Charger; no Coronet R/T package existed yet, since that name did not arrive until 1967, meaning the 1966 Street Hemi Coronet had to make its case on an otherwise ordinary sedan, hardtop, or convertible rather than under any special performance trim. Over-Drive's fact sheet states that a total of 136 Coronet 500 Street Hemis were built for 1966, the only reliably scoped Hemi production figure this record can cite, though the source does not name its underlying record or split that count by body style or transmission.1,2,3
Ordering the Hemi meant real changes to the rest of the car. AMA's own factory weight tables show the Hemi added 366 pounds to a Coronet V8 over the standard V8, split 309 pounds up front and 57 at the rear, a nose-heavy addition that Over-Drive's fact sheet pairs with a tire upgrade to 7.75x14 Blue Streak rubber on Hemi-equipped Coronets. The engine itself was rated 425 horsepower and 490 lb-ft, a figure Stellantis's own retrospective Charger heritage release confirms for the same 1966 engine shared between the two Dodge intermediates, while the AMA specification sheet separately gives the same 425 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 490 lb-ft at 4,000 rpm with 10.25:1 compression on premium fuel. A milder 383 four-barrel V8 sat well below both, rated 325 horsepower at 4,800 rpm and 425 lb-ft at 2,800 rpm, an optional step up from the base engine that cost $150 against the Hemi's unlisted price.4,1,3
Set against the wider Coronet line, those 136 Hemi 500s were a tiny fraction of the year's production. Over-Drive's own production table gives roughly 55,700 Coronet 500s built (500 sixes, 55,200 V8s), 110,600 Coronet 440s (14,000 sixes, 96,600 V8s), 46,200 Coronet Deluxes (25,600 sixes, 20,600 V8s), and 10,700 base Coronets (7,700 sixes, 3,000 V8s), with a mid-size-line total of 260,500 once the separate first-generation Charger's 37,300 units are folded in. Over-Drive states the Street Hemi could in principle be ordered into any Coronet model or trim level that year, and specifically mentions "a few" Coronet Deluxe four-door sedans carrying it, though no source gives a firm count for that claim.3
Base pricing for the Coronet 500 ran $2,705 for the V8 hardtop and $2,921 for the V8 convertible, against $2,551 for a Coronet 440 V8 hardtop, none of those figures yet including the Hemi's own cost, which Over-Drive's price list leaves blank for 1966 rather than printing a dollar amount. A separate, more finely scoped Hemi production breakdown appears in Mike Mueller's Muscle Car Source Book, but the searchable snippet's numbers and labels do not align cleanly enough to attribute any single figure to a specific body style with confidence, and a forum thread separately claims six 1966 Coronet 400/500 Hemi convertibles, three manual and three automatic; both leads are held as unconfirmed rather than folded into the record's own reported figures, pending a clearer page view of Mueller's table or a primary Chrysler production report.3,5
Fact sheet · 1966 · United States
The numbers
1966 Dodge Coronet (426 Street Hemi) — The first year the 426 Hemi was sold as a street engine; in the Coronet it was an option on ordinary sedans, hardtops and convertibles, before any R/T package existed.
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
- No reliably scoped 1966 Coronet performance production figure was found in this pass.5
Production
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coronet 500 with the 426 Street Hemi3 Coronet 500 · all Coronet 500 bodies · 426 Hemi 2x4-bbl · not stated Over-Drive does not name its record or split the figure by body or transmission. | 136 | built, model-year | Reported |
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coronet 500 (all bodies), rounded3 Coronet 500 · 4-door sedan, 2-door hardtop, convertible · not stated Rounded; the note's wording is 'built during calendar year 1966', so the accounting period is uncertain. Context for the Hemi share only. | 55,700 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Coronet 440 (all bodies), rounded3 Coronet 440 · all Coronet 440 bodies · not stated Rounded; 'calendar year 1966' wording in the note. | 110,600 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Coronet (base series), rounded3 Coronet · 2-door and 4-door sedan · not stated Host-series context; base Coronet is the lowest of four Coronet trim lines the Hemi could be ordered into. Read directly from the linked production table on 2026-09-25. | 10,700 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Coronet Deluxe (all bodies), rounded3 Coronet Deluxe · 2-door and 4-door sedan, 4-door station wagon · not stated Host-series context; Over-Drive says 'a few' Coronet Deluxe four-door sedans got the Hemi. Read directly from the linked production table on 2026-09-25. | 46,200 | built, model-year | Reported |
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 Dodge mid-size line, all series (Coronet, Coronet Deluxe, Coronet 440, Coronet 500 and first-generation Charger combined)3 all 1966 Dodge Coronet and Charger · not stated Whole mid-size line context; the table's own total line bundles the Coronet with the separate first-generation Charger fastback (37,300 of the 260,500; Charger is its own subject in this dataset), so this is not a Coronet-only figure and not a Hemi count. Read directly from the linked production table on 2026-09-25. | 260,500 | built, model-year | Reported |
Production data exist in Mueller's 1966 Dodge Hemi table but could not be read with column alignment; see unpublishedLeads.
Over-Drive states the 1966 Street Hemi could be ordered in any Coronet model or trim level; it knows of no Hemi wagons and says 'a few' Coronet Deluxe four-door sedans exist. Only the Coronet 500 Hemi count (136) is published there.
The linked '1966 Dodge Mid-Size Car Production Figures' PDF was read directly on 2026-09-25; it gives Coronet and Coronet Deluxe body-total rows and a printed grand total, but no Hemi-specific count beyond the Coronet 500's 136.
Prices when new
| Model | Price | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Base price, Coronet 500 2-door hardtop V-83 | $2,705 | base price as tabulated by Over-Drive, 1966 model year |
| Base price, Coronet 500 convertible V-83 | $2,921 | base price as tabulated by Over-Drive, 1966 model year |
| Base price, Coronet 440 2-door hardtop V-83 | $2,551 | base price as tabulated by Over-Drive, 1966 model year |
Prices are the nominal dollars of the day, not adjusted for inflation.
Engines
| Engine | Factory rating | Availability | Built |
|---|---|---|---|
| 426 Street Hemi V-81,4 426 cu in · two 4-barrel | 425 hp, 490 lb-ft (as stated by Stellantis retrospective for the 1966 Charger (period gross)); 425 hp @ 5,000, 490 lb-ft @ 4,000 (SAE gross (AMA 'publishing max bhp', corrected to 60 F and 29.92 in Hg)) | optional | Not yet sourced |
| 383 4-bbl V-84 383 cu in · 4-barrel | 325 hp @ 4,800, 425 lb-ft @ 2,800 (SAE gross (AMA 'publishing max bhp')) | 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.
Transmissions
| Transmission | Availability | Built |
|---|---|---|
| 4-speed manual4 | optional with the 361, 383 and 426 only | Not yet sourced |
| TorqueFlite 3-speed automatic4 | optional | Not yet sourced |
Options and packages
| Code | Option | Price | Installed |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Street Hemi 426 cu in 425 hp dual 4-bbl V-83 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
383 cu in 325 hp 4-bbl V-83 | $150 | Not yet sourced |
|
4-speed manual floor shift (361 and 383)3 | $188 | Not yet sourced |
|
Heavy-duty suspension package (except wagon)3 | $22 | Not yet sourced |
|
Sure-Grip positive traction rear axle3 | $39 | Not yet sourced |
|
Bucket seats3 | $75 | Not yet sourced |
|
Tachometer3 | $38 | Not yet sourced |
|
Dual exhausts3 | $24 | Not yet sourced |
Paint
| Code | Color | Built |
|---|---|---|
4 |
Sandstone3 | Not yet sourced |
6 |
Mauve3 | Not yet sourced |
7 |
Maroon3 | Not yet sourced |
8 |
Deep Plum3 | Not yet sourced |
A |
Silver3 | Not yet sourced |
B |
Black3 | Not yet sourced |
C |
Light Blue3 | Not yet sourced |
D |
Medium Blue3 | Not yet sourced |
E |
Dark Blue3 | Not yet sourced |
F |
Light Green3 | Not yet sourced |
G |
Dark Green3 | Not yet sourced |
K |
Medium Turquoise3 | Not yet sourced |
L |
Dark Turquoise3 | Not yet sourced |
P |
Bright Red3 | Not yet sourced |
Q |
Red3 | Not yet sourced |
R |
Yellow3 | Not yet sourced |
S |
Cream3 | Not yet sourced |
W |
White3 | Not yet sourced |
X |
Beige3 | Not yet sourced |
Y |
Saddle Bronze3 | Not yet sourced |
Z |
Gold3 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Curb weight, Coronet 500 2-door hardtop V-8 (273)4 | 3,425 lb | Coronet 500 hardtop, standard V-8 |
| Curb weight, Coronet 500 convertible V-8 (273)4 | 3,500 lb | Coronet 500 convertible, standard V-8 |
| Curb-weight addition, 426 Hemi engine4 | 366 lb | Coronet V-8 models versus the base V-8 (not available on wagons) |
| Standard tyres with the 426 Hemi3 | 7.75 x 14 Blue Streak | Coronet with Hemi (as Over-Drive lists) |
| Wheelbase4 | 117 in | all Coronet |
| Overall length4 | 203 in | Coronet sedans, hardtops, convertibles |
Identification
Read a 1966 Dodge VIN
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Same model year
Also in 1966
- Buick Riviera A longer, heavier new body on the same X-frame; 5,718 of 45,348 carried the GS option, and the dual-quad Super Wildcat went from dealer add-on to factory MZ engine in March 1966.
- Buick Skylark Gran Sport, GS and GSX The Gran Sport became its own Skylark series (44600) on the restyled body, still with the 401 at 325 hp; 13,816 are tabulated.
- Buick Wildcat The one-year Wildcat Gran Sport: 1,244 built, 242 convertibles, 22 Super Wildcats.
- Chevrolet Chevelle and Malibu SS The first full year of the SS 396 as its own series, with a 396 V8 in every car: 66,843 sport coupes and 5,429 convertibles.
- Chevrolet Chevy II and Nova The source engine table lists the 327 L79 at 350 gross hp. Enthusiast-compiled production: 172,485 cars; Super Sport 20,986.
- 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 Impala SS falls to 119,314 as the 427 arrives; 3,247 full-size Chevrolets got the 390-hp L36.
- Dodge Charger Dodge's first Charger, a fastback on the Coronet platform introduced on 1 January 1966, built 37,344 times, 468 of them with the new Street Hemi.
- Ford Fairlane A new, wider Fairlane could take the 390 big-block for the first time, bringing the Fairlane 500 GT and GTA, and a small run of R-code 427 hardtops was built for Super Stock racing.
- Ford Galaxie The 428 became the big-car performance engine and gave its name to the Galaxie 500 7-Litre hardtop and convertible, with the 427 still available.
- Ford Thunderbird A 345-hp 428 became a $64.77 option, and the Town Landau outsold every other body combined.
- Mercury Comet and Cyclone The Comet moved to the larger Fairlane-based body, and the Cyclone GT brought the 335-hp 390 with twin hood scoops, bucket seats and a heavy-duty suspension.
- Mercury Marauder and S-55 The S-55 returned as its own line, a hardtop and convertible with the 345 hp 428 'Super Marauder' V8.
- Oldsmobile Cutlass, 4-4-2 and Hurst/Olds The 4-4-2 package gained the L69 three-two-barrel 'Tri-Carb' option at 360 hp, and a handful of factory W-30 forced-air cars were built for drag racing.
- Oldsmobile Starfire The last Starfire of the 1960s: coupe only, moved downmarket, 13,019 sold.
- Plymouth Barracuda and 'Cuda The last glassback-era year: one fastback body, the 273 Commando as the top engine, and production that fell to 38,029.
- Plymouth GTX, Belvedere and Satellite The 426 Street Hemi reached showrooms in the Belvedere and Satellite, and 1,546 were built into Plymouth intermediates.
- Pontiac Catalina 2+2 and Super Duty The 2+2 was listed as its own model for the only time, and production fell to 6,383.
- Pontiac GTO The GTO becomes its own Pontiac series and has its biggest year: 96,946 built.
- Pontiac Grand Prix Production fell to 36,757 as the GTO and 2+2 drew performance buyers.
- Pontiac Tempest and LeMans Pontiac's overhead-cam six and the Sprint package arrive beside the 326 HO.
- Rambler and AMC Marlin The Marlin's second year: production fell to 4,547, less than half the 1965 figure.