A fledgling muscle car fan will soon discover a convertible powered by the 426 Hemi is about as good as it gets—at least, that was my script in the 1980s. I was into GTOs and 4-4-2s, but I soon learned that there was something to which all others were compared. Perhaps the E-body ‘Cuda and Challenger R/T ragtops were/are considered the ultimate, but I leaned into mid-size cars more (and still do). At the 2025 Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals, these cars had an opportunity to crawl out of the shadows and give us a chance to drool over many Hemi Plymouth and Dodge convertibles.
The “Street Hemi” debuted for 1966, but it did not have a place in an “image” model aside from the Charger. That was rectified for 1967 with the Plymouth GTX and Dodge Coronet R/T. For 1968, that was expanded to the Road Runner and Super Bee, plus the redesigned Charger. Plymouth expanded the availability of the Road Runner for 1969, while Dodge introduced two NASCAR homologation specials. For 1970, the E-bodies were introduced, plus the Road Runner scored its own version for NASCAR. In the Hemi’s swan song for 1971, there were no B-body convertibles produced.
All Hemi convertibles are rare—sometimes rarer than the hallowed E-bodies. Which one of these that appeared at MCACN is your favorite?
Please note that, due to a certain quirk with surviving production records, most Mopar production numbers count for U.S. production and not total production (including Canadian and Export shipments). Whenever possible, we will add what is known beyond the U.S.
The Coronet was redesigned for 1968. Nine were built, plus two more for Canada. Yes, that black car has red “Bumblebee” stripes, while the blue one has a pinstripe.
Four blue 1968 Hemi GTXs were present, all with black, white, or blue stripes. Note the extra-cost hood black-out on the middle car.
