The Detroit Legend That Collectors Still Undervalue
With only 9,761 Street Hemis built between 1966-1971 for passenger cars, anything with a numbers-matching 426 V8 is highly collectible. Because Golden Age Mopar muscle cars are so amazing and relatively rare, it’s not just the Hemi cars that are going for the big bucks, as Six-Packs and even 383s are commanding remarkable prices at auction. Some classic Dodge and Plymouth models with the right combination of features can even top the million-dollar mark, shattering the perception of their values. There is, however, one old-school Mopar that checks all the boxes off from rarity to coolness that is woefully undervalued by collectors, making it a unicorn hiding in plain sight.
The Dodge Coronet R/T’s 1970 Swan Song
With 413 Max Wedge V8s since the early 1960s and the 426 Street Hemi in ’66, super-powering Dodges, it seems weird that the ’67 Coronet R/T was their first official muscle car of the Golden Age. While not nearly as sexy as the second-gen Charger, the Coronet R/T was a bold, aggressive ride that came with just as much street dominance. Sadly, the Coronet R/T was only around for three years, getting the axe in 1970, but it went out with a bang. The biggest change for ’70 was the striking front end with a “bumblebee wings” grille that, along with the rear quarter scoops and optional twin-scoop Ram Charger hood, made the Coronet R/T one of the most distinctive-looking cars of the classic era. Coming standard with a 375-horsepower 440 V8, this was not a car for the timid, and apparently demand was limited in 1970, as only 2,319 hardtops and 296 convertibles were sold.
Hemi R/T Unicorn Mopar
When the 425-horsepower 426 Street Hemi first arrived in 1966, the Coronet was one of the more frequent recipients of the legendary engine, but by 1970 it was an ultra-rare pairing. In fact, with only 14 Coronet Hemi R/Ts in 1970, it is the smallest application of the 426 for any Dodge or Plymouth model year. The next closest are the 22 1971 Dodge Hemi Super Bees and the 30 1971 Plymouth Hemi GTXs. The ’70 Coronet Hemi R/T is a unicorn in every sense of the word, but this year also features a pair of Holy Grails in the only two Hemi R/T convertibles that were ever built. As we will soon see, this extreme rarity didn’t necessarily translate into extreme value.
Seldom Seen Six-Pack
Introduced in 1969, the 390-horsepower 440 Six-Pack V8 with a triple two-barrel carburetor setup was quite popular because it offered Hemi-like performance for nearly half the price. From 1969 to 1971, the Super Bee received the Six-Pack option 3,274 times, which is considerably more than the 441 times they were optioned with Hemis. The Coronet R/T, on the other hand, only ever got access to the 440 Six-Pack in 1970 and even then a mere 210 cars left the factory with one under the hood. The ’70 Six-Pack R/Ts are obviously more abundant than the Hemis, but somehow harder to find. The striking car pictured above is the only one we could find that has ever been put up for auction, and it didn’t come close to realizing its value as a classic Mopar rarity.
’70 Coronet Hemi R/T vs. Mopar B-Body Values
The 1970 Dodge Coronet Hemi R/T has a Hagerty value between $38,000 for a beater and $146,000 for a Concours condition show car, which is certainly expensive but kind of cheap for a 1-of-14 Mopar. A ’70 Dodge Charger in top condition is worth $196,000 and there are 112 of them out there, while the 152 ’70 Plymouth Hemi Road Runners have the same value. The craziest thing about 1970 B-body Mopar values is that a flawless Super Bee is worth $175,000, which is almost $30k more than the Coronet R/T, and they are, sheet metal-wise, the same car. There were only 2,615 Coronet R/Ts made in 1970, while Dodge produced 15,506 Super Bees, so rarity doesn’t explain this value discrepancy.
Making a Case for the ’70 Coronet Six-Pack R/T
The 440 Six-Pack is another rare engine option for the ’70 Coronet R/T but not as elusive as the Hemis, and yet they are actually more valuable. With a price range from $47,000 in good condition to $160,000 for a Concours condition example, the more common Six-Packs are valued at $14,000 more than the exceedingly rare Hemis. This is actually a small victory for the undervalued Coronet R/T, because it’s the only engine option that beats other 1970 Mopar B-body cars that were produced in greater numbers. The ’70 Super Bee Six-Pack has a top condition value of $151,000, but then again, they made 1,268 of them versus 210 units for the Coronet R/T. The ’70 Charger Six-Pack surpasses the Coronet R/T with a Concours condition value of $164,000, but they are rarer at 116 units, and this just proves that all 1970 Six-Pack B-bodies are overlooked by collectors.
Super Bee 383 Stings Coronet 440 R/T
As mentioned, the ’70 Coronet R/T came standard with a 375-hp 440 V8, while its sheet-metal sibling, the Super Bee, had a 335-hp 383 V8. One might expect the more powerful car to carry the higher value. Counterintuitively, the less powerful car commands the higher price. A pristine Coronet R/T 440 is only worth $74,700, while an equally clean Super Bee breaks into six figures with a $111,000 Concours condition value. A Panther Pink Super Bee with a white hardtop, widely considered a polarizing exterior combination, sold for $154,000, which is more than the top Hagerty value for a Coronet Hemi R/T. The most a ’70 Coronet R/T 440 coupe has ever sold for is $56,100, which is much less than its Concours condition value.
Coronet Hemi R/T On The Auction Block
Just two 1970 Coronet Hemi R/Ts have ever been sold at auction, which indicates that far fewer than the 14 original cars are still in existence and tentatively grants this classic Mopar Holy Grail status. Unlike other Golden Age Holy Grail muscle cars, which are multi-million dollar rides, the ’70 Coronet Hemi R/T is downright affordable. That green car pictured above sold for $335,000 at a Mecum auction in 2014, which is considerably more than the car’s Hagerty valuation, but there’s more to the story. In 2020, that same car was relisted, but failed to sell when the bidding stalled at $185,000, and then it hit the block again in 2023, bringing a final gavel bang of $247,500.
Again, that’s a lot of money, but the car actually lost $88,000 in value, and it is less than what other more common B-body Mopars go for. A 1971 Charger Hemi R/T and a 1971 Hemi Road Runner both sold for $550,000, making them the benchmarks of Mopar B-body collectibles. That may not be a direct comparison, but the 1970 B-bodies also outperform the Coronet Hemi R/T on the auction block. A ’70 Plymouth Road Runner Hemi sold for $330,000 in 2026, and a ’70 Charger Hemi R/T hit $352,000 in 2021. The only other ’70 Coronet Hemi R/T to actually sell at auction went for $143,000 in 2018, which remains one of the great bargains in classic muscle car collecting.
Seventy Six-Pack Sales
The only ’70 Coronet Six-Pack R/T coupe we could find to sell at auction went for just $71,500, far below its $160,000 Hagerty Concours, but it had a replacement engine, so there are no known numbers-matching cars out there. The Six-Pack convertibles do a little better with one crossing the block at $181,000 in 2024, but when you find out how rare these things are, that’s Grand Theft Auto. Only 16 Coronet Six-Pack R/T convertibles were built in 1970, making them rarer than the Hemi ‘Cuda convertibles, of which 21 were produced and sell for millions. Notably, ’70 Six-Pack convertibles carry the same value as the coupes at $160,000 for top examples, when typically a rarer Mopar convertible commands significantly more than its hardtop counterpart.
Basement Prices of the 70 Coronet R/T Base
As noted above, the top-selling ’70 Coronet R/T 440 fetched $56,100, which is a remarkable price, but some owners have sold them for even less. With auction results ranging from $34,100 to $50,600 for a frame-off, rotisserie restoration numbers-matching car, this is the best bargain for a classic Mopar, and realistically for any Golden Age ride. That metallic green car pictured above was completely restored with its original drivetrain and sold for just $50,000 on Bring a Trailer in 2025, to the delight of one lucky Mopar enthusiast. The chances of finding any other classic big-block muscle car for under $100,000 are pretty slim, but with a ’70 Coronet R/T it’s more than doable. Well, for as long as this car continues to be overlooked, but sooner or later, collectors are going to notice its inherent awesomeness.
Undervalued, Under The Radar ’70 Coronet R/T
The Plum Crazy 1970 Dodge Coronet R/T pictured above is arguably one of the most striking Golden Age street machines of all time. Visually, it rivals a Road Runner or GTX and matches a Super Bee, while falling only slightly short of a second-gen Charger. Placed next to a GM A-body like the Chevrolet Chevelle or Pontiac GTO, those cars look ordinary by comparison, and the Ford Torino cannot match the Coronet R/T for visual drama. It also has just as much power or more than all the aforementioned rides, and it is radically rarer, yet in many cases is far less valuable. This is actually the biggest mystery of the entire Golden Age, because it defies logic. A 1-of-14 Hemi-equipped classic Mopar like the ’70 Coronet Hemi R/T should command half a million dollars, but it doesn’t. This is a genuine legend that collectors have yet to value properly, but that may soon change as the Coronet R/T takes its rightful place among Mopar’s most celebrated models.
Sources:Bring a Trailer, Hagerty, Mecum
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