Looking the part of mid-Sixties muscle, the 1965 Coronet hardtop was a transitional styling that bridged the gap between previous 330 / Polaras design and the crisp-edged look that showed up with the Street Hemi models in 1966.
For performance fans, the big deal from Coronet was driveline and handling options. Dodge and Plymouth both offered a 365-horsepower version of the well-developed 426 wedge in 1964 and 1965. This engine did not have the monstrous ports or crossram intake of its Max Wedge counterparts (an engine that had been discontinued once the Hemi became available); it used a standard cast-iron intake with a single carter AFB four-barrel, production exhaust manifolds, 10.3 compression, and a very mild 248-degree/.431 lift cam. Yes, grandma could drive it with no problem. What has been forgotten is the this 426-S (street) wedge was the largest displacement engine offered in any midsize car by any manufacturer that year, bar none; a cam and headers could turn it on.
The interior was tastefully done in this fawn and black vinyl scheme. The dash still sported an aluminum finish and a center console left no question that this was upscale.
At any rate, not many buyers checked off this special 513.60 option that year. It was actually quite a value, as it included either transmission choice (A727 Torqueflite automatic or A833 four-speed manual available with factory Hurst linkage), and suspension upgrades; a heavy-duty suspension layout was standard with every ‘65 426-S vehicle. So when Car Life tested a 426-S Dodge, they raved about its handling prowess.
This car ran a 15.4 quarter-mile with a 3.55 rear gear (the assembly line max that year) and its total cost was $3463.00. The new GTO the magazine tested in the same May 1965 issue was almost a second quicker, but also weighed 250 pounds less, had a 4.11 cog in the rear, and had probably been breathed on at Royal Pontiac before going west to the media. Car Life did decry the lack of better brakes (Dodge’s disc option was only available on Polara police cars in 1965, though police drums were on the 426-S) and that the tach was mounted into the hard-to-see console (a problem Dodge would not address until 1968). The testers also reminded Dodge that the fabled D-500 performance moniker could have gone a long way in marketing the 426-S package. Oh, well, what might have been…