1958 Dodge Coronet

The Virgil Exner designs were prominently displayed among the Chrysler Corporation vehicles during the mid-1950s, highlighted by the finned cars that took the market by storm. The Chrysler C300 was built to satisfy NASCAR homologation purposes, and variations would continue for over a decade. Within the DeSoto marque, the Adventurer would gain a dual-quad setup similar to the C300 endowing it with superior performance to most other vehicles on the road. For Dodge, its D-500 and Super D-500 were its performance pinnacle.

The Dodge D-500, Plymouth Fury, and Desoto Adventurer were introduced in 1956 with the D-500 being the rarest. Along with the potent powerplant, the D-500 option added a heavy-duty suspension, larger exhaust system, larger and lighter brakes, limited paint colors and schemes, a special high-performance engine, and more. The 1956 D-500 was unmatched, setting or breaking a total of 306 race records.

The 'Super' D-500 Dodge was introduced in 1958 and brought with it more horsepower thanks to the factory dual quads, higher compression ratio, hotter factory cams, larger bore, and many other upgrades including to the suspension and brakes. The Chrysler 300D outsold the Super D-500 by at least four-to-one.

The 1958 Dodge model lineup included the entry-level Coronet, intermediate trim level Royal series, and top-trim-level Custom Royal Series. Station wagons continued to be offered in its own series. All models rested on a 122-inch wheelbase with the station wagons measuring 214.4-inches and the others at 212.2-inches.

The styling was similar to the previous year's design, continuing to use the 'Forward Look' theme, with a new grille and quad headlights. The grille had horizontal center bars with parking lights on the inside edge. The headlights were deeply recessed below larger headlight 'brows', and the Dodge name, in block letters, was spaced along the front and the grille, directly below the chrome jet-styled hood ornament. The inside mirror continued to be mounted on the instrument panel, which was a poor location as its use was diminished as the number of occupants increased.

The Coronet had chrome around the windshield, grille opening, headlights, and rear window. A single chrome stripe traversed the bodyside and base of the rear fender fins. The Coronet name, in script, was located on the back of the side chrome strip.

All 1958 Dodge engines were of the 'wedge' single rocker head design with the standard engine being an L-head, six-cylinder unit with a 230 cubic-inch displacement. It had solid valve lifters, a Stromberg one-barrel carburetor, and delivered 138 horsepower at 4,800 RPM. All V8's had overhead valves, a cast-iron cylinder block, and five main bearings. Displacement sizes measured 325, 350, and 361 CID. The Red Ram 325 CID V8 used a two-barrel Stromberg carburetor for the Coronet offering 245 horsepower, and a two-barrel Carter carburetor for the Royal Series offering 265 horsepower.

The Ram Fire 350 CID had a Carter four-barrel carburetor and delivered 295 horsepower at 4,600 RPM. The D-500 361 CID V8 had a four-barrel carburetor and 305 horsepower, and the super D-500 with two Carter four-barrel carburetors delivered 320 horsepower. A Bendix electronically fuel-injected 361 CID version had hydraulic valve lifters, five main bearings, 10.0:1 compression, and offered 333 horsepower at 4,800 RPM.

Transmissions included a three-speed manual or Torque Flight automatic. Most Dodge models had an automatic transmission, and over half had power steering.

Coronet body styles included a two- and four-door sedan, Lancer Hardtop Sedan, Lancer Hardtop Coupe, and a convertible. The two- and four-door sedan came standard with the six-cylinder engine, while the others had the V8. Base prices bega at $2,415 for the two-door sedan and $2,500 for the four-door. The Lancer hardtop sedan pricing began at $2,730, the hardtop coupe at $2,645, and the convertible at $2,900. Total 1958 Dodge Cornet production was 77,388 units.

by Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2020