The most overpowered daily driver of the ’60s

The 1960s was a golden age of American Cars. Almost everything was big, bold and had incredible engine sounds. This was the time before the oil crisis of the 1970s, after all. When it comes to those '60s American cars, most of the attention goes to the super-powerful muscle cars. But they weren't the only cars the big American automakers made that were seriously overpowered!

Plenty Of Regular '60s Cars Could Be Ordered With Massive, Powerful Engines

In 1960s America, powerful big-block engines were mainly associated with the fastest and most powerful muscle cars of the day. But, they weren't exclusive to those muscle cars. If you knew how to work the order forms, you could get some absolute crazy engine options installed in what was otherwise a totally regular car. These big engines were typically fairly lazy in these more 'normal' cars, tuned for maximum torque instead of maximum power. But, they could still really shift, and you could genuinely surprise some people with the amount of performance you could get out of such a normal-looking car!

If you want to look for the most overpowered 1960s daily driver, there are plenty of candidates. The one we've picked, though, has to be the most ridiculous of them all. That's not entirely because of the engine it's powered by. There are actually cars around from that era that were rated with more power from the factory. It's also because this engine is dropped into a kind of car that you'd never in the slightest expect to have massive power!

The Dodge Coronet 440 Wagon Is An Ultra-Rare, Overpowered Family Muscle Car

When people think of the Dodge Coronet, they usually think of a normal and practical American coupe, sedan or station wagon. Yes, it did have a high-performance R/T variant, but that was only a small part of the Coronet's wide range. The ultimate expression of the Coronet being a practical daily driver first and foremost was the wagon. Typically, these had fairly normal inline-6 or V8 engines. But, Dodge did allow you to have the wagon with the 440 ci (7-liter) Magnum V8. This gave an otherwise ordinary grocery-getter 375 bhp and 480 lb-ft of torque! That might not sound like a lot by today's standards, but back then it was truly fantastic performance from what was otherwise a family car.

As you might expect from such a niche product, there aren't many Magnum-equipped Dodge Coronet wagons around. You also genuinely can't tell from a first glance if a Coronet wagon you're seeing has this big brute of an engine. That gives it a sleeper appeal unlike almost any other car!

It Shares An Engine With Some Of The Greatest Muscle Cars Ever Made

If you know your muscle cars, you'll know that the Magnum engine is absolutely legendary. It was an engine option in several muscle cars that have now become icons of that golden era of American automotive history. This includes multiple variants of the Dodge Charger (including the Charger Daytona NASCAR homologation special) and the Plymouth Road Runner. If you're lucky enough to find a Dodge Coronet 440 Wagon and get to own one, you're owning something that shares much of the same DNA as those super-desirable Mopar muscle machines.

Fifth-Generation Dodge Coronets Are Now Collectable Classics

The Coronet 440 Wagon is so rare that it's pretty difficult to find an exact figure for how much one is worth. But if you look at the values fifth-generation Coronets are fetching in general, these cars have become genuinely collectible classics. The average used value of these Coronets is $53,424 across the board. If you just look at the more reguar models, that drops down to $43,197. Some examples even still sell for less than $20,000! If you're looking for a collectible car from the golden age of American automotive history, any variant of the fifth-generation Coronet seems to be one of the best buys out there.

Other '60s Daily Drivers That Could Be Turned Into Overpowered Monsters

The Dodge Coronet 440 Wagon has to be one of the most impressive and distinctive overpowered '60s daily drivers. It's far from the only one around, though. Ford and General Motors also offered plenty of takes on the same concept of giving what were otherwise fairly normal cars massive, powerful engines. All those cars are absolutely fantastic, too!

Chevrolet Biscayne

The Biscayne was the most "regular" car you could get in the Chevrolet model range back then. Primarily designed for fleet customers, it was a no-nonsense model that got the job done. But, you could have a pretty firey engine underneath that plain jane exterior! The Biscayne was available with multiple big-block options during the '60s. This included the 409 ci (6.7-liter) and 427 ci (7-liter) V8s. The 427 was a proper monster for its day, taking the Biscayne from 0-60 mph in only a shade over 6 seconds!

Chevrolet Impala

It's not exactly unknown that the Chevrolet Impala could be spec'd with big, powerful engines back in the 1960s. This included the fire-breathing, limited-run Z11 model, which had the super-rare seven-liter Mystery Mark II engine. The big-block options in more regular Impalas were pretty impressive too, though! The fourth-generation model had the widest selection of big-block motors, including the 409 ci and 427 ci "Turbo-Jet" V8s. These big-block fourth-generation Impalas could produce as much as 425 hp!

Chevrolet Bel Air

The Chevrolet Bel Air isn't a car that's typically associated with big-block engines. But during the '60s, it was available with them. Like the Impala, the Bel Air was available with the 409 ci and 427 ci engines. That meant that you could have a sixth-generation Bel Air with as much as 425 hp!

Ford Country Squire

The Country Squire was Ford's equivalent to the Dodge Coronet Wagon in many ways. That included giving it an overpowered engine option! There are a very small number of Ford Country Squires that have the 428 ci (seven-liter) V8 engine. This is a legendary unit, coming from the same family of engines as the "side-oiler" that was used in the Ford GT40 Mark II and the "cammer" that was originally developed for NASCAR but ended up finding infamy in drag racing. As a result, it's a grocery-getter with fantastic performance.

Sources: Chevrolet, Classic.com, Dodge, Ford, Plymouth