Muscle Car Handling, Horsepower & Style In One Sick ’68 Coronet

Muscle car handling. This used to be an oxymoron. Muscle cars were once about going fast in a straight line. Sure, there were some corner carvers, like the Camaro Z/28 and Boss 302, but among the midsize monsters, only the Olds 4-4-2 got a rear sway bar as standard equipment in the early days. Now people want their classic muscle cars to handle more like modern cars. 

Well, how do you make that happen? It’s not that hard, actually. For a long time, companies like QA1 have been making the kinds of parts that enthusiasts seek when they want to improve muscle car handling. It can be something as simple as upgrading your shocks and springs. Now you can add tubular control arms, sway bars — you name it. 

The car you see here, a 1968 Dodge Coronet, has an ultra-modern appearance, but it’s been enhanced in every imaginable way, from the blown Hellcat HEMI under the hood, to the supremely comfortable interior and, most importantly, to the upgraded suspension. 

Yes, Mopar’s B-body platform — with its torsion bar front suspension and leaf springs out back — was known for decent handling and a smooth ride in the old days. The problem with the old days (if we can quote Slim Charles here) is “they’s the old days.” This platform dates back to 1962, which means engineering started in the 1950s. The newest B-bodies are from 1979, which was (gulp) 47 model years ago. Suspension technology has come quite a long way since then. 

But thanks to companies like QA1, muscle car handling that rivals expensive super cars is attainable, and at a price hot rodders can afford. 

Muscle Car Handling Personified

For Bo Schulz, the owner of this Dodge, it was the fulfillment of a long-time dream to own a B-body. It was built as a tribute to his father, a B-body lover who died not long after Bo purchased the Coronet. If his father could see this car now, he’d probably be amazed at what it became. 

Bo picked it up in 2019 and he went a little crazy with it — to put it mildly. Under the hood is a Gen 3 HEMI Hellcat engine, good for 707 net horsepower in stock condition. And to ensure his vintage muscle car had the capability to use all that incredible power, he added QA1 suspension parts front and rear.

But we are getting ahead of ourselves. First was the bodywork, which turned out to be a bit more than Bo bargained for when he tore it down. 

Like many old Mopars, this Coronet held a few surprises once it was stripped down. What was supposed to be a relatively straightforward refresh quickly turned into a major metalwork exercise.

“The body wasn’t what we thought it was,” Bo admits. “It ended up needing almost full metal replacement.” The team at Superior Quality Rides and Restoration stepped in and got to work, rebuilding the car piece by piece.”

The bright white paint, sprayed in Akzonobel’s finish, is crisp and clean—an unexpected choice that works beautifully with the sharp body lines and chrome trim. Paired with black accents and custom leather and Alcantara upholstery inside, The Professor strikes a confident balance between muscle car aggression and high-end craftsmanship.

The end result is a modern appearance, but one that does not cover up those classic Mopar bodylines. The Coronet (and its Plymouth counterpart, the Belvedere) were all new in ’68, with lines that flushed Mopar’s styling peculiarities on the early ’60s completely out of everyone’s mind. The end result was muscular but practical, cutting-edge, yet appealing to consumers. Over 196,000 were sold that year. 

Suspending Reality

Making a 50-plus year-old car handle with the best of the modern era meant ditching most of the original parts. Up front, Bo added QA1’s tubular K-member with rack-and-pinion steering, and an adjustable coilover suspension. Gone were the Torsion bars, not to mention an awful lot of weight. 

At the other end of the vehicle, the leaf springs were retired, replaced with QA1’s four-link setup, and a narrowed 9-inch rear. Rounding out this area of the build are Billet Specialties wheels wrapped in Pirelli tires. Wilwood brakes live behind the rolling stock, both front and rear. 

“The ride and handling are probably my favorite part,” Bo explained. “It’s tight, smooth, and fun in a way that these cars never were from the factory.”

For a car with this much power, that is high praise indeed.

Hellish Power, Yet Supreme Comfort

Replacing the original engine is a Hellcat crate engine backed by a TREMEC T56 six-speed gearbox — pretty much the perfect combo for any muscle car. The 707 ponies is about as much as you’ll ever need and the trans is smooth-shifting, robust, and the perfect way for the driver to be as immersed as possible in the driving experience.

Inside, the dash features a RetroSound head unit, and a clean, custom interior with subtle details that reward a second look — like the custom-fabricated door handles and, of course, the three pedals.

All was not roses, of course. The car was set to make its debut at the 2024 SEMA show in Las Vegas, but while on a test drive, the Dodge was rear-ended. Thankfully, the team at Superior Quality Rides and Restorations went all in and made the car presentable for its debut. After the event, they took the car apart again and made it perfect.

“It was a scramble, but they absolutely killed it,” Bo says. “They’re a huge part of this story.”

Bo says this is the car he’s always wanted, and it’s a total tribute to his father.

“I’m so proud of how it turned out,” he noted. 

See? Muscle car handling, modern performance and up-to-date styling can be had in one incredible package.