Following Cora's premature retirement of the Charger she became acquainted with Keith Arteman of Normal, Illinois. Keith was a Zenith dealer who also happened to be a big Mopar fan. He became well-acquainted with Cora over the years, as she was a regular customer. One day in the late '80s, Keith asked Cora how her Charger was doing, and before he knew it she gave Keith part ownership in the car in return for its continued storage and upkeep. Around 1990 or '91, Keith moved the Charger into his own garage, then built a climate-controlled facility to better store the car and preserve its still astonishing condition.
Since then Keith has made this pristine piece of Mopar history a staple on the show circuits. All that has been done to the Hemi was to rebuild the carburetor, tune the engine, and provide a heaping dose of TLC. One problem which arose early on, however, had to do with the fuel delivery. Because of its prolonged storage and minimal driving time, lead crystals formed in the tank and clogged the pickup. At first Keith believed something to be wrong with the fuel pump, but a replacement of that unit failed to correct the problem. He went on to replace the sending unit and float, then discovered a whopping eight pounds of lead crystal sitting at the bottom of the tank. He cleaned it out and has had no problems since.
Today Keith shows the car seven to twelve times a year, putting an average of 100 miles on the clock each season. Due to its extremely good original condition, this Charger has served as an invaluable documenting source for the country's top Mopar restorers, and continues to provide Mopar fans of all persuasions with a good dose of what vintage Dodge muscle looked and smelled like when it left the dealer showroom.
Cora never intended to make her '66 Charger the premier unrestored original Hemi in the world, but accidents do happen...and this is one we can be thankful for.