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The Ultimate Muscle Car
Article 2 - Posted 14 August 2011 - Post a comment
This website was created to start a discussion about what you think is the ultimate muscle car. I have listed my opinion of the top 10 muscle cars. I encourage you to leave a comment below with your opinion of the top ten muscle cars and your opinion of the ultimate muscle car. The criteria to be a muscle car are listed below.
To be considered a muscle car, the car must be American made, it must be a 1960’s or 1970’s model, it should be a small car with a big engine, and the car should be designed for high performance. I used a combination of power, rarity, and design to come up with the 10 cars on my list, but then I ranked them based on design since each car is tremendously powerful and a great investment for any collector.
1. 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 – The 69 Camaro is my all-time favorite car, and the Z/28 RS package has the best design. While the ZL1 is the most rare and offers the highest performance of all the Camaro options, it does not have the same look as the Z28 RS. I like the look of the cowl-induction hood and racing stripes along with the hide-away headlights. The 302 engine is not quite as powerful as the aluminum 427 of the ZL1, but it does produce some serious horsepower, much more than it was rated at.
2. 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda Convertible – The 71 Hemi Cuda convertible is one of the most valuable cars available today. There were only 11 built and only 3 sold with manual transmissions. The 426 hemi that slams any driver back in their seat when given the opportunity is the most sought after motor to complete any Mopar muscle car.
3. 1967 Shelby Cobra 427 – The 67 Shelby Cobra 427 outperforms almost all performance vehicles past and present. It is built with a stylish and lightweight aluminum body and is powered by a Ford engineered 427 cubic inch engine. The roadsters are very rare and bring high prices whenever they are sold at auction.
4. 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 LS-6 – The 70 Chevelle SS LS6 was only made for one year because the car was so powerful that it made insurance premiums too expensive for the Chevelle’s targeted buyers. The beautiful car was complete with a 454 and over 450 horsepower. The SS had the super-sport logos with a cowl-induction hood and racing stripes.
5. 1968 Shelby GT-500 KR – Carroll Shelby is one of the most important individuals to the muscle car era, and the 68 Shelby GT-500 KR is one of his greatest creations. He started with a Ford Mustang, but customized the cars with 428 Cobra Jet motors, fiberglass front ends, hood scoops, and an upgraded interior. There were only 517 of theses cars ever built, and are a muscle car collector’s dream to own.
6. 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge – The 69 GTO Judge was built with bright colors and The Judge logos. It produced 366 horsepower from its Ram III engine and featured a unique T-handled shifter for the 3-speed transmission. The GTO was a well-engineered automobile with a fast looking design.
7. 1970 Oldsmobile 442 W-30 – The 70 Olds 442 W-30 was the fastest 442 ever built by Oldsmobile engineers. The reason for the car’s incredible speed was the monstrous 455 cubic inch motor. The 442 featured a lightweight fiberglass hood with two functioning air scoops. Racing was very popular during this era, and this car was showcased as the pace car for the 1970 Indianapolis 500.
8. 1969 Dodge Charger R/T – The 69 Dodge Charger is most famous for its appearance as the "General Lee" on the 80’s TV show, "The Dukes of Hazzard." The Charger R/T was equipped with a 440 motor that provided over 425 HP. The R/T stood for road and track, and the Charger had the equipment necessary for racing.
9. 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird – The 70 Road Runner Superbird was one of the top racing cars of the muscle car era. It was powered by a 440 motor and featured an aerodynamic body design that made the car extremely fast. The car was built for NASCAR, but regulations required that the car be sold to the public. Although, the Superbird was not very popular to the public since it was built for racing. Today it is much more popular and appreciated, and remains at the top of any collector’s wish list.
10. 1969 Ford Torino Talladega – The 69 Ford Torino Talladega was only produced for one year. The sole purpose of the car was for racing, and NASCAR made rule changes that made this Torino to be no longer usable by Ford. There were only 754 of these cars ever built. The Talladega model was no different than all other muscle cars in that it had an extremely powerful motor, but where it separated itself from other cars was with aerodynamics and suspension. The Torino Talladega was a very successful race car.
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To be considered a muscle car, the car must be American made, it must be a 1960’s or 1970’s model, it should be a small car with a big engine, and the car should be designed for high performance. I used a combination of power, rarity, and design to come up with the 10 cars on my list, but then I ranked them based on design since each car is tremendously powerful and a great investment for any collector.
1. 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 – The 69 Camaro is my all-time favorite car, and the Z/28 RS package has the best design. While the ZL1 is the most rare and offers the highest performance of all the Camaro options, it does not have the same look as the Z28 RS. I like the look of the cowl-induction hood and racing stripes along with the hide-away headlights. The 302 engine is not quite as powerful as the aluminum 427 of the ZL1, but it does produce some serious horsepower, much more than it was rated at.
2. 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda Convertible – The 71 Hemi Cuda convertible is one of the most valuable cars available today. There were only 11 built and only 3 sold with manual transmissions. The 426 hemi that slams any driver back in their seat when given the opportunity is the most sought after motor to complete any Mopar muscle car.
3. 1967 Shelby Cobra 427 – The 67 Shelby Cobra 427 outperforms almost all performance vehicles past and present. It is built with a stylish and lightweight aluminum body and is powered by a Ford engineered 427 cubic inch engine. The roadsters are very rare and bring high prices whenever they are sold at auction.
4. 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 LS-6 – The 70 Chevelle SS LS6 was only made for one year because the car was so powerful that it made insurance premiums too expensive for the Chevelle’s targeted buyers. The beautiful car was complete with a 454 and over 450 horsepower. The SS had the super-sport logos with a cowl-induction hood and racing stripes.
5. 1968 Shelby GT-500 KR – Carroll Shelby is one of the most important individuals to the muscle car era, and the 68 Shelby GT-500 KR is one of his greatest creations. He started with a Ford Mustang, but customized the cars with 428 Cobra Jet motors, fiberglass front ends, hood scoops, and an upgraded interior. There were only 517 of theses cars ever built, and are a muscle car collector’s dream to own.
6. 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge – The 69 GTO Judge was built with bright colors and The Judge logos. It produced 366 horsepower from its Ram III engine and featured a unique T-handled shifter for the 3-speed transmission. The GTO was a well-engineered automobile with a fast looking design.
7. 1970 Oldsmobile 442 W-30 – The 70 Olds 442 W-30 was the fastest 442 ever built by Oldsmobile engineers. The reason for the car’s incredible speed was the monstrous 455 cubic inch motor. The 442 featured a lightweight fiberglass hood with two functioning air scoops. Racing was very popular during this era, and this car was showcased as the pace car for the 1970 Indianapolis 500.
8. 1969 Dodge Charger R/T – The 69 Dodge Charger is most famous for its appearance as the "General Lee" on the 80’s TV show, "The Dukes of Hazzard." The Charger R/T was equipped with a 440 motor that provided over 425 HP. The R/T stood for road and track, and the Charger had the equipment necessary for racing.
9. 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird – The 70 Road Runner Superbird was one of the top racing cars of the muscle car era. It was powered by a 440 motor and featured an aerodynamic body design that made the car extremely fast. The car was built for NASCAR, but regulations required that the car be sold to the public. Although, the Superbird was not very popular to the public since it was built for racing. Today it is much more popular and appreciated, and remains at the top of any collector’s wish list.
10. 1969 Ford Torino Talladega – The 69 Ford Torino Talladega was only produced for one year. The sole purpose of the car was for racing, and NASCAR made rule changes that made this Torino to be no longer usable by Ford. There were only 754 of these cars ever built. The Talladega model was no different than all other muscle cars in that it had an extremely powerful motor, but where it separated itself from other cars was with aerodynamics and suspension. The Torino Talladega was a very successful race car.
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