America loves speed. The 1960s and 1970s might have produced the wildest and rarest muscle cars packing giant torque-rich V-8s, but the 1980s brought its share of powerful machines to the street, too—cars that were quick and met the more stringent emissions controls. And behind the horsepower there are some surprising stories.
Currently with the popularity of Gone in 60 Seconds or the latest Fast & Furious movie, I think it is time to explore the world of American muscle cars. These cars are known for their strength and speed as well as many of them also to be collected by automotive enthusiasts around the world.
Here I will discuss the second part of the Top-10 Classic American Muscle Car,
5. 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona
The 1969 Dodge Daytona and its sibling, the 1970 Plymouth Superbird, are arguably the most radical vehicles to emerge from the muscle car wars. But the Daytona, as the name might suggest, wasn't designed for street racing. It was built to win Nascar races on the superspeedways—the longest and fastest tracks.
To increase top speed, engineers took the Charger to the wind tunnel. The aerodynamic modifications to the big Dodge included a nearly 2-foot-tall rear wing, a flush rear window, and a longer, sloped nose cone. The results were impressive. The race version of the Daytona became the first car in Nascar history to break 200 mph. After numerous Dodge wins in 1969 and some by Plymouth in 1970, Nascar's new rule book banned these cars. The production cars, which came packing a 440 big-block or the legendary 426 Hemi, are sought-after collector cars today that bring more than $150,000 at auctions.
The Daytona's aerodynamic modifications over a those of a standard Charger helped lower the coefficient of drag to 0.28—an excellent figure even by today's standards. But did that huge rear wing really need to be so tall to maximize rear-end downforce? According to legend, no. The reason for the exaggerated height of the wing was so that the trunklid on the production cars could pass underneath it and fully open. (Read related article.)
4. 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396
Chevrolet’s "Super Sport" option package was first introduced for the 1961 Impala and soon spread to its other model offerings including the Chevelle, which began life in 1964. The 1966 model year saw the Chevelle take on what I consider to be its best looking body style, with its most-recognizable feature, the classic forward-thrusting front fenders.
The Super Sport version also included special wheel covers, red-line tires, and a black-out grill which showed off the SS badging to further compliment its bold appearance. Enginewise, the 396 was basically a de-stroked big-block 409, and was available in several configurations starting with the base-rated 325 hp version. The top option was the RPO L78 which was a mid-year release.
Thanks to its 11.0:1 compression ratio, a hot cam, and other tweaks, this baby generated 375 hp at 5,600 rpm, could go 0-60 in about 6.5 seconds and ran 14.5 second quarters. In 1966, Chevelle SS 396s with the L78 engine option numbered only about 100 units, and accordingly are highly prized today.
3. 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge
Pontiac owned the muscle scene in the early 1960s. In fact, the 1964 Pontiac GTO is widely regarded as the very first of the breed. But by 1968, that car had plenty of competition. The thought within Pontiac was to make a cheaper version of the GTO with a smaller 350-cubic-inch engine called the ET (for "elapsed time") a drag-racing term.
Pontiac boss John DeLorean didn't like that idea. To him, no GTO would have an engine that small. Instead, the team built a car one step up from the regular GTO. DeLorean himself named the car after a popular skit on the TV show Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. The Judge featured the 360-hp Ram Air III engine standard, but buyers could also opt for the more hardcore 370-hp Ram Air IV. The rarest of all were the GTO Judge Ram Air IV convertibles—only five were built in 1969.
The original TV commercial for the Judge featured the rock band Paul Revere and the Raiders singing about the GTO out on a dry lakebed. According to the book Pontiac Pizazz, by Jim Wangers and Art Fitzpatrick, the lead singer, Mark Lindsay, was a car guy and loved the Judge, so he wrote a song about it. Wangers claims this commercial is considered one of the earliest rock-music videos.
2. 1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda
Plymouth Baracuda was a two-door compact/midsize car manufactured by the Plymouth division of the Chrysler Corporation from 1964 through 1974. The 1970 Hemi Cuda is now one of the most sought-after Classic Muscle Cars. Hemi ’Cuda production was limited: 652 coupes were built in 1970, dropping to just 108 in 1971. Convertible production numbers approach those of some classic European sports cars, with 14 droptop Hemi ’Cudas built in 1970 and only seven in 1971.
The 426 Street Hemi engine is the most legendary powerplant ever fitted in a muscle car. Out of all the body styles in which it was available from 1966-71, it was in the big-engine-in-a-small-car E-Bodies that the 426 was put to its best use. These classic long-hood, short-deck pony cars were turned into monster street machines when fitted with the Hemi V8.
For the 1970 Barracuda were offered: the 440 Magnum (375 hp with a single four-barrel carb), and the Hemi-challenging 440 Six Pack, with three two-barrel carburetors (390 gross hp and a stunning 480 lb-ft of torque at a very low 2,300 rpm). The 1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda features: 4 speed pistol grip transmission, Super track Pac, Power brakes, front bucket seats, hood pins, sport hood, drip rail moldings, dual Exhaust, S15 Hemi suspension. (Read related article.)
1. 1968 Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500
The first two years of Carroll Shelby's Mustangs are the most desirable to many Mustang purists. Those 1965 and 1966 GT 350s were light, simply styled, and perfect for track work. But the later 1967 and 1968 cars offered more fun under the hood and were the machines of choice if you wanted to win drag races.
For the first time, '67 to '68 GT 500 Shelbys came with 355-hp 428-cubic-inch big-block power under the hood. Car testers of the day saw quarter-mile time slips in the mid-to-low 14-second bracket—quick for the day. The Shelby Mustangs received more scoops and flashier styling than the older cars to match the new-found power and torque. And the even quicker KR (King of the Road) high-performance model was available in 1968 too. The 1967 Shelby Mustangs used Mercury Cougar tail lamps, but the 1968 models used lamps from the '66 Ford Thunderbird.
One variant of this car is also famous by the Hollywood's Gone in 60 Seconds movie namely, 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 that called Eleanor is one of 50 cars which should be stolen by a retired car thief Memphis Raines (Nicholas Cage) in one night. (Jump to Previous-Part.) *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | LISTPHOBIA | LISTVERSE]
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