Over the past few years there seems to be an explosion of vintage Muscle Cars available for sale, with values for GM Big Block, Mopar Hemi, and Ford Cobra Jet equipped vintage cars leading the pack in both dollar value, and desirability. Although values have started to cool, most are still out of the realm of affordability, while their desirability grows to an ever increasing car loving public.
Certain models will always be on the top of any list, including icons such as the Chevelle SS 396, the Plymouth Hemi Superbird, the Ford Talladega, or even the Oldsmobile 442. When you think Muscle Car, most enthusiasts think of cars like the Pontiac GTO, Mustang Boss 302, or Mercury Cyclone, and with good reason. Most automotive aficionados probably remember the 1964 Pontiac GTO as the birth of the Muscle Car movement, while they also lament it’s passing after 1972, when GM dropped the lithe “A” platform (Chevelle, Skylark, Cutlass, LeMans) for the newer Colonnade intermediates. However, it is my duty to try and expand your mind to the possibility that the Muscle Car started much earlier, and is still available, brand new, today.
Which brings me to this series. I call it the Hooniverse Obscure Muscle Car Garage. I will bring you, the reader, a detailed posting about a Performance or Muscle Car (probably one that you never thought of as a Muscle Car). I will not write about a car that already fits into the definition as a Muscle Car, such as the mid 60’s GM Intermediates, or any of the V-8 equipped Pony Cars of the same vintage. The 60’s Wedge and Hemi powered Chryslers, Dodges, and Plymouths are already accepted as true Muscle. Even little AMC has a few well defined Muscle Cars, so don’t look for postings on a 401 equipped Javelin, or a 2 seat AMX. However, there are at least 100 real performers that may have escaped your attention, (many are pictured in this posting).
There will be five decades of automotive development we will be exploring together. The horsepower wars took root in the early 50’s, with modern V-8 engines, high octane gasoline, and the growth of both NASCAR, and NHRA Drag Racing. It was a decade of opportunities, and an explosion of personal wealth. It was a time in which there were at least eight US Major Car Corporations, with 18 different makes. And there were performance models available, right from the showroom. Cars with multiple carburetors, superchargers, fuel injection, and heavy duty suspensions. They were tested in places like Daytona Beach, and the Bonneville Salt Flats. Racing helped improve the cars, and the engines became better, more powerful, and reliable. There are some very memorable cars I will define from this decade.
The 60′s is acknowledged as the true Muscle Car era. When John DeLorean helped create the Pontiac GTO, the floodgates opened. However, did you know that true Muscle Cars were available before the GTO was ever thought of? A couple of them came from GM, others became available from the last independent car company from South Bend, Indiana. While the Chrysler, GM, and Ford Intermediates, including the Pony Cars were garnering for attention, there were a few Full Size cars, along with a few Compacts that are also worthy Muscle Cars.
The 70’s was a mixed decade. Insurance Companies penalized outright performance cars, while new safety and smog legislation killed both raw horsepower, as well as styling flexibility. Many of the performance cars were killed off during the decade, or worse, emasculated to the point of oblivion. Nameplates that echoed Muscle were turned into anything but, including Mustang, Charger, GTO, Cougar, and Cuda. However, a funny thing happened during what has become the Malaise era, cars started to handle better than ever. Radial tires, Anti Sway bars, and Disc Brakes became the norm, not the exception, and performance cars could now take corners, rather than just straight line acceleration. And there were still true muscle car bargains available, and not all of them made in the good old USA.
The 80’s saw a re-birth in the number of Performance Cars available, including a Mustang GT, Camaro Z-28, and Pontiac Trans Am. There were different types of Muscle Cars, including Turbocharged Four and Six Cylinder models, NASCAR inspired specials, Pace Car replicas, and the rise of the Performance Truck. This trend continued into the 90’s, and true Muscle isn’t confined to cars made in North America, but also cars from Europe, and Japan. These cars run the gamut, and include Coupe, Sedan, Wagon, and SUV models, with better outright performance than many of the fire breathing monsters of the 60’s.
Along with trying to convince you to think outside the box (and to get your reaction), a poll will ask whether the featured vehicle is worthy of having a parking place within the Garage. I’ll keep track of the entries, and every so often, there will be a review of the vehicles that have been given the readership approval to be in the Garage, and whether or not they should be voted out. So, there you have it. Participation is essential. Let your voice be heard. Write a comment and tell me what you think is an overlooked performance or muscle car, from 1950 to today, and maybe I’ll take you up on it.
