There’s something alluring about automobiles that goes beyond the various designs, colors, and types. They are united under a banner of power, one that commands total respect. Many people take for granted the incredible amount of power that these machines have under the hood so to speak.
All of those parts working together create something more than a complex machine. They create one of a countless number of car types. Today we’re here to discuss one of the greatest kinds: muscle cars. We’ve all heard the name thrown around and while many of us have an idea of what these kinds of car designs are like, it’s time to delve deeper into the meaning of the term.
While we’re at it, we’ll also check out the best of these cars every made, leaving you with the unwavering need to purchase one of your own. After all, looking at cars is all well and good, but nothing beats the thrill of driving one.
Defining This Class of Cars
When a car is referred to with the name “muscle” preceding it, they fall into a class of high-performance vehicles. The Merriam-Webster dictionary has a poignant definition:
“Any of a group of American-made 2-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving.”
For example, placing a V8 engine into a 2-door rear wheel drive mid-size or full-size automobile adds that element of “muscle” that defines these cars. These types of cars are designed for street use and sometimes for drag racing. They are far different from sports cars that are used for road racing.
The origin of muscle vehicles can be traced back to the 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 but this type of car became huge between 1965 and 1970. With rising gas prices, insurance costs, and emission regulations, they became less prevalent, but there’s still plenty of enthusiasts out there. Many of these cars were manufactured to this day by American based car brands as well.
Let’s take a look at the top muscle automobiles ever made.
The Best Muscle Cars Ever Made
photo by Jack Snell
1 – The 1967 Pontiac GTO
With all of the muscle enthusiasts out there, there are several cars that are defined as the beginning this class. Some will point to the 1964 Pontiac GTO. At the time there was a ban in place from GM where you couldn’t put an engine larger than 330 cubic inches into a small car.
Pontiac went around this ban and placed a 389-cubic-inch V8 into their Tempest model and called it the GTO. People loved the design so much that the executives were forced to allow it entrance into production. It wasn’t until 1967 that we saw widespread models like the one pictured above.
photo provided by RK Motors Charlotte
2 – The 1968 Plymouth Road Runner Hemi
We’ve all seen the old Looney Toons cartoons with the iconic “Road Runner” and his “beep-beep” noise. Plymouth wasn’t interested in fancy colors or nice curves. They wanted to bring out a powerful beast of a vehicle and with the Road Runner they did just that. With 425-horsepower, and a 426-cubic-inch Hemi V8 engine, it was a beast of a car.
The company actually paid to use the likeness and name of the iconic cartoon character in 1968 from Warner Brothers. Even the car’s horn sounds off with the classic “beep-beep.”
3 – The 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429
When you come out with a car called the Boss, you set some serious expectations. Less than 1,400 of these beauties were built between 1969 and 1970. The car featured a 429-cubic-inch V8 engine that brought 375-horsepower to the table. That may not seem like a lot compared to the other cars on the list, but this one is special in a different way.
The engine here couldn’t fit into a standard Mustang so Ford was forced to outsource the production to a Michigan based manufacturer named Kar Kraft. Because of the differing dimension, the car was essentially hand-built.
© General Motors
4 – The 1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
The modern version of this car borrows its name from the ’69 edition pictured above. Less than 70 of these were built and brought with them the more powerful Chevrolet engine ever sold to the public at the time. The price when it released reflected the rarity of the car: $7,200 which was a lot at the time.
The car’s engine was based on the well-known 427 V8 engine, but in this case the iron block was replaced with an aluminum one; a first for a Chevy production engine. The official output for the engine was rated at 430 horsepower, but many owners and independent testers have said that the true output is higher.
5 – The 1970 Buick GSX Stage 1
Buick crossed into this market of cars with some major players. The GSX appearance option, pictured above, was first available in 1970 and seemingly abandoned Buick’s typical luxurious aesthetic for a rear spoiler and body striping. There were 687 GSX models built, 488 of which were sold with the Stage 1 upgrade.
The engine was a 455-cubic-inch V8 with 510 pounds-foot of torque. The Stage 1 tuning and engine modifications pushed out 360 horsepower to the rear wheels. It’s not the most powerful car, but it is truly unique given the car brand that manufactured it.
The Modern Demand
While the 60’s represented the high point for muscle cars, there have been recent upturns in the industry which suggest that they are coming back into style. The industry and more specifically this type of car continues to face scrutiny for their fuel consumption and emissions. Even so, many of the original producers are still putting out modern day renditions.
The Mustang and the Camaro for example are still seeing production in to the modern century. In 2005, Ford released a new model of their Mustang that was meant to call back the 1964 model with aggressive lines and the same colors as the original. There are still plenty of dedicated outlets where you can buy these types of cars too.
In 2009 Chevrolet released a newly designed Camaro which had some similarities to the 1969 model. Detroit in particular is still striving to keep these types of cars alive, despite the call for more fuel efficient vehicles. The increasing pressure from fuel efficiency standard changes continue to threaten this new revival, but for the time being these types of cars are seeing well-deserved attention once again.
