No replacement for displacement – Five Classic Muscle Cars

Muscle cars are noisy, muscle cars are dumb, but muscle cars are also utterly wondrous! As paradoxically contrary as that is, it’s the simple truth and these hulking slabs of brute strength have transcended any of their inherent shortcomings to represent the truest of American ideals. Forget the current state of a country that has slowly devolved to become a caricature of itself. Instead look fondly back at a time when these magnificent beasts were a call to freedom, rejuvenating an industry and going on to define an entire culture. That’s no mean feat and classic muscle cars to this day still represent a particular zeitgeist that they had such a huge hand in cultivating. They have become ingrained in our collective consciousness as intrinsically affecting. If a screenwriter wants to imbue a certain character with a sense of cool, or add a touch of danger to their protagonist, then they’re going to have them driving muscle cars. Imagine if Dominic Toretto had driven a Honda Jazz instead of a supercharged 1970 Dodge Charger R/T, or if the Bandit was trying to run interference for Cletus while simultaneously avoiding the clutches of Sheriff Buford T. Justice at the wheel of an Austin Allegro (actually, we’d pay good money to see that remake for the comedy value alone).

The very moniker that this assorted array of classic American metal has been labelled with evokes images and feelings of underlying strength and an inherent capability. They’re not called “sensitivity cars” now are they and whilst there may be a touch of institutionalised chauvinism mixed with a dash of outmoded values attached, the fact of the matter is muscle cars are exciting. They are cool and they are dangerous and we bloody love them. You do too if the Car & Classic auctions and classifieds are anything to go by and there’s always a steady stream to drool over on the site. They may not handle as well as their more nimble European counterparts but that was never the point. The entire purpose of these brutes was to go fast, in a straight line. Kings of the street, denizens of the traffic light drag race. Such was their popularity that they’re still being made today, having enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance beginning in the early noughties. With the likes of the latest Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat and Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 prowling the streets, for example, the technology may have moved on but that fundamental spirit and character endures.

With all of the major US manufacturers constantly trying to out-do each other with ever-increasing horsepower figures there are a lot of tasty choices and whittling this list down to just five was a difficult job. Which is why we’ve cheated a bit and listed a few honourable mentions at the end, but that just means more cars to talk about. So here it is, our carefully curated catalogue of tire shredding, V8 roaring classic American muscle cars. Do you agree? Enjoy, debate and discuss at your leisure.

1) Pontiac GTO

Many people will tell you that the Pontiac GTO is the granddaddy of the muscle car set as we know it today. Genesis, if you will, and it would be a strong argument. Some may disagree, citing the Oldsmobile Rocket 88 as the very first, all the way back in 1949. Whatever the case, the GTO is a bona fide muscle car, despite beginning life as an option package for a different Pontiac model, the LeMans, in ’64, which itself was originally a trim package for the Pontiac Tempest. John DeLorean (yep, that John DeLorean) and his team had decided to cram a larger 389cubic-inch (that’s 6.4-litres to you and I) V8 under the bonnet of the Tempest, inadvertently kick starting the whole muscle car movement. Why? Because General Motors had initiated a ban on any involvement in racing and so Pontiac was forced to turn its attention to street performance instead.

It wasn’t until 1966, however, that the GTO became its own, stand-alone model with numerous styling refreshes and V8 engine choices throughout the years. We’ll leave making sense of the myriad versions and options for another article but suffice to say the GTO’s journey culminated in ’69 with the release of the “Judge”, the most powerful of which was available with a Ram Air IV system pushing out a whopping 370 horsepower and 445 pound-feet of torque, immediately immortalising the GTO as a true legend of the genre.

2) Dodge Charger

We’ve already mentioned Dom’s monstrous Charger from the Fast and the Furious but Dodge’s full-size offering has had multiple top billings. We could list every one of it’s appearances here, from the General Lee in The Dukes of Hazard to its turn as the baddie’s menacing wheels in Bullitt and Wesley Snipes’ ride in Blade, but the Dodge Charger is much more than just a darling of the silver screen. Unveiled in 1966 as a V8-equipped, two-door fastback based on Chrysler’s mid-sized B platform it wasn’t until the second generation two years later that the Charger found its market.

Redesigned with more of a Coke bottle aesthetic it cemented its reputation as a paid up member of the muscle car club with the addition of the high-performance R/T (Road/Track) package which came with the addition of Chrysler’s 440cubic-inch Magnum V8. There was also the option of the 426 Hemi engine (named for its hemispherical combustion chambers) too, which produced a staggering 425bhp! Both of these variants would firmly establish the Charger as muscle car royalty.

3) Plymouth Barracuda

We’ve been lucky enough to drive a 1967 ‘Cuda and it did not disappoint. The exhaust burble alone was enough to get the juices flowing but it was the third generation Hemi version in 1970 that really established this car as a major player in the muscle car wars. The original Barracuda – released into the wild in ’64 just a few weeks before the Mustang – spent much of its early life living in the rather large shadow the original Ford pony car had cast.

That all changed in 1970, however, when Plymouth decided to plumb in a 426 cubic inch (7.0-litre) V8 making 425bhp. This made the slippery devil a lot faster, slashing its 0-60mph time to just 5.6 seconds. With its garish colour schemes and shaker hood scoop it certainly looked the part too. The Hemi ‘Cuda was a flash in the pan, though and was withdrawn from production in ’71 after an incredibly limited number had been built making it the rarest and most collectible member on out list.

4) Chevrolet Chevelle

Chevrolet are no strangers to the muscle car game and the Chevelle is our pick of the bunch, specifically the SS, or Super Sport version. Like Chrysler’s R/T package the SS was GM’s version of Chrysler’s top performance designation and after a rather slow start in 1964, which saw the Chevy lagging behind Pontiac’s GTO, the Chevelle would get stronger and stronger, the climax of which was the SS 454, basis for the modified Pro Street Custom model we currently have available on our auctions platform.

Named for the capacity in cubic inches of the engine it came equipped with, the 7.5-litre big block V8, with its 450bhp and 500lb ft of torque, would hit 60 from parked in a little over five seconds making it one of the fastest straight line cars of it’s day. The 454 LS-6 V8 remains a legendary engine in car circles and is arguably one of the best muscle car motors ever made.

5) Dodge Challenger

A second entry for Chrysler on our list is the Charger’s feisty little brother, the Challenger. Like the Charger it has been immortalised on screen thanks to 1971’s ethereal Vanishing Point, a film which follows car delivery driver Kowalski’s journey across the country, pretty much constantly at full chat, behind the wheel of a white 1970 Challenger fitted with the R/T 440 Magnum V8 and a supercharger, providing an allegory for that sense of freedom we touched upon at the beginning of this article. The Challenger was fashionably late to the party, arriving as it did in 1970, but boy did it make an entrance.

One of the best looking of the bunch the Dodge Challenger immediately lived up to its name by care of the T/A (Trans Am) model that was produced as a homologation special in order to compete in the Sports Car Club of America’s Trans American racing series. The street version utilised the same 340 cubic-inch V8 as the albeit de-stroked race version and added three double-barrel Holley carburettors in addition to an Edelbrock aluminium intake manifold, nicknamed the 340 Six Pack. The real world result was around 350bhp of pure muscle rather than the 290 claimed by Dodge.

Honourable Mentions

Plymouth Roadrunner Superbird

It was either the Superbird or the Barracuda from Plymouth for our muscle cars list but the Hemi ‘Cuda had to take precedence due to its more widespread recognition as a stalwart of the scene. You can read more about the Superbird here though.

Chevrolet Camaro

It was a toss up between Chevrolet’s answer to the Mustang and the Chevelle but the latter just pipped the Camaro to the post due to the sheer performance of the SS 454. We see the Chevelle as a more dedicated and purer muscle car.

Pontiac Firebird

With hands down the best name of the bunch the Firebird is pretty iconic and deserves a shout out, specifically in Trans Am get up and the 1970 Ram Air IV model was developing 370bhp at 5500rpm, allowing for a 0-60 time of five-and-a-half seconds. Tasty.

Shelby Mustang GT-350

We don’t strictly class the original Mustang as part of the group and we’re fully aware of how divisive that statement may be but the GT350, like this one that’s currently for sale via the Car & Classic classifieds, is definitely cut from muscle car cloth, thanks in part to its hopped-up 306bhp V8, as well as uprated brakes and suspension care of Le Mans winning legend Carroll Shelby.