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The term “muscle car” refers to American-made, two-door automobiles manufactured from the 1960s to early 1970s. The 1964 Pontiac GTO started the craze, while the 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle was the height of muscle car evolution. Other classic muscle cars include the Camaro, Firebird, and Cutlass, as well as AMC’s Rambler, Javelin, and AMX. Restored vehicles can fetch over $1 million at auction.
The debate over what constitutes true classic muscle cars has been wrought by collectors and fans alike for decades. Most restoration companies and collector groups have come to a general understanding that the term muscle car refers to a class of American-made, two-door automobiles that were manufactured from the 1960s through the early 1970s. Included in this group of classic muscle cars are the commonly equipped big-block four-speed vehicles that come factory-equipped with dual exhausts and positive-drive rear differentials. In order to further enhance the power capabilities of these classic muscle cars, many of the vehicles were delivered with tubular exhaust headers and glass pack mufflers positioned in the trunk for later application by the customer.
Commonly known as the first of the classic muscle cars, the 1964 Pontiac GTO reigns supreme on many a collector’s list. This vehicle was equipped with a large V-8 engine and was capable of very impressive times on the drag strip in factory trim. While not the most powerful of the classic muscle cars and not the fastest by far, the 1964 GTO is credited with starting the muscle car craze that swept across the United States and eventually around the world. . With a perfectly restored factory finish, a matching numbers 1964 GTO is capable of fetching over $1 million US Dollars (USD) at a reputable auto auction.
Arguably the most popular of the classic muscle cars is the 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle. With a 454 cubic inch or 7,430 liter V-8 engine delivering 450 horsepower, this was the height of muscle car evolution for General Motors. Many of these vehicles are bought and sold as investment purchases that generate a better return for investors than the United States stock market. Many of these early muscle cars were cut up and used for drag racing, and many others were wrecked and wrecked on the streets by inexperienced drivers unfamiliar with the high horsepower of big engines. This brings prices for restored vehicles to over $100,000 USD, and undisturbed genuine factory stock survivors bring in over $1 million USD at auction.
Detroit’s Big Three automakers, Ford, General Motors and Chrysler, had offerings that have become classic muscle cars. Ford created the powerful factory stock racer, the 427 Thunderbolt. General Motors produced the Camaro and Chevelle, the Pontiac Firebird and the GTO, as well as Oldsmobile’s Cutlass. Chrysler followed suit with many hemi-equipped offerings.
However, these weren’t the only classic muscle cars to come out of Detroit at the time. American Motors Corporation, commonly known as AMC, was churning out some muscle of its own in the form of the Rambler, Javelin, and AMX. Any one of these lesser-known classic muscle cars could hold its own and even outbid any so-called Big Three on any given day at the racetrack. AMC eventually evolved to cult status among muscle car collectors.
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