Best 65-75 muscle car. Not necessarily power, just best.

[HopeHoops]

Mine, 68 Galaxie Fastback (and I own my grandfather's).

[mikeytherat]

1. '69 Camaro SS with the RS option

OK, I owned one, and I am biased, but I also love the '66 Mustang fastback.

mikey_the_rat

[Major Nikon]

4. My personal favorite is the '69 Camaro Z28

The '67 through '69 models were the only car to feature the Chevy 302, which was specifically built to comply with the 5 liter limit of the Trans Am series. Of the three years, the '69 is my favorite.

[OriginalGeek]

8. My first car was a 68 Firebird

I also owned a 71 Firebird Formula 400 for a bit.


I love the new Camaros but only because they decided not to make a Firebird counterpart.

I always preferred the Pontiac versions but Camaros and Firebirds have been my favorite cars since I started saving up for mine at age 14.

But my friend in high school had a 71 Cuda AND a 69 Cougar Eliminator and both those cars were fun to ride around in too.

I'd give a lot to have any of those cars again but I think I'd have to get a junk one and rebuild it in order to afford it. I saw a 67 Camaro go for 50k+ on the Meacham auto auction a while back...



At least my grandpa lets me drive his mint 1965 LeMans around.

[Major Nikon]

9. My wife has one of the new Camaros

I jokingly call it her mid-life crisis car. The handling and braking are head and shoulders better than the old Camaros were, probably due in no small part to the shoes that are on it. It has the 6 cylinder engine, which is also head and shoulders above the old underpowered 6 banger they used to put in the Firebirds.

Personally I prefer to admire fast cars from afar these days. The problem I have with them is when you're going down the highway at 55 mph and you pull back on the steering wheel, nothing interesting happens.

[OriginalGeek]

19. ha - I bet not, compared to an airplane

but it would be plenty exciting for me...but I'd get the 8cyl...my wife sees me drool every time we drive by one and she just laughs at me because I can't afford to have my mid-life crisis. She's kinda mean that way.

I try to tell her it would SAVE money because even the 8cyl gets better gas mileage than my truck and I drive for work just enough that we would notice....she seems to think the savings would be eaten up in speeding tickets but I maintain that is poppycock. I'd drive slower just so I could stay in it longer...

[bluedigger]

27. That's my favorite, too.

[Rosco T.]

44. 71 Challenger

or 70

[Iggo]

2. '72 Chevy Chevelle SS.

American Car.

[Blue_Tires]

21. I've always loved the name "Chevelle"

Always conjured in my mind a really sweet, lusty Swiss/French hottie

[Throd]

3. 1967 Oldsmobile 442

the '68 is a close second. I own one of each.

[Blue_Tires]

22. I'm coming over to your place to hang out...

[Orrex]

5. '74 Matador, baby!

Had the rare distinction of being wider than long. That counts for something, right?


Right?

[Mopar151]

30. A good "organ donor"

The driveline out of the ugliest cop car ever made (but not the slowest!) will bolt right into a Gremlin. And it's pretty much the same as the 390 AMX.
Power wheelie champion Brian Ambrosini

and a vid in race trim - bad fast!

And if you're in touch with your inner Garth - 2 v-8 Pacers (the wide small car!)

[OffWithTheirHeads]

6. You have to ask? AC Cobra. End of discussion.

[Major Nikon]

10. No doubt it's on the short list of the best sports cars

But for a car to be a muscle car in my book, it has to also be a grocery getter and take the kids to the ballgame kind of car, and the AC Cobra is definitely not in that class.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

34. First, it has a trunk. Throw the groceries and one of the kids in the trunk

Put the other kid in the passanger seat and then tell me that the kids wouldn't love to show up at the ballgame in that! Second, if a 427 isn't muscle, what is? A 1,000 hp Porsche Can-Am car?

[Major Nikon]

37. It's not just horsepower

Ferraris and Porches have great horsepower to weight ratios, but they ain't muscle cars. A muscle car is a car that you drive to work during the week, and take to the drag strip on the weekends. They were affordable and utilitarian, but had a lot under the hood. It's a blue collar thing.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

38. Whatever! Your interpretation is as good as mine.

I just responded to the question as I saw it. If you think minivans are muscle cars, who am I to argue?

[Major Nikon]

39. Make it up as you go along if you like

It doesn't matter to me much one way or another. I just prefer to use the term as it's more widely accepted. YMMV.

Muscle car is a term used to refer to a variety of high-performance automobiles.[1] The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines muscle cars as "any of a group of American-made 2-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving."[2] Usually, a large V8 engine is fitted in a 2-door, rear wheel drive, family-style mid-size or full-size car designed for four or more passengers. Sold at an affordable price, muscle cars are intended for mainly street use and occasional drag racing.[3][4][5][6] They are distinct from two-seat sports cars and expensive 2+2 GTs intended for high-speed touring and road racing. Developed simultaneously in their own markets, muscle cars also emerged from manufacturers in Australia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_car

[Blue_Tires]

20. You insult the memory of the Cobra by calling it "muscle"

The Cobra was a world-class, record setting sports car/GT

[OffWithTheirHeads]

35. Frankly, as a "sports car" it couldn't corner for shit.

Muscle cars are good in a straight line. Sports cars can turn right (and do it quickly). A decent Porsche 911S would eat the Cobra for lunch at Watkins Glenn or Laguna Seca. Hell, a 1958 Porsche 550 RSK Spyder probably would have left the Cobra in the dust on a course where turns were involved. THAT'S a sports car!

[Mopar151]

42. You wish. The 427 SC has well over 500 horsepower - today's "vintage" 289's are well over 400.

Vs. 300 or less from the Porsche. The Cobra is a nasty handful, but it can corner in the hands of a good driver. 911's have their handling quirks, too - a couple are fairly manevolent. And my friend assembles the engines for several well heeled vintage Ford racers who run at the Glen - my info is good.

[Blue_Tires]

46. yeah, despite the oh-so-sexy lines

it had a horrible tendency to lift at speed...too little consideration given to downforce then...

[Gold Metal Flake]

25. The other respondents are correct. The Cobra is not a Muscle car.

A muscle car is an American sedan.

My favorite Cobras are the less bulgy 289 versions.



Also: DAYTONA!!

[Mopar151]

31. I ran a Solo1 with a 289FIA Cobra

In the field. A very fast car! The 289 FIA was the "full race" small block, beautifully balanced, nimble, and not nearly as evil as the big block cars.

[snooper2]

7. AMC AMX

[Sabriel]

40. We had a '70 AMX

Big Bad Blue.

Unfortunately, it was a two seater.

Sigh.

[pokerfan]

11. GTO

[bluesbassman]

12. '70 Hemi 'Cuda/Challenger

[Xithras]

13. That's like asking "What's the best religion. Not the biggest, just best".

Everyone has an answer, and everyone will argue why theirs is correct.

They're all wrong though, if their answer is anything other than a 1970 Chevelle SS

[Mopar151]

15. To me, they're all "fixer uppers" I can't think of 1 that is the whole package.

That's not to say they can't be made into a "best", but still.. None of the big blocks will stand up to being driven hard without structural failure of some sort - I can cite specifics, if anyone cares.
I would be partial to a 427 Fairlane 4-speed, if you seam welded and braced it, and put some decent brakes on it. Red Sox' Carlton Fisk had a sister-in law,(a southern belle, married to brother Cedrick, a farrier) who had a SWEET 351C 4-speed '73 Torino - black, with the cool K-H styled wheels.
I knew a junkyard mogul who had a '72 LS-6 / TH-400 Chevelle He was an amputee, thus the A/T. He told me that GM replaced the viniyl roof under warrranty, 'cuz it blew off at 170!!!! The frames had several spots prone to cracking, and the rear suspension needed some help, as frame flex, bushing deflection, and improper geometry would make them do the hula....
Anything Mopar with a true high-performance engine 340, 440 Magnum or 6-pack, or the mighty Hemi, would f'n fly! Steering and stopping might well be another matter, and they liked to pop the spot welds that held the firewall and front end onto the cab.

Fixes are available for all these problems now, as well as tires that are actually safe for the speeds they'll do. That's why "restomods" are so popular now. You can even make a Corvair nice, and plenty fast.

[ileus]

16. As a jeep person AMC AMX

[Swede]

17. 1975 Chevy Nova.

It was my second car,and I wished I'd hung onto it. pic is not of my car,just looked like that.

[lovemydog]

18. I love the '65 GTO

But I'm basing it purely on looks.

[GReedDiamond]

43. I'm with ya, but I go for the 1966 version of the GTO, just for the taillights.

1965 GTO


1966 GTO


Plus, the '66 GTO is more aerodynamically swooped than the '65, and it has a much more aggressive looking profile...


1965 GTO


1966 GTO

THAT SAID, I'd eat a bug (sorry for the Cal Worthington reference) for a pristine, vintage version of either!

[brush]

47. Me too. The '65 GTO has the perfect size, lines and shilouette

The '67 and '64 are my next favorites. Don't like tail lights on the '66.


After the '67 they became to bulbous looking — no longer lean and graceful.

[Blue_Tires]

23. Any of the old Trans Am cars

http://www.trans-amseries.com/

[Gold Metal Flake]

24. 68, 69, 70 428 Cobra Jet Mustang

An excellent package. Smooth and docile in traffic, tremendous torque when kicked. Bulletproof Toploader 4 speed for fun or the redoubtable C6 auto for convenience. High 13s stock with 3.50s, but deep 12s with headers, 4.3s and a good tune. The whole enchilada. The R code "Super Cobra Jet" version got you the deeper gears and forged pistons for racing so you ordered it equipped with your intentions in mind.

The 1971 Boss 351 was quicker stock, but it was also larger and harder to see out that long, flat rear window. The Boss 302 was quick but it required work to get there and the Boss 429 was hobbled by too little cam and too little carb (both the Boss 302 and the Boss 429 were homologation packages for trans Am and NASCAR respectively). Before the 428CJ, there was the 427 R code engine optional in the 66 and 67 Fairlane and the Galaxie 64 & 65 but that was a real race engine with a fat cam and manners to match. The 1971 429 CJ was a good package. I never had a 71/2/3 Mustang fastback "SprtsRoof" but I had several 1972/73 Gran Torino fastbacks and those were nearly blind out the back as well. Man, I love a 72/73 Gran Torino Sport (or Montego GT) with the Q code 351 Cleveland Cobra Jet and a Toploader on the highway. What a fantastic cruiser.

Also, anything Mopar with a 440 Magnum in it. That engine was simple, reliable and one tourqey motherfucker. The six pack as well.

[bluedigger]

26. Guy next to me in the dorm had a 71 Hemi 'Cuda with a six pack.

I only rode in it once. That was enough.

[Mopar151]

28. Was it a Hemi, or a 6 pack?

All the street Hemi's came with 2 Carter AFB 4-barrels. The "6 Pack" 440 wedge had 3 Holley 2-barrels, and some special parts in the engine vs. a "normal" 440 4-barrel. Either one is crazy fast.
A friend of mine had a 440 Magnum GTX, with the HD 4-speed and Dana rear, and it was insanely fast. I still have the transmission.
And I've driven a 66 or so 440 cop car - it accellerated hard to well over 100, when I ran out of road and nerve.

[bluedigger]

32. Oh, it was a six pack, for sure.

I didn't realize they were that different, but it was over 30 years ago...

I remember him telling me that he swapped the rear diff/axle(?) and put slicks on it for the Jersey drag strips in the summer.

[Mopar151]

33. The 428 was a great street engine.

A friend of mine took the dead 360 out of an F-250 and replaced it with a 428 Police Interceptor. It ran better in every way, even gas mileage! And stupid fast..... The CJ had a bit better cylinder heads, even more power.

[Populist_Prole]

29. Olds 442, Buick GS, Pontiac GTO 1965-1972

My all time favorites would be the 1970 Buick GSX ( Stage 1 engine of course ), the 1970 Olds 442 W-30, and a 1969 Pontiac GTO with Ram Air III or Ram Air IV. got a soft spot in my heart for the AMC Javelin, Rebel, and Hurst Rambler too.

Chevrolets were more well known, less expensive, had a larger dealer network and were thus more popular, but the "BOP" cars as they are called ( Buick Olds Pontiac ) were a lot nicer overall IMO in terms of exterior styling, interiors, and ran as good or better than any Chevelle if you checked the right boxes. I do like the '70 Chevelle SS though. Don't know why they had to ruin the quad headlight look of the '70 by going to those bug-eye single lamps of '71-'72.

Really though; with all cars from all makes getting rarer, I will never turn up my nose to any car due to brand loyalty. They're all great.

Only thing that really burns my ass....and it does...is that so many people have a fixation on their monetary value, and not enough on the cars themselves. To some, they're just a commodity. That's wrong. They need to be driven and enjoyed.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

36. Interesting. I have the same reaction when I watch Antiques Roadshow.

It's all about "How much is it worth" rather than, "Damn, what incredible craftsmanship" especially when you consider that many of the folks who created some of this stuff had no electricity and no power tools.

[Mopar151]

41. I figure you need a few "museum" pieces of any given car

The whole chalk mark, date stamp correct "reference" restoration thing gets kind of stupid. Why spend all the money to duplicate bad paint and shabby OEM build quality when you can make a nicer, better looking, and better driving car? Cuz' these cars should have their days in the sun, and a lot of them.

[DianaForRussFeingold]

45. 1970 Dodge Charger

Remember the commercials--I was just a kid but I thought it was the fastest and the coolest..

"Maybe, you can be Dodge material, too!?"

Poor Charlotte. Elliot was a real jerk!