Thread: Poll: which era were the best muclse cars built

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Originally posted by Bob Parmenter

virtually every company, even AMC, getting into the game.

Even AMC? Yeah, there was a time when AMC was cool. But they killed the AMX name in the end. Anyone drive a 79AMX and youll see what i mean. a 82SX4 was quicker off the line, and it had a I6!





This Car Is Not Fast!

Gee Bob sounds like you read my post about selling performance vs selling the image of performance.

You mention some really great cars in your post......"Z11, ZL1, Z28, Thunderbolt, GT350, GT500, Mach 1, HP289, G code Galaxies, Max Wedge I, II, & III, A990, HEMI"....... some of these were the top of the line and unfortunatly these were also reasonably low production and pretty expensive for their day.

One of the really great things about the 60's was what the average joe working for $2-$5 an hour could get. Many of the most sought after muscle cars today were nothing more than drive it/race it till you wear it out or break it and throw it away cars. In many cases high school graduation presents in my class (1970) were new Chevell SS 396s, Road runners, a BB Camero and a couple of Mach I mustangs.

I just got through helping a freind that runs a wrecking yard do his annual crush. One of the cars that went was pretty representative of the era, a 68 Charger RT (Believe me it was pretty picked over and there was NOTHING usable left....still broke my heart). It had been a 375HP 440, 4spd, 3.55 posi car, manual brakes, manual steering zero option car. In it's day "JUST" another factory street racer.

Yeah!! Now the voting is getting around to where it should be!!

You're right Mike, I put up the heavy hitters just to make the point. But the era was filled with good "affordable" cars too. Any GM midsize; Chevelle, Le Mans, Cutlass.... with a 326, 327, 330 and a four speed. Or a B body Mopar with an hp 383, either 4 speed or torqueflite, or 390 Ford, either full size in the early '60's, or Fairlane/Mustang in the mid '60's could be a performer. And oh so many more. But every so often someone you knew would show up with a killer car. I worked in a grocery store after school and weekends. One of the clerks showed up to work one day with a brand new, '63 Ford 300 tudor sedan, plain as day lookin'. It was painted that slightly greenish toned gold they did then, with the complimentary interior. No radio, no heater, small hub caps, blackwalls...............really plain jane gran'pa lookin'. But as you've probably guessed by now, it did have some gold colored "chickens" on the front fender. Dual quad 427/4 speed car. I got the ride of my life that night!!!!

As for the graduation present thing, no well-to-do daddy in our house; I had to buy my own in '65. Not exactly a muscle car! It was a '56 Beetle. But it did have an Okrasa kit on it (that'll test any Type I freaks here).

Originally posted by Bob Parmenter
While there were a couple years at the beginning of the '70's when there were some great street monsters, after '72 there was nothing but junk with graphic kits on it. Can anyone take a Nova bodied Ventura with GTO decals seriously??? An A bodied Mopar with Roadrunner decals?????

It was a glorious time!! Acid dipped bodies, aluminum fenders, doors, bumpers, factory cheated altered wheelbases, big engines/little cars, dual four barrels, factory built "sleepers" prowling Woodward Ave, virtually every company, even AMC, getting into the game. Z11, ZL1, Z28, Thunderbolt, GT350, GT500, Mach 1, HP289, G code Galaxies, Max Wedge I, II, & III, A990, HEMI. Go watch two movies Bullit and Smokey and the Bandit. C'mon, really, Mc Queen in the Mustang 2+2 vs the Dodge Charger with real driving skill...................or Reynolds with jump and crash scenes as fake as his hair!!!! Nuff said!!!!

Bob, You rock! I especially like the last sentence comparing the movies. I agree, how much better can you get than that Mustang and Charger going at it? many have tried to imitate but have yet to compete. those fart and furious movies rely on tricky camera effects and rediculous stunts to make a chase excting. just the fact that a Mustang and Charger were doing the chasing made it exciting to watch.

Oh by the way Bob, did you live in Detroit as a teen? I noticed you mentioned Woodward Ave. If so, do you make it back to town during the Woodward Dream Cruise?

Originally posted by Bob Parmenter
It was a '56 Beetle. But it did have an Okrasa kit on it (that'll test any Type I freaks here).

Those EMPI motor kits are worth a bundle these days...

Dave Brisco

Originally posted by racerxjj67
Bob, You rock!

Only when I'm in the right kind of chair!


Oh by the way Bob, did you live in Detroit as a teen? I noticed you mentioned Woodward Ave. If so, do you make it back to town during the Woodward Dream Cruise?

No, I had the good fortune to spend most of my teen years in So Cal, so it was Van Nuys Blvd, Ventura Blvd and Hollywood Blvd mostly. I've just been aware of Woodward since that time.

Well an all inclusive list for me would probably run from the 63 'Vette to the 70 Chevelle; but, I guess what I personally view most as muscle cars are those from 64-69. Granted there were quite a few cars up through '72 that had quite a bit of power; but, I guess, I have to have my cake and eat it too, and styling also plays a big part in it for me as well. I really prefer my muscle to be pre-70 when it comes to that.

The poll numbers are looking a lot more realistic now that a few more oldtimers are weighing in.

Yeah Bob, my dad didn't have deep pockets either (and also believed that us kids would respect it a lot more if we had to buy it ourselves). When I graduated I was stuffing a 354 Poly (56 Chrysler) motor in a rusty 49 Plymouth buisness coupe. I was pretty proud of myself at the time but cringe a little now when I think about my first effort to build a "hotrod".

Personally I'm glad I lived though those times and was working at a Chrysler Plymouth dealership. Not a lot of people can say they got a chance to "road test" a couple of Hemi or 440 six pack cars when they were new.

One other thing I tend to miss a little about those times are the factory hype terms; Super Duty, Golden Commando, Magnum, Boss, Cobra Jet, Super Sport, etc.

Ahhh for the days when blowers were generally only found at the drag strip and no one had head of Nos.