If you are a big fan of large sonorous superfast V8’s, sorry you missed the golden generation. That era created some of the rarest muscle cars with the most appealing and aggressive exterior styling. With Naijauto, please take a dive into the all-time top greatest American muscle cars of all time.
1. 1964 Pontiac GTO
The Pontiac, a division of General Motors, discontinued in 2010, built some of the best muscle cars in America's history. This brand will supply a few of our top ten in this review series.
The Pontiac GTO is credited with being the model that brought life to the muscle car competition among major auto manufacturers in the US. The original GTO went through 4 production generations from 1964 to 1974, while the Australian subsidiary of General Motors GM completed one production generation from 2004 to 2006 just before the Pontiac was discontinued.
The 1964 Pontiac GTP Tri-Power came with a 6.4 Liter V8 engine that produced 325 hp
The 1964 Pontiac GTO Tri-Power is a perfect example of a muscle car. Its attractive bottle shape body coupled with its fuel-efficiency made this a peculiar and impressive machine. The Pontiac was made with a heavy 6.4 Liter V8 engine that produced 325 hp.
In mid-1966 the desire for the Pontiac GTO gradually waned as new technologies came up.
2. 1964 Pontiac Catalina 2+2
The Catalina was the Hardtop model of Pontiac cars whose production ran from 1959 up to 1981 through five production generations. The most famous of the Catalina's was the 1965 Pontiac Catalina 2+2. At this period the 1964 Pontiac GTO was regarded as by far the most original muscle car around, this, thus, prompted Pontiac to tap into the GTO popularity and decided the following year to work on something spectacular and still within the muscle car mold.
This time around the company created a 7.4 Liter 338 hp, V8 engine, large body muscle car with the 2+2 performance model.
The Catalina 2+2 was the Hardtop model of Pontiac cars
The name wasn't too attractive but the features attached to this beastly vehicle did not fail to impress, especially if drivers decided to upgrade to the 421 H.O which produced 376hp. The 2+2 was famous for its use of special badging, beefier suspension, bucket seats, a Hurst shifter, and wide eight-lug hubs.
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3. 1970 Oldsmobile 442
1970 was the year in which Oldsmobile reached its apex performance. In order for them to keep up the horsepower chase with it competitors the 442 was produced. It had a W-30 package with a 7.5 Liter V8 engine backed by a 3-speed automatic transmission which gave an amazing 360 hp and a stunning 500 lb-ft of torque. This vehicle was able to hit 0-60 mph in less than 6 seconds which was an amazing feat at that time.
The 1970 model of the 442 peaked its performance
4. 1970 Plymouth Hemi Barracuda
The Barracuda was developed by the Plymouth, as the division's sports car version. Its first models were rolled out in 1964 with Chryslers A-Body Platform which was then mainly utilized for small rear-wheel-drive cars. Subsequent models, especially models from 1970-1974, were built with Chrysler's E-Body Platform.
The Baracuda production ran through 4 generations from 1964 through 1974. Baracuda 1975 models were scrapped and the Baracuda was discontinued subsequently following the Energy crisis of that period.
Aside from the performance, it is the color options that attract more customers to 1970 Plymouth Hemi Barracuda
This beauty has set a lot of amazing records whenever it crosses an auction block. The 1970 Cuda had an impressive 7.0 Liter Hemi V8 engine which pumped out about 425 hp making it one of the most powerful muscle cars of its days. The '70 Cuda came in many attractive colors including suitable shades such as the limelight and the lemon twist.
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The 1970 Plymouth Barracuda came with a V8 engine that delivered a solid 425 hp
5. 1969 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500
Who doesn't love the Mustang? Ford Mustang has maintained its prestige and appeal for over 6 production generations spanning over 50 years, right from 1964 when the first models were introduced. The Mustang was famous for its long hood and short rear trunk. Robert J. Eggert, Ford Division market research manager is credited as one who introduced the name "Mustang" in 1960.
However, the Ford Mustang will be sold as the T-5 in Germany due to naming issues in the country, but that changed in 1978. Below are some of the coolest Ford Mustang and one of the best American muscle cars ever.
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And ohh, just recently Ford announced its latest Mustang and Actor Idris Elba will be on hand to help launch the Ford Electric SUV.
The modifications made on this beast made a lasting impression on consumers, its hefty 7.0 Liter V8 engine and aggressive styling were just enough to get it famous. This model saw its length increase to about 4 inches longer than its predecessors.
New spoilers were added like the chin and wing spoilers, four headlamps that increased the aggressive look of the Mustang and both functional and non-functional air scoops. The Mustang will disappear after this year's production before making a re-entry in 1982.
The model name Mustang was coined by Robert J. Eggert in 1960
6. 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429
The Mustang Boss 429 was an incredible beast, it was a unique and one of the coolest muscle cars ever made. The design and production of the Boss 429 were born from the desire of Ford to build a car that would participate in the NASCAR racing competition. As a result, the Mustang team came up with an intriguing 7.0 Liter, 375-hp V8 engine.
Ford produced about 900 of this vehicle in its 1969 model year and produced about 500 the following year. It was only two years in which this vehicle was built.
The Boss 429 was manufactured in only 2 years with 1,400 units released
7. 1966 Ford Galaxie 500 7-Liter
Ford felt the need to build a to rival the Chevrolet Impala and this how the Ford Galaxie came about. A full-size car that came in both the hardtop and convertible body style. The Ford Galaxie survived just 4 production generations in America spanning about 16 years from 1958 to 1974, while assembly of the Galaxie went through factories in 3 different continents.
The Galaxie 500 7-Liter remains one of the most famous Galaxie models
One of the most famous Galaxie models was the Galaxie 500 7-Liter. This model was advertised for its high performance especially for the 7-Liter V8 it came with. Despite having a bigger body proportion, it had incredible styling which no doubt had lots of people becoming fans. It was manufactured with a smooth 7.0 Liter Big Block V8 engine, which gave it incredible performance.
It was able to thunder marvelously down the road with its impressive performance. This definitely is an amazing American muscle car which is enough to earn lots of admiration.
8. 1969 AMC AMX/3
One of the biggest mergers in the American Auto Industry of the time brought about what was known as the American Motors Corporation, a marriage between Hudson Motor Car Company and Nash-Kelvinator Corporation in 1954. The company is credited with being the company to have created the only two-seater steel-bodied American built car of its time. The AMC AMX was produced from 1968 to 1970 and included a number of different concepts.
The 1969 AMX/3 was a very stunning vehicle, made different from other muscle cars. It was built on a semi-monocoque steel chassis and the welded body provided a better structure overall and was adjudged as the stiffest chassis by BMW with a much higher stiffness rating than the then Benchmark.
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The AMX/3 came with a semi-monocoque steel chassis adjudged the Stiffest of its era
The vehicle which weighed about 3300 pounds had an AMC V8 engine that delivered 340 hp and was accompanied by a four-speed manual. It was found that the AMX/3 had the ability to accelerate from 0-60 mph within 5 seconds and could reach a verified top speed of 160 mph a stunning record for a vehicle at that time.
9. 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona
The Dodge Charger became Chrysler's entry car into the specialty car market. The car was marketed as the best alternative to the already established brands like the Thunderbird, the Mustang, the Rambler Marlin and the Plymouth Barracuda. The Charger offered a perfect balance between personal luxury and mid-size sporty car that will go on to compete favorably with the big brands. The Charger designed as a fastback came with notable features like the electroluminescence lighting for the instrument cluster, as well as vinyl upholstery.
The Daytona is one of the most extreme vehicles to emerge from the muscle car period. To increase it speed, engineers made some modifications like replacing the front grille with a nose cone and specifically modeled front fenders with weird air scoops. The Daytona also spotted a 23-inch rear wing.
The special nose cone and rear wings supplied a combined downforce of about 1800 lbs increasing its overall stability and speed. This monster was assigned with a 7.2 Liter Magnum engine as standard and an optional 7.0 Liter Hemi V8 engine.
The Dodge Charger Daytona came with a 7.2 Liter Magnum engine as standard
10. 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
The Chevrolet-built Camaro has enjoyed an impressive market rating all through its production generations which currently is at the 6th and still counting and was built to compete with the Ford Mustang. The design concept behind the Camaro, was for it to be a car that can easily fit a variety of engine within the hood, as well as to be the car that will generate the desired sales volume as against what was obtained from Corvair model.
Fast forward a few decades, the Camaro has returned and is surely generating handsome sales volume and older models of the Camaro are among some of the most sort after collectibles. One of the models of the Camaro, the 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 is one of such sort after models.
The 1969 Camaro featured an 850-cfm four-barrel carburetor
Though not the fastest in its time, its peculiar combination of exhaust, engine, induction options and brakes still made it attractive to many drivers. The vehicle came with a solid-lifter 5.0 V-8 engine which had a rating of 290hp, it also with an 850-cfm four-barrel carburetor.
Its handling was excellent coupled with a power steering that was not only fast but comfortable. The Camaro Z28 had the ability to cover a quarter-mile in just 14.8 seconds at 101 mph, an awesome achievement for a car built in that era.
Those are Top 10 greatest American muscle cars of all time compiled by Naijauto and we are sure a lot of you would love to get one.
It's just human nature to love these crazy loud speedy cars that make your heart race at their speeds. Anyways, you may not be so lucky to find them in Nigeria but you can check out some of the fastest cars in the world? Or our Cars for sales page to see some other cool cars up for sale, as well as look through our Celebrity Cars.
>> Make sure to come back to Naijauto for more expert buying advice!
