10 VINTAGE MUSCLE CARS THAT ARE TRUE COLLECTOR'S GEMS

The most popular muscle car of the 1970s was the Ford Mustang. The blue oval sold over 2 million units of their classic muscle car, witnessing their old flagship evolve from its first to third generations between 1970 and 1979. Unfortunately, American muscle suffered greatly during the '70s, as tighter emissions standards allowed Japanese ingenuity and European m uscle to reign supreme.

However, the underrated '70s woes resulted from the muscle car golden era of the late '60s. American muscle began to regularly cross the 400 hp mark, despite carburetors and drum brakes remaining the norm between 1967 and 1972. Astonishing muscle cars such as the 450-hp Chevelle SS 454 LS6 could develop 100 more horsepower than today's Ford Focus RS! America's penchant for chaos with a V8 got us wondering about which of their old muscle cars deserve a place alongside their fuel-injected ECU-controlled descendants nestled away in the clutches of a collector's under-floor heated garage?

1970 AMC Javelin AMX – 2,054 Units

American Motors Corporation unleashed the 1971 AMC Javelin AMX in small numbers. In fact, of the 26,866 AMC Javelin muscle cars sold in 1971, just 2,054 arrived with the company's AMX performance package. Despite the rarity, this classic muscle car recently sold for a mere $28,000 in 2022 – possibly due to AMC’s unruly reputation in the classic car market.

AMC’s classic muscle car arrives as standard with a 5.9-liter V8 engine, producing a modest 245 hp. However, an optional “Go-Package” also available armed the old muscle car with a 6.6-liter V8 engine from AMC. The result of the aptly named “Go-Package” is 330 hp and 430 lb-ft of torque alongside various performance upgrades, such as performance suspension, heavy-duty shock absorbers, and power-assisted disc brakes. It’s fair to say, the AMC Javelin AMX was quite the performer, capable of 0-60 mph in around six seconds alongside a top speed of 130 mph. The AMC Javelin AMX is a highly collectible classic muscle car sporting incredible resale value in today's market, thanks to the legendary nature of the defunct AMC brand.

1970 Plymouth Superbird – 1,935 Units

The NASCAR homologated Road Runner arrived to a total of 1,935 units, exclusive for the 1970 model year. What makes it a collector's item today is the old muscle car's notorious engine—the 426 Hemi V8 engine, which remains one of the greatest muscle car engines of all time. However, just 135 Superbird muscle cars arrived with Chrysler's hemispherical-headed V8 engine. Such a small figure alone makes the classic muscle car one of the world's most desirable vintage muscle cars.

The old muscle car developed 425 hp and 490 lb-ft of torque when mated to its fellow race-going Hemi V8 engine. The 426 V8 allowed the Superbird to reach 60 mph in under six seconds and achieved a quarter mile in under 14 seconds. Today, the classic muscle car costs an average of $649,083 on the used car market.

1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 – 859 Units

Ford’s race-going Mustang saw construction between 1969 and 1970. The “Boss’s” car, as coined by its designer, Larry Shinoda, represented the Ford brand during the 1969 NASCAR season. Ford’s classic muscle car won 26 races, ultimately sealing the 1969 championship with David Pearson at the wheel thanks to the 7.0-liter V8 lurking beneath the hood.

Despite the 1971 Boss 351 utilizing the legendary 5.8-liter Cleveland V8 engine, the Boss 429 is the most powerful of the Boss motorsport trilogy from 1969-1971. However, only 1,358 Ford Mustang Boss 429 cars rolled off of production lines, making it the rarest of the three old muscle cars.

The 429 Boss developed 375 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque, all manipulated via a close-ratio four-speed manual transmission, and due to its genuine motorsport heritage, only the finest muscle car collectors house this $288,000 brute.

1969 Dodge Charger Daytona – 503 Units

The Dodge Charger Daytona was the first NASCAR competitor to reach 200 mph, a feat achieved at Talladega in March 1970. Like its Plymouth Superbird cousin, the Charger Daytona arrived at the peak of NASCAR’s infamous aero wars. Chrysler's “Winged Warriors” were swiftly banned due to their unruly power by the end of their inaugural 1970 season. However, not before Dodge manufactured 503 units to qualify. The Charger Daytona is marginally quicker than its Superbird cousin, sporting a 0.29 drag coefficient compared to the Superbird's 0.31.

The most elusive of Dodge’s old muscle cars is the 1970 Daytona muscle cars optioned with the unstoppable 426 Hemi V8 engine. Today's 425 hp Dodge Charger Daytona costs an average of $1 million if sourced with the company's legendary V8 engine, making it the more desirable option when compared to its Plymouth Superbird counterpart.

1970 Buick GSX Stage 1 – 400 Units

Buick released the high-performance variant of their Gran Sport model, arriving for the 1970 model year exclusively. The GSX Stage 1 is the culmination of two performance packages, giving the old muscle car a drivetrain capable of 360 hp and an incredible 510 lb-ft of torque. Buick had the foresight to arm their future classic muscle car with a specially tuned suspension system featuring stiffer springs and shocks and a rear anti-sway bar, cementing its reputation among muscle car royalty.

GM’s vintage muscle car arrives in just two colors, Saturn Yellow or Apollo White. Of the 678 models produced, only 278 were optioned in Apollo White, making it the more sought-after variant of Buick's old muscle car. However, with scarcity comes demand – the Buick GSX Stage 1 costs an average of $122,654 today!

1970 Pontiac GTO Judge Convertible – 168 Units

Pontiac launched the GTO Judge as a no-frills characterful variant of the GTO, similar to the Plymouth Road Runner's relationship with the GTX. Just like the Road Runner, performance is critical for the GTO Judge. Pontiac stuffed their classic muscle car with their incredible 6.6-liter V8 engine to achieve such a feat, subjecting the GTO’s rear axle to 366 hp and 445 lb-ft of torque.

Pontiac produced 40,149 GTO muscle cars during 1970, 3,797 were Judge models, and a mere 168 arrived in a convertible body style. In fact, just 17 super rare convertibles came with the Ram Air IV version of the Pontiac V8 engine. And to push things even further, under 10 of those convertible models featured the optional High-Output 7.5-liter V8 engine.

1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 – 69 Units

The 1969 Camaro ZL1 is among the greatest GM muscle cars to wear the Chevrolet badge. The GM marque fitted their standard SS 396 Camaro with a lightweight aluminum, hand-built 7.0-liter V8 engine, rated at a whopping 430 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque. Chevy's 1969 Camaro ZL1 reaches 60 mph in around five seconds and can reach an incredible top speed of 140 mph. Chevrolet manufactured the ZL1 to satisfy the SCCA homologation rules, so they could finally face off with the Ford Mustang on track.

GM’s classic muscle car saw just 69 units produced exclusively for the 1969 model year. Chevrolet chose a pair of upper-class options instead of the rowdy “Saturn Yellows” or “Big Bad Orange” colors found on fellow muscle cars of the era. Those being “Tuxedo-Black” or “Olympic-White.” Chevrolet's penultimate classic car costs an average of $610,714 in today's money.

1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 LS6 Convertible – 26 Units

Chevrolet's 454 V8 engine is the only power plant to take on the legendary 426 Hemi. Arriving with 450 hp in ultimate form, the Chevrolet Chevelle 454 LS6 could go from 0-60 mph in 5.4 seconds, launching all 500 lb-ft of torque to the rear axle. The 7.4-liter V8 engine made the classic muscle car GM’s first model to arrive with more power than their flagship European wrestler, the Corvette. Chevy's C3 Corvette maxed out at 425 hp, sporting the equally devastating 7.0-liter big-block V8 engine from their GM overlords.

Chevrolet's iconic muscle car underwent a complete overhaul to house the hand-built performance engine, such as heavy-duty suspension, uprated brakes, and a forced air cowl to pump more fresh air into the forged internals of the burly 7.4-liter V8 engine. Chevrolet built 4,475 Chevelle SS 454 models during 1970; perhaps more shockingly, just 11 were running around topless, making them the target for budding collectors today.

1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda Convertible – 11 Units

Chrysler's luxury muscle car of 1971, the Plymouth Cuda, arrives with that venerable 426 Hemi V8 engine pumping out a familiar 425 hp and 490 lb-ft of torque. Plymouth’s thunderous land yacht received classic muscle car treatment with a high-performance crankshaft, forged pistons, and a dual four-barrel carburetor found onboard, ensuring the comfortable muscle car's status as the '70s fastest land whale.

The Chryslers Corporation’s 3,400 lbs E-body muscle car hits the quarter mile in 14 seconds, despite the luxurious heritage of its Barracuda underpinnings. However, it's the Cuda's low production figures which make it such a collectible muscle car today. Just 2,724 Plymouth Cuda models were manufactured in 1971, of which a mere 107 featured a Hemi V8 engine. And of the 107 Hemi Cuda’s, just 11 arrived in convertible form. The 1971 convertible Hemi Cuda is so desirable that an owner turned down a $4.8 million bid back in 2021!

1967 Shelby GT500 Super Snake – 1 Unit

The GT500 is a classic muscle car that arrives with the legendary 427 V8 engine, also found in the most iconic sports car, the Le Mans winning Ford GT40 MK II. Carroll Shelby commissioned the one-of-one GT500 equipped with an aluminum cylinder head, aluminum water pump, and a forged crankshaft, among a slew of uprated components capable of withstanding the grueling 24 Hours of Le Mans. Although Shelby forecasted a 50-unit production run, only one arrived from the Shelby American facility. And that one developed 520 hp and 540 lb-ft of torque, rocketing to 60 mph in a suspected 4 seconds.

The single Super Snake sold for a whopping $2.2 million back in 2019. It’s worth considering that the classic muscle car sold in 1967 for just $5,000! That’s one hell of a financial return for Shelby's most legendary creation.

Sources: Classic.com, Fox News

2023-06-03T12:38:30Z dg43tfdfdgfd