I owned a bad ass 67 mustang coupe s code 390 gt. Also had a 69 mach1 r code 428 cobra jet. Those were years ago. Currently I have a 34 chevy 2 dr sedan and a 51 chevy pickup 5 window. 51 is about of a rat. The 34 is a queen that gets driven so I call her princess. To date the 67 and 51 have been the most fun to drive.
@@BillyJoBuck my favorite american cars are 59, 65, 67, 69 till 74, as in Cadillac, Corvette, ,Pontiacs ,Chevrolet, Mercury and again Chevrolet and Pontiac by that order
@@schoolboy6633 Unfortunately not. The Mustang was totaled in a freeway accident in 1974 and the Z28 was sold to fund my wedding in 1976. It was the only car I ever sold for more than I bought it for.
I had a '69 Mach 1 428 Cobra Jet 780 Holley , that thing was a rocket !I bought it in '73 for $ 1200.00 cherry , not a scratch .... Minimum wage was like $ 2.00 an hour .Gas was 25.9
@@DanHolmes-o9b I had a 389 SD with tri power back in the 70's. It was about 550 hp. I did a 10:70 qtr. mile in 1976. I put it in a 68 LeMans sport. Hurst 400 and dual gate shifter with a 3:90 limited slip posi differential. It was 12:1 compression. I beat everything with it. A friend of mine had a 69 GTO and he put a 421 SD dual quads and he couldn't keep up with mine. Never let anyone tell you different on the 389. One of the best and powerful engines ever built.
Growing up near Detroit, Michigan, my father worked on 1960s muscle cars. The first car I owned was a 1961 Chevy Implala rag top. In 1969 my second car was a 1968 GTO. Finally I purchased a 1967 Pontiac Fire Bird rag top in Feb 1970. My favorite was the Firebird. If I had a chance to buy another classic it would be the Firebird. Mine were not the fastest cars produced in that era but I was fortunate to have owned the one that I like best.
the impala from that year is amazing nice ,i have the coupé not convertible but still like it today normally i fill the tank and a jerrycan in the trunk so if it goes all the gasoline still have a jerrycan that was taken from a jeep willy´s that my grandfather bought in 1951 and he drove it till he was 101 years old and the last time we took it to inspection was in 2012 and the workers there were amazed because nob defects were found in the jeep all co2 was coerrect the brakes ,all and i still have it
My first car was a cardinal red 1970 GTO convertible with a white top. I bought it in early 1974 when I was a 19 year old Marine stationed at MCAS El Toro.
Those were the days. I had ‘67 GTO with a six-pack that could get a move on. All my friends had Firebirds, Roadrunners, Chargers and one had a TransAm. Fastest of all though was my buddy’s ‘67 442. Good times…
@@HiTechOilCo I ended up selling it to a motorhead friend of mine. I had a hard time getting that six-pack tuned properly. Anyway, he got 'er up to speed and I ended up with seller's remorse.
@@russellchastain841 Lot of people did not know what engine was in the GTX when they first came out. Only if you had a Hemi there was a badge on the side. The 440 sign was on the hood ornament. Lot of guy's wanted to look under my hood but no no.
Quickest a 1970 Nova rally with a 411 rear end top speed of 90 mph next car I got was a Mercury Cougar 1970 351 Cleveland with a highway rear end 160 +
@@Whateva67 there is a late 60´s mercury with 7.0L engine only three manual gears built exclusivelly to the Police to chasse cars on the highways, powerfull as hell on wheels, only heard of it and saw it in a tv show never seen one in reality
had one in 1980. they were known as L79's. Mine was a 4 speed car. Clicked off consistent 13.90s @ 110. Bought with 40k + miles in '80 for $1700. Traded on a then new Porsche 911sc. I got $1800 trade-in credit.
Technically, to be a "muscle car" it must have a big block engine. Many small block cars out performed their big block counterparts. My buddy had a 69 350 4spd Nova, and I had a 74 360 4spd Duster. I miss those days!
I'll give you that. Power with less weight wins. Csaba Csere was a Car and Driver writer who wrote an excellent article on the 10 best, truly fast muscle cars in the January 1990 issue. He said he remembers the 340 development boys over at Chrysler taking a ride in one of those cars and hurrying back to invent some more horsepower before releasing the 340 in 68'. Happily for an awful lot of buyers, they got it right, because unlike the very rare, pricey, hard to order L79 in those years of Novas, the masses could drop in with very little cash to any Chrysler dealer and walk out with an in stock, very light, very quick, very affordable, fairly roomy, A-bodied 340 that snuck under the insurance red list because "they lied through their teeth" about the 275 HP and 340 ft/lbs of torque. Tens of thousands did and put the hurt on the fatter, heavier, fancier, significantly more expensive, optioned out 400 cube GM intermediates. The NHRA factored the 340s in at 355 HP, because they were cleaning up in their classes. It wasn't fair, but neither was GM only allowing a max of 400 cubes in their intermediate muscle cars all the way through the 60s, having to go up against intermediate Ford's with 428s and Mopars with 440s and even the 426 Hemi. Just the way it was.
Didn't grow up to be a Muscle Car enthusiast, but always liked seeing the late 60's Camaros and Mustangs at the local A&W when I was in 4th grade or so. Never knew till seeing this, they had such impressive zero to sixty times.
A friend of mine had a 1969 442, and it had the 455 in it as well, his father worked for oldsmobile, so he got a special package, an old boy was it fast, automatic, would catch 3rd gear big time
Makes me miss my 68' GTO and 65' Mustang. The 69' Judge was the only car that I had a hard time pulling away from, while driving my 81' Yamaha 550 Seca. The Judge was behind me, but right on my ass!
Those were some wild times in the seventies! Additionally, those that lived it no, there was 1/10 of the amount of cars on the road or less but then, and the cops didn't give you too much trouble. Today if you did the same thing you would lose your license in a day
I'm 71 and appreciate every one of these classic cars. My friend's uncle bought a '67 Firebird convertible with a 400 cu. in. V-8. My friend's uncle let us take it out for a spin...Wow...it was "scary fast!" There are plenty of other muscle cars NOT included in this video.
I’ve been a Vette owner for a long time. Corvette (unfortunately) was not classified as a “muscle car.” It was and is a Sports Car. As much as I”we” liked to call our Vettes “muscle cars,” they weren’t.
that i didn´t knew and the corvettes i´ve drove were really powerfull , and i noticed in Europe the B.P. gasoline with 98 octanes premium made them a litle faster and later they sold a 100octanes gasoline and i put it always reducing the consume and making them faster and it cleaned the gassoline circuit inside as it had some adictives to do so
@@RUfromthe40s sorry pal but European gas octane is rated different than the US...numbers are always higher. I seriously doubt changing gas brands made your precious Corvette any faster. It was all in your head. You would never notice the difference if there were any it would be so minute. Just like when we were kids and we attached a playing card to the rear spokes on our bikes to make the motor sound. We were all 110% positive out bikes were going 10 MPH faster than they ever did. You sound a bit........we'll just say confused.
@@bultacowally because you don´t have a clue of what gasoline is or it´s diferent types shows how clueless you are ,so you don´t notice any diference maybe because you have 2 CV citroen that in reality as 6 h.p. that´s funny some cars can´t even use some types of gasoline like Lancia´s in the 90´s if not 98 up preferable to put led gasoline and i drove a lot in the U.S. as my main service there was to test the cars i brought to Europe ,only used to put Agip premium and B.P. adictivated, if you don´t know there are diferent types of gasoline you have maybe 14 years old and coment what men know, and not noticing the diference it´s ridiculous as the diference in the old only two types of gasoline used to make a lot of diference, keep riding bikes and you´ll learn in a couple of years if you learn how to drive
@@bultacowally actually you seem to know nothing about cars much more gasoline types that are several, grow up ,there is even oil and gasoline not made for cars but anyone uses it to race, not oficial races
@@bultacowally yes it´s rated diferentelly that why a 2.0L in-line engine is faster than any 7.0L from the 60´s and 70´s , the peugeot 504 2.0L 4 barrel carburator four door or coupé from 71 or the BMW 2002(73 Alpina) or the Mercedes SL500(73) as all in American market with the changes they make to the car to meet the american standarts drive almost half speed of what they really can achieve
A nice collection of old classics here, and of course, we all know there's more to this list, than these 10. Thanx for the memories. I think I saw the ZL1, at the Barret Jackson auction, here in New England, a few yrs back. It looked like CT
@@HiTechOilCo They gave it to me (1st car!) around 1978 by then it was burning oil and getting rusty, the floors were shot. I sold it to a guy ($300) he was going to rebuild the motor, don't know what became of it.
@@midwestgramma852 - If true, that's sad. You can do a title search via the D.M.V. using the car's VIN and track the car down. It's not expensive to do this. Hunt it down and buy it back! :) Life is short. Live it!
The only car I ordered from the factory was a 1967 GTO with a 4 speed Hurst . Had it once over 150 mph and still going when I chickened out. I also out ran a state cop one night but I think it was more out drove him. Wish I still had it and the 1963 Impala convertible I traded in for it.
i wrote a paper on muscle cars in college. one of the things i remember was that the corvette was never considered a muscle car because of its cost. all the other cars could be bought by regular blue collar workers.
My first car was a 1967 SS 396 Chevelle.... it was ordered with every performance option available... and then aftermarket too... Factory Rated at 375 hp, underrated for Insurance purposes. Mine was making over 450 hp and melted rear tires easily. My newest car is a Maserati GT. When Fiat took over Ferrari and Maserati, engines for Maserati were made by Ferrari. My Maserati Ferrari Engine is best sounding car I have ever owned. 0 - 60 around 4 seconds. 0 - 200 scary quick.
Cool stuff! Two weeks ago I got to drive a 2015 Ferrari California T for the weekend. That thing will smoke my 04 Z06 in every conceivable metric except price of the car and MPG. Oh and exhaust note. The Ferrari is too quiet and my Z06 is too loud... but I like it that way 😆
Though they may not have been the fastest muscle cars of this era, in my opinion the three best looking cars and the ones that I would want to own if I could find one would be: #1. Chevelle SS 454. That car has no equal. #2. Shelby Cobra GT500. A friend of mine had one and it was one powerful machine. #3. Oldsmobile 442. Can you imagine if we could bring back those car styles today what the demand would be? Not suggesting car manufacturers would put the large V8 engines under the hood as V8’s in cars are long gone. Great video. Thanks for posting.
Time stamp 0:56 - The Pontiac GTO Judge was merely an appearance option. It added absolutely nothing to the performance of the car. Let's get it right.
I had several muscle cars back then. Everyone thought that the HP numbers were fudged but they weren't. They were fairly rated. RWHP, quarter mile times, and trap speeds from the period indicate that the factory power ratings were fairly accurate. Most people seem to have rose-colored glasses.
@@chadhaire1711 Wrong?? You obviously know jack squat. Traction is not just for cornering. Why do you think anyone who races 1/4 miles uses more rubber, softer rubber to go faster??? And horsepower was NOT overrated back then it was rated GROSS Horse Power. Educate yourself before you tell people they are Wrong. And stay off your Daddies computer.
Driven or owned, 57 baby blue t-bird, 65 GTO convertable with 389/3duces, 69 L48 corvette, 68 Ranchero w/ big block, 67 impala w/327, 59 MGA-college driver, and came into our shop...68 Mustang 429 GT500 California Special with Pony interior.
According to Wiki "The cars were advertised at 375 bhp (380 PS; 280 kW) at 5200 rpm and 450 lb⋅ft (610 N⋅m) of torque at 3400 rpm. Period dynamometer testing supports Ford's rating. The speed equipment manufacturer Crane Cams tested engines that were stock as manufactured, with the exception of substituting tubular headers for the stock cast iron exhaust manifolds. For the 1969 hydraulic lifter engine, they measured a peak of 352.0 bhp (262.5 kW) at 5500 rpm. The 1970 mechanical lifter engine measured better, with a peak of 366.5 bhp (273.3 kW), also at 5500 rpm." Remember that in those days, they tested without accessories (water pump, alternator, smog pump, A/C, etc.).
@@GetsumJ Whether Ford built the required amount is debatable. The NHRA didn’t do a proper car count and Ford played games. I still don’t understand why you want to compare a factory race car that didn’t have a warranty with mass produced vehicles with full warranty coverage and power steering and AC.
leaving the 1966 3000# 350 HP, 6000 rpm Chevy II off the list is a serious omission as they could easily outrun most of your list. I know because I have one.
You had a 'Sleeper' that lured unknowing and argent wanna be hot rodders into show down. I had a Plain Jane ugly tan 67 Chevelle SS 396 ordered with high performance everything plus aftermarket too. Easily beat friend's 429 Boss Mustang, and just about everything else on the road. Glad we could buy high octane leaded gas for less than 50 cents a gallon.
While the Look, sex appeal and sound of the 60's early 70's "muscle car" is something I enjoyed in my youth, 68 GTO, 69 mach 1, 428 cobra Jet, it is long ago history, never to be the same. going fast is not the end all anymore in 2024. We mostly have grown up.
Fastest US car of that era was the 427 Shelby Cobra. Another one near the top, is one I that I own, '69 Corvette L88. Mine is #s matching with a 4 spd. I bought it in '74 when hi po vehicles were very cheap, because of high gas prices and insurance very expensive, with any with a 4 spd.
The Cobra is not an American car. It's from England. And it never rolled down on American assembly line. A l88 is faster. Just take a look at Julie Pennington en pure stock.
Shelby got his idea from some guy that was putting small block Chevys in MGs. The guy did not have the backing or funding. And neither did Shelby. He had the car shipped to him. And paid for them after he built them. He went to Chevrolet any wanted to small block Chevy front it to him and they turned him down. Then he went to Chrysler and they turned him down and then he went to Ford
I thought for sure there would be an L88 in here somewhere. The difference between the ZL1 and L 88 was 100 lbs. I really thought a 67 L88 would be on here. . Those motors are so vicious.
Does the term "hemi killer" sounds familiar ? I'm slowly rebuilding my GS455 Convertible. I might screw around with my 70 Skylark Custom hardtop. I just miss the comfort of those cars.
@@rverro8478 Definitely familiar to me 👍 I certainly miss not having to exert pressure on my knees as well as scrunching into these tiny things called cars these days, but I've got a 78 and a 86 Cutlass Supreme soon to be back on the road, the 86 will be getting a 70 Buick 455 and the 78 will have a 350 Olds rocket from another 78 Cutty I'm parting out, everything is so much easier to work on and no idiot check engine lights to come on for whatever insane reason.
The 1969 Yenko Camaro with its L-72 427, 450 horse big block Chevy and 4.10 rear gears was one of the quickest cars to ever come out of Detroit. Mine could hit 0-60 MPH in 4 seconds flat. The 1969 Yenko Camaro deserves to be on this list and right near the top of it too.
@@thomasmcdermott8223 - Correct and that's the way the were sold by Don Yenko, with the addition of the Yenko stripe kit, which didn't add any horsepower. :) The 1969 Yenko Camaro's were blazingly fast.
Boss 429 "Crescent" head-- a copy of an early '60's BBC splayed-valve head. The splayed-valve BOSS 302 did have a leg-up on the DZ-302 that used a standard valve configuration, Chevy should have done the same..
What? The '64 427 Fairlane Thunderbolt is not included or the '68 L88 Vette? Owned an L88 4-speed posi '68 that was a beast & the only problem was premium gas in '79 dropped to 95 octane. Had to sell it because 106 Racing fuel back then was crazy expensive & our young family came first. Great memories though.
I had a 64 plymouth savoy 426 wedge. Cruising the loop one night we ran into a guy with a beautiful brand new 69 charger. He asked what i had for a motor and i said 318 . We went out to the interstate and made two runs for 10 bucks. He lost by 4 car lengths. I had to tell him the truth then and he laughed but still gave me ghe money.
Not to nitpick, but your list is misnamed. Using 0-60 elapsed times as your measurement, you are rating the “quickest”, not “fastest”, muscle cars of the era.
Didn’t see many of the rare ones run, but out of the more mainstream muscle cars the ‘70 Chevelle 454 was the fastest stock vehicle I saw on the track back then, they were faster by a lot, just a monster car.
Hogwash. Ford had a 427 in 1963, chevy had the big block 348 in the early 1960's, chevy had the 409 dual quads carbs in 1963. The GTO was actually late to the muscle car era.
I've been to MANY of the pure stock muscle car races in Mid-Michigan. Of course they all cheat a little here and there but in order to be official they have to pull a head and pass inspection. I tell you the 400 CI Firebirds are awfully quick too. And it's not off the line. It's mid track and the traps where they pull hard.
Yea, whatever. Research people, tests and articles written at the time when actually tested. One more thing, when this writer called a Corvette a muscle car, I knew, well, guess he would call a Shelby Cobra a muscle car as well...'nuff said, he is wrong on many of his order listings
In 65 Chevy advertised their Corvette, zero to sixty in six seconds in their dealer brochure. There were other c2's that were even quicker in that year and era.
Oh boy here we go...opening the "My car is faster than your car Pandora's Box..... Ok children the forum is open let's hear your fairy tale about the car you USE to own....
The 42X engines were the best. Ford's 429 Boss & 428 CJ (Cobra Jet), Chrysler's 426 Hemi and Chevrolet's 427. My favorites were the 426 Hemi in the GTX and the 427 in a Corvette but I would love to get my hands on any vehicle with one of the 42X engines. Let me rephrase that... I would love to have the money to get my hands on one of those cars.
I have owned about every musclecar in my long life. Buick GS was fast, 69 Coronet 440 R/T. seven Chevelle SS 's, bunch of Mustangs , two Dodge Vipers etc... but i think the fastest was that Buick GS 455. It scared me. Honestly the Vipers were faster, but in a quarter mile that Buck may have won sometimes. I just love old musclecars.
68 Charger, 69 Z28 small block killed the big blocks in 1/4 mi, 66 Ford Fairlane R 427, 68 Fairlane 428 Cobra Jet C6 trans, Many early Mopars (Ramchargers!), let's not forget AMCs AMX in 69/70.
In the spring/summer I use my Mercedes CLK550 convertible as a grocery getter. Gets 21 mpg which is better than my classic cars. Comfortable, has A/C, and easily runs low 13's.
1967 has always been my favorite year for cars -- the year I got my license. Many thanks for this well-written and well-narrated video.
Very fortunate to own 2 iconic cars as a teenager: a 67 fastback Mustang 390 and a 69 Z28. So many fond memories.
I owned a bad ass 67 mustang coupe s code 390 gt. Also had a 69 mach1 r code 428 cobra jet. Those were years ago. Currently I have a 34 chevy 2 dr sedan and a 51 chevy pickup 5 window. 51 is about of a rat. The 34 is a queen that gets driven so I call her princess. To date the 67 and 51 have been the most fun to drive.
@@BillyJoBuck my favorite american cars are 59, 65, 67, 69 till 74, as in Cadillac, Corvette, ,Pontiacs ,Chevrolet, Mercury and again Chevrolet and Pontiac by that order
Hopefully you still have them :)
@@schoolboy6633 Unfortunately not. The Mustang was totaled in a freeway accident in 1974 and the Z28 was sold to fund my wedding in 1976. It was the only car I ever sold for more than I bought it for.
@@simoteng Bought my 69 camaro Z28 from a guy in Burbank Ca for 900 bucks in 1981 ,still have it to....
I had a '69 Mach 1 428 Cobra Jet 780 Holley , that thing was a rocket !I bought it in '73 for $ 1200.00 cherry , not a scratch .... Minimum wage was like $ 2.00 an hour .Gas was 25.9
I hope you still have it?
428 cobra jet invented by Tasca Ford Rhode Island a drag race genius
Thanks for making and sharing this video = a great list of cars!!!!
Great vid! Still miss my black on black ‘68 Charger R/T. It was a great street performer.
Had 1 so easy to work on the motor . not like today headaches
What happened to it?
@@HiTechOilCo Sold it back to the guy from whom I bought it. He later sold it someone who parked it in a field in Michigan. Or so I am told.
Maybe not the fastest car of that era but one of the sweetest was the 1965 Pontiac GTO with the 421 Super Duty engine on board.
They were not a GTO engine. 389 back then. Only a Royal Bobcat GTO might. 389 SD's were just as fast as the 421 SD's.
Probably my favorite as I owned one briefly. 389 4b, 4speed Muncie. Fast and pretty as could be but not the fastest. 13.90s...
@@DanHolmes-o9b I had a 389 SD with tri power back in the 70's. It was about 550 hp. I did a 10:70 qtr. mile in 1976. I put it in a 68 LeMans sport. Hurst 400 and dual gate shifter with a 3:90 limited slip posi differential. It was 12:1 compression. I beat everything with it. A friend of mine had a 69 GTO and he put a 421 SD dual quads and he couldn't keep up with mine. Never let anyone tell you different on the 389. One of the best and powerful engines ever built.
Muscle Cars, According to Motor Trend, June 2023:
#1. Pontiac Catalina Super Duty
@@woodyw6891 what year? What power train?
Brings Back Memories, THX for posting👍
'66 Shelby Cobra 427. '68 Plymouth Barracuda 426 Hemi. '67 Corvette 427 "L88." They should've been mentioned.🤔
NO Doubt! That's crazy they wasn't :(
Technically, Cobra and Corvette were not muscle cars. Nor were GT40's Ferrari's etc.
Plymouth A12?
Growing up near Detroit, Michigan, my father worked on 1960s muscle cars. The first car I owned was a 1961 Chevy Implala rag top. In 1969 my second car was a 1968 GTO. Finally I purchased a 1967 Pontiac Fire Bird rag top in Feb 1970. My favorite was the Firebird. If I had a chance to buy another classic it would be the Firebird. Mine were not the fastest cars produced in that era but I was fortunate to have owned the one that I like best.
What happened to your cars? Do you still have them?
I had to take a cold shower after watching this.
FORD Australia had the fastest 4 dorr sedan in 1970 the Falcon XY 351 GTHO,4V heads, 9 inch rear end.
My Dad had a 1966 Impala SS convertible (396 ci) it was impressive!
Sweet 😋
Very nice….
i had a 66 impala coupé but sold it in 2005, huge but powerfull and sporty look
the impala from that year is amazing nice ,i have the coupé not convertible but still like it today normally i fill the tank and a jerrycan in the trunk so if it goes all the gasoline still have a jerrycan that was taken from a jeep willy´s that my grandfather bought in 1951 and he drove it till he was 101 years old and the last time we took it to inspection was in 2012 and the workers there were amazed because nob defects were found in the jeep all co2 was coerrect the brakes ,all and i still have it
My first car was a cardinal red 1970 GTO convertible with a white top. I bought it in early 1974 when I was a 19 year old Marine stationed at MCAS El Toro.
I hope you still have it?
Your content is greatness!! Keep up the great work and praying for your continued success.
Thanks, Mad Mike!
Apparently you're unfamiliar with SCCA, and Trans-Am stats from that era.
Those were the days. I had ‘67 GTO with a six-pack that could get a move on. All my friends had Firebirds, Roadrunners, Chargers and one had a TransAm. Fastest of all though was my buddy’s ‘67 442. Good times…
What happened to your car?
@@HiTechOilCo I ended up selling it to a motorhead friend of mine. I had a hard time getting that six-pack tuned properly. Anyway, he got 'er up to speed and I ended up with seller's remorse.
@@matthewbernard4427 - That's too bad. :( Hunt it down and buy it back! :) Life is short. Live it!
I had a 1967 plymouth gtx and I could stay with or beat most of them.
Loved those cars. Was yours a 426 Hemi? I like 440's too.
@@dlmullins9054 It was the 440. I did beat a 66 plymouth hemi. He was bragging he had the fastest car in the neighborhood.
@@davestevens3921 my uncle had a 67 GTX 440 magnum with 6pack heads, torque city!
@@russellchastain841 Lot of people did not know what engine was in the GTX when they first came out. Only if you had a Hemi there was a badge on the side. The 440 sign was on the hood ornament. Lot of guy's wanted to look under my hood but no no.
Yea I learned about the badges from a guy who had a ragtop hemi GTX, he had some cool stuff, 66 hemi satellite too
I believe he meant " quickest ". Fastest is an entirely different matter.
@@rcorn79135 And that's a big 10-4 Buddy !
A lot of these cars weren’t even that fast,small 14” wheels,low gears. Quick but not fast.
Quickest a 1970 Nova rally with a 411 rear end top speed of 90 mph next car I got was a Mercury Cougar 1970 351 Cleveland with a highway rear end 160 +
@@Whateva67 there is a late 60´s mercury with 7.0L engine only three manual gears built exclusivelly to the Police to chasse cars on the highways, powerfull as hell on wheels, only heard of it and saw it in a tv show never seen one in reality
@@RUfromthe40s the 1969 Dodge Polara 440 hp. Super pursuit was the quickest and fastest cop car of that era.
I bought a '70 Hemi Cuda in 1972 when I got out of the service...Loved that car....
A 1966 nova 100 with a327 350 hp is never on anyone list but I have seen win a lot of street races
had one in 1980. they were known as L79's. Mine was a 4 speed car. Clicked off consistent 13.90s @ 110. Bought with 40k + miles in '80 for $1700. Traded on a then new Porsche 911sc. I got $1800 trade-in credit.
L79 are awesome engines
Fast and quick
Technically, to be a "muscle car" it must have a big block engine. Many small block cars out performed their big block counterparts. My buddy had a 69 350 4spd Nova, and I had a 74 360 4spd Duster. I miss those days!
I'll give you that. Power with less weight wins. Csaba Csere was a Car and Driver writer who wrote an excellent article on the 10 best, truly fast muscle cars in the January 1990 issue. He said he remembers the 340 development boys over at Chrysler taking a ride in one of those cars and hurrying back to invent some more horsepower before releasing the 340 in 68'. Happily for an awful lot of buyers, they got it right, because unlike the very rare, pricey, hard to order L79 in those years of Novas, the masses could drop in with very little cash to any Chrysler dealer and walk out with an in stock, very light, very quick, very affordable, fairly roomy, A-bodied 340 that snuck under the insurance red list because "they lied through their teeth" about the 275 HP and 340 ft/lbs of torque. Tens of thousands did and put the hurt on the fatter, heavier, fancier, significantly more expensive, optioned out 400 cube GM intermediates. The NHRA factored the 340s in at 355 HP, because they were cleaning up in their classes. It wasn't fair, but neither was GM only allowing a max of 400 cubes in their intermediate muscle cars all the way through the 60s, having to go up against intermediate Ford's with 428s and Mopars with 440s and even the 426 Hemi. Just the way it was.
@@nathanadrian7797
Google disagrees with you
Didn't grow up to be a Muscle Car enthusiast, but always liked seeing the late 60's Camaros and Mustangs at the local A&W when I was in 4th grade or so. Never knew till seeing this, they had such impressive zero to sixty times.
American Muscle.. Hell Yea all tire shredding BEASTS!
A friend of mine had a 1969 442, and it had the 455 in it as well, his father worked for oldsmobile, so he got a special package, an old boy was it fast, automatic, would catch 3rd gear big time
Makes me miss my 68' GTO and 65' Mustang. The 69' Judge was the only car that I had a hard time pulling away from, while driving my 81' Yamaha 550 Seca. The Judge was behind me, but right on my ass!
Those were some wild times in the seventies! Additionally, those that lived it no, there was 1/10 of the amount of cars on the road or less but then, and the cops didn't give you too much trouble. Today if you did the same thing you would lose your license in a day
My cousin had a 1968 Corvette convertible, with the 327 in it, he put a 3/4 race cam in it, stainless steel valves, and it was scary fast
I was very lucky to have a lot of muscle cars and all my friends did too they were great days cruising around the hot shop
I'm 71 and appreciate every one of these classic cars. My friend's uncle bought a '67 Firebird convertible with a 400 cu. in. V-8. My friend's uncle let us take it out for a spin...Wow...it was "scary fast!" There are plenty of other muscle cars NOT included in this video.
I’ve been a Vette owner for a long time. Corvette (unfortunately) was not classified as a “muscle car.” It was and is a Sports Car. As much as I”we” liked to call our Vettes “muscle cars,” they weren’t.
that i didn´t knew and the corvettes i´ve drove were really powerfull , and i noticed in Europe the B.P. gasoline with 98 octanes premium made them a litle faster and later they sold a 100octanes gasoline and i put it always reducing the consume and making them faster and it cleaned the gassoline circuit inside as it had some adictives to do so
@@RUfromthe40s sorry pal but European gas octane is rated different than the US...numbers are always higher. I seriously doubt changing gas brands made your precious Corvette any faster. It was all in your head. You would never notice the difference if there were any it would be so minute. Just like when we were kids and we attached a playing card to the rear spokes on our bikes to make the motor sound. We were all 110% positive out bikes were going 10 MPH faster than they ever did. You sound a bit........we'll just say confused.
@@bultacowally because you don´t have a clue of what gasoline is or it´s diferent types shows how clueless you are ,so you don´t notice any diference maybe because you have 2 CV citroen that in reality as 6 h.p. that´s funny some cars can´t even use some types of gasoline like Lancia´s in the 90´s if not 98 up preferable to put led gasoline and i drove a lot in the U.S. as my main service there was to test the cars i brought to Europe ,only used to put Agip premium and B.P. adictivated, if you don´t know there are diferent types of gasoline you have maybe 14 years old and coment what men know, and not noticing the diference it´s ridiculous as the diference in the old only two types of gasoline used to make a lot of diference, keep riding bikes and you´ll learn in a couple of years if you learn how to drive
@@bultacowally actually you seem to know nothing about cars much more gasoline types that are several, grow up ,there is even oil and gasoline not made for cars but anyone uses it to race, not oficial races
@@bultacowally yes it´s rated diferentelly that why a 2.0L in-line engine is faster than any 7.0L from the 60´s and 70´s , the peugeot 504 2.0L 4 barrel carburator four door or coupé from 71 or the BMW 2002(73 Alpina) or the Mercedes SL500(73) as all in American market with the changes they make to the car to meet the american standarts drive almost half speed of what they really can achieve
A nice collection of old classics here, and of course, we all know there's more to this list, than these 10. Thanx for the memories. I think I saw the ZL1, at the Barret Jackson auction, here in New England, a few yrs back. It looked like CT
My pleasure 👍 thanks for watching!
"It looked like CT"? What does that mean?
@@HiTechOilCo Mohegan Sun Casino is in Ct, where the BJ actions had been.
My parents had a 65 GTO 389 - 4 brl - automatic - punch it and passing gear put you back in the seat! Wish I still had it.
What happened to it?
@@HiTechOilCo They gave it to me (1st car!) around 1978 by then it was burning oil and getting rusty, the floors were shot. I sold it to a guy ($300) he was going to rebuild the motor, don't know what became of it.
@@harrydowdall2974 - That's too bad. :( Hunt it down and buy it back! :) Life is short. Live it!
First car at 17 year old , used 1970 AMC Javelin sst , v-8 , 4 spd. So much fun with this one!
I hope you still have it?
My Muscle Car: 1964 Plymouth Savoy, 225 C.I. 6 cylinder, with NO POWER STEERING.
A real sports car enthusiast.
69 Camaro ZL1 is one of my favorite cars ever, one day I'll have one
You better have deep pockets !
@@noahdunaway a man has a right to a dream, maybe I win the lottery, you never know
@@noahdunaway and if you're going to dream, you may as well dream big right
@@DavidCrisp-rv7js yep 👍
If you want to buy a 1969 ZL-1 Camaro, you'll need $1 million +++, if you can even ever find one for sale.
Love my muscle cars! But was fortunate enough to have a 1970 Datsun 240Z when they came out. So ahead of it's time!
Loved my 70 Chevy Nova SS. Most muscle cars were exceptional, not like all the look alike cars of today.
Loved? What happened to it?
Ex sold without my knowledge. Dmv told me whoever it was sold to never transfered title and that car had been totaled.
@@midwestgramma852 - If true, that's sad. You can do a title search via the D.M.V. using the car's VIN and track the car down. It's not expensive to do this. Hunt it down and buy it back! :) Life is short. Live it!
The only car I ordered from the factory was a 1967 GTO with a 4 speed Hurst . Had it once over 150 mph and still going when I chickened out. I also out ran a state cop one night but I think it was more out drove him. Wish I still had it and the 1963 Impala convertible I traded in for it.
Why don't you have it anymore?
my 2 favorite of this time were 69 chevelle and 68 camaro.
i wrote a paper on muscle cars in college. one of the things i remember was that the corvette was never considered a muscle car because of its cost. all the other cars could be bought by regular blue collar workers.
My first car was a 1967 SS 396 Chevelle.... it was ordered with every performance option available... and then aftermarket too... Factory Rated at 375 hp, underrated for Insurance purposes. Mine was making over 450 hp and melted rear tires easily. My newest car is a Maserati GT. When Fiat took over Ferrari and Maserati, engines for Maserati were made by Ferrari. My Maserati Ferrari Engine is best sounding car I have ever owned. 0 - 60 around 4 seconds. 0 - 200 scary quick.
Cool stuff! Two weeks ago I got to drive a 2015 Ferrari California T for the weekend. That thing will smoke my 04 Z06 in every conceivable metric except price of the car and MPG. Oh and exhaust note. The Ferrari is too quiet and my Z06 is too loud... but I like it that way 😆
@@wydopnthrtl Thanks for sharing...
Though they may not have been the fastest muscle cars of this era, in my opinion the three best looking cars and the ones that I would want to own if I could find one would be: #1. Chevelle SS 454. That car has no equal. #2. Shelby Cobra GT500. A friend of mine had one and it was one powerful machine. #3. Oldsmobile 442. Can you imagine if we could bring back those car styles today what the demand would be? Not suggesting car manufacturers would put the large V8 engines under the hood as V8’s in cars are long gone. Great video. Thanks for posting.
Very good I had a 1967 Camero SS 350 with a Munci 4 on the floor and a 411 rear end which was quite sprightly
*Camaro.
1969 rambler scrambler should be on the list. I bought one new Quarter mile 12.9 102 Miles per hour
Time stamp 0:56 - The Pontiac GTO Judge was merely an appearance option. It added absolutely nothing to the performance of the car. Let's get it right.
An ugly car imo ,wasn’t impressed with it
Fastest means highest top speed possible. Quickest means lowest time, highest speed over a certain distance, usually a 1/4 mile
Well thank you Mr. Science!!!
I had several muscle cars back then. Everyone thought that the HP numbers were fudged but they weren't. They were fairly rated. RWHP, quarter mile times, and trap speeds from the period indicate that the factory power ratings were fairly accurate. Most people seem to have rose-colored glasses.
I bought my first car at 17 in 1979. A 69 Z/28 Camaro. Still got it I'm 60 now
Would love to see actual HP ratings as we all know the manufacturer had to “fudge” the numbers for insurance
all of these old Beauties would be at least 20% faster 0-60 with todays performance tires remember...... traction was non existent back then.
wrong......the horsepower rating was over rated by 20% back then until 1972. Modern tires only make a difference in corners...NOT is a straight line.
I had a 69 rambler scrambler, and with my slicks tires I was able to pull the front end 6 inches off the ground Leaving the line
@@chadhaire1711 Wrong?? You obviously know jack squat. Traction is not just for cornering. Why do you think anyone who races 1/4 miles uses more rubber, softer rubber to go faster??? And horsepower was NOT overrated back then it was rated GROSS Horse Power. Educate yourself before you tell people they are Wrong. And stay off your Daddies computer.
Driven or owned, 57 baby blue t-bird, 65 GTO convertable with 389/3duces, 69 L48 corvette, 68 Ranchero w/ big block, 67 impala w/327, 59 MGA-college driver, and came into our shop...68 Mustang 429 GT500 California Special with Pony interior.
All nice rides I would be glad to wake up and see anyone of them next to my Christmas tree with my name
Boss 429. 375 horsepower? I will never believe that.
According to Wiki "The cars were advertised at 375 bhp (380 PS; 280 kW) at 5200 rpm and 450 lb⋅ft (610 N⋅m) of torque at 3400 rpm. Period dynamometer testing supports Ford's rating. The speed equipment manufacturer Crane Cams tested engines that were stock as manufactured, with the exception of substituting tubular headers for the stock cast iron exhaust manifolds. For the 1969 hydraulic lifter engine, they measured a peak of 352.0 bhp (262.5 kW) at 5500 rpm. The 1970 mechanical lifter engine measured better, with a peak of 366.5 bhp (273.3 kW), also at 5500 rpm." Remember that in those days, they tested without accessories (water pump, alternator, smog pump, A/C, etc.).
Yea kiddo. The 1964½ T-Bolt held the record as the fastest production sedan for many years. And you didn't list it LOL
It wasn’t mass produced. Ford made almost enough to get it into NHRA and lost big money on every one they sold.
@@timsharpe3498 Well they built enough to win the championship and hold the ¼ mile record for many years.
@@GetsumJ
Whether Ford built the required amount is debatable. The NHRA didn’t do a proper car count and Ford played games. I still don’t understand why you want to compare a factory race car that didn’t have a warranty with mass produced vehicles with full warranty coverage and power steering and AC.
leaving the 1966 3000# 350 HP, 6000 rpm Chevy II off the list is a serious omission as they could easily outrun most of your list. I know because I have one.
You had a 'Sleeper' that lured unknowing and argent wanna be hot rodders into show down. I had a Plain Jane ugly tan 67 Chevelle SS 396 ordered with high performance everything plus aftermarket too. Easily beat friend's 429 Boss Mustang, and just about everything else on the road. Glad we could buy high octane leaded gas for less than 50 cents a gallon.
1970 Mustang Mach-1 with 429 Super Cobra Jet with 2 inline 4 barrel carbs
What about it?
No mention of the Australian Ford Falcon GTHO. It was the fastest 4 door sedan in the world at the time. Highly tuned 351 V8.
I DROVE A 70 DODGE CHALLENGER 440 R/T......LOST ONE STEET RACE OUT OF HUNDREDS BACK IN EARLY 70 S
While the Look, sex appeal and sound of the 60's early 70's "muscle car" is something I enjoyed in my youth, 68 GTO, 69 mach 1, 428 cobra Jet, it is long ago history, never to be the same. going fast is not the end all anymore in 2024. We mostly have grown up.
Going fast is just a small part of it. It’s shifting gears feeling the torque with that perma grin.
Owned a 1966 Olds Toronado and never lost a quarter mile drag race!!
Fastest US car of that era was the 427 Shelby Cobra. Another one near the top, is one I that I own, '69 Corvette L88. Mine is #s matching with a 4 spd. I bought it in '74 when hi po vehicles were very cheap, because of high gas prices and insurance very expensive, with any with a 4 spd.
The Cobra is not an American car. It's from England. And it never rolled down on American assembly line. A l88 is faster. Just take a look at Julie Pennington en pure stock.
Shelby got his idea from some guy that was putting small block Chevys in MGs. The guy did not have the backing or funding. And neither did Shelby. He had the car shipped to him. And paid for them after he built them. He went to Chevrolet any wanted to small block Chevy front it to him and they turned him down. Then he went to Chrysler and they turned him down and then he went to Ford
The Hurst hemi Darts and Barracudas are indeed faster than ANY GM OR FORD EVER MADE PERIOD .
@@tonysendrick6347I disagree.. look up the Briggs Cunningham hemi powered roadster came before the cobra but yet looks just like it
I thought for sure there would be an L88 in here somewhere. The difference between the ZL1 and L 88 was 100 lbs. I really thought a 67 L88 would be on here. . Those motors are so vicious.
My '70 GSX is rated at 370 horsepower yet I regularly outrun Hemi cars and LS-6 cars. The math is not adding up.
IKR, lol🤦
Does the term "hemi killer" sounds familiar ? I'm slowly rebuilding my GS455 Convertible. I might screw around with my 70 Skylark Custom hardtop. I just miss the comfort of those cars.
@@rverro8478 Definitely familiar to me 👍 I certainly miss not having to exert pressure on my knees as well as scrunching into these tiny things called cars these days, but I've got a 78 and a 86 Cutlass Supreme soon to be back on the road, the 86 will be getting a 70 Buick 455 and the 78 will have a 350 Olds rocket from another 78 Cutty I'm parting out, everything is so much easier to work on and no idiot check engine lights to come on for whatever insane reason.
That 370 horsepower rate is bull lol we all know it made more then that
I’m not a authority by any stretch of the imagination, but wasn’t the GSX a Torque Monster, (the highest factory toque rating) hence the speed???
L88 Corvettes had big hp and Motion performance built some beasts and the ford 429s went hard.
Left our Cobra's with 427 big blocks!
I noticed that yes how about a Cobra with the 427 should be right there with that Camaro
The 1969 Yenko Camaro with its L-72 427, 450 horse big block Chevy and 4.10 rear gears was one of the quickest cars to ever come out of Detroit. Mine could hit 0-60 MPH in 4 seconds flat. The 1969 Yenko Camaro deserves to be on this list and right near the top of it too.
I think Yenko used the COPO system as his base cars
@@thomasmcdermott8223 - Correct and that's the way the were sold by Don Yenko, with the addition of the Yenko stripe kit, which didn't add any horsepower. :) The 1969 Yenko Camaro's were blazingly fast.
The 455 68 Hurst Olds was mighty quick
Boss 429 "Crescent" head-- a copy of an early '60's BBC splayed-valve head. The splayed-valve BOSS 302 did have a leg-up on the DZ-302 that used a standard valve configuration, Chevy should have done the same..
What? The '64 427 Fairlane Thunderbolt is not included or the '68 L88 Vette? Owned an L88 4-speed posi '68 that was a beast & the only problem was premium gas in '79 dropped to 95 octane. Had to sell it because 106 Racing fuel back then was crazy expensive & our young family came first. Great memories though.
I had a 64 plymouth savoy 426 wedge. Cruising the loop one night we ran into a guy with a beautiful brand new 69 charger. He asked what i had for a motor and i said 318 . We went out to the interstate and made two runs for 10 bucks. He lost by 4 car lengths. I had to tell him the truth then and he laughed but still gave me ghe money.
Gimme a second, lemme wipe the drool of my desk....
Not to nitpick, but your list is misnamed. Using 0-60 elapsed times as your measurement, you are rating the “quickest”, not “fastest”, muscle cars of the era.
Didn’t see many of the rare ones run, but out of the more mainstream muscle cars the ‘70 Chevelle 454 was the fastest stock vehicle I saw on the track back then, they were faster by a lot, just a monster car.
Those cars, were the envy of most of us.
Very nice❤
And now...let's hear from the experts.
Hogwash. Ford had a 427 in 1963, chevy had the big block 348 in the early 1960's, chevy had the 409 dual quads carbs in 1963. The GTO was actually late to the muscle car era.
I've been to MANY of the pure stock muscle car races in Mid-Michigan. Of course they all cheat a little here and there but in order to be official they have to pull a head and pass inspection.
I tell you the 400 CI Firebirds are awfully quick too. And it's not off the line. It's mid track and the traps where they pull hard.
Memories of my past at 17 I had a 65 mustang convertible at 19 traded for 69 mach 1 mustang then got married and it all changed
Great video..but turn down the music!!..so I'm not struggling to hear the narration!
The "RB"designation was NOT "race block",it designation was Raised block. Higher deck height than the "b"block 383
The 427 Cobra ???
The corvette is a sports car. Not a muscle car.
People always mistake certain cars as muscle. They look at a 6 cylinder 74 nova and call it a muscle car….WRONG😅
However in 1970 the fastest 1/4 mile car was the El Camino LS 6.
Yea, whatever. Research people, tests and articles written at the time when actually tested. One more thing, when this writer called a Corvette a muscle car, I knew, well, guess he would call a Shelby Cobra a muscle car as well...'nuff said, he is wrong on many of his order listings
In 65 Chevy advertised their Corvette, zero to sixty in six seconds in their dealer brochure. There were other c2's that were even quicker in that year and era.
Oh boy here we go...opening the "My car is faster than your car Pandora's Box..... Ok children the forum is open let's hear your fairy tale about the car you USE to own....
The 42X engines were the best. Ford's 429 Boss & 428 CJ (Cobra Jet), Chrysler's 426 Hemi and Chevrolet's 427. My favorites were the 426 Hemi in the GTX and the 427 in a Corvette but I would love to get my hands on any vehicle with one of the 42X engines. Let me rephrase that... I would love to have the money to get my hands on one of those cars.
I had a 1967 Olds 442, I didn't think Corvettes were classified as muscle cars?
my 67 nova ran 12.95 with headers and slicks
No AC cobra?
Shouldn't this read the quickest, not the fastest? The 1969 Dodge Daytona did 199.97 at Talladega "factory stock".
That was in NASCAR trim my friend...did over 200 MPH first car ever. They were probably good for 150 showroom stock.
I have owned about every musclecar in my long life. Buick GS was fast, 69 Coronet 440 R/T. seven Chevelle SS 's, bunch of Mustangs , two Dodge Vipers etc... but i think the fastest was that Buick GS 455. It scared me. Honestly the Vipers were faster, but in a quarter mile that Buck may have won sometimes. I just love old musclecars.
ZL1 babeeeeee. Why I own a 975hp 2017 version😮
Not a muscle car either way. Plastic cookie cutter GM dime a dozen just like the old day's. Nothing special
@@bradhardy2629 better get a bunch of dimes together then. Of the big 3 muscle cars it by far has the best sorted chassis so is it now a sports car?
nothing better than 1969 fastback mustang
No way no how does the Camaro ZL1 do 0-60 in 4.1 with no rear weight and skinny tires.
68 Charger, 69 Z28 small block killed the big blocks in 1/4 mi, 66 Ford Fairlane R 427, 68 Fairlane 428 Cobra Jet C6 trans, Many early Mopars (Ramchargers!), let's not forget AMCs AMX in 69/70.
Wow, my 6 cyl e36 M3 did 0-60 in 3 seconds, and actually handled.
What do you call the opposite of a muscle car?
Had a 1970 Cutlass Supreme with the 350 Rocket in it. Got 90 mph through the quarter mile.
In the spring/summer I use my Mercedes CLK550 convertible as a grocery getter. Gets 21 mpg which is better than my classic cars. Comfortable, has A/C, and easily runs low 13's.
@@josefeibl8230 - But it doesn't have the looks of a beautiful 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. :)
Oh, you forgot the 1964 Plymouth, fury. 426 Max wage 12.99 in a quarter of a mile. Off the Show room floor.
Shelby’s 427sc Cobra was quicker than most if not all of them.
All of them.
@@markdellacqua1038WRONG 68 Hurst hemi Darts and Barracudas ruled the dragstrip like the hemi engine still does to this day. PERIOD...
@@bradhardy2629 Sorry but the 427 Cobra ran a documented 12.2et. Sorry nothing ran faster straight from the factory than that.
Don't think enough of those were built to be considered "production" car.
@@bultacowally Production numbers have nothing to do with being a production car. It was sold from the dealer with a warranty, production car.