Gotta love good old American Muscle cars. My family actually owns quite a few classic cars. These cars in mint condition could easily bring $100,000+. Honestly in my opinion these cars are less expensive to maintain than new cars. There isn't any hightech stuff to break on them and they are pretty reliable for the most part. Some parts can be hard to find and a bit pricey though but not as much as you would think
It's pretty nice to be able to sit in the engine bay to work on the engine!! I could do that with the 66 Mustang and 64 Impala we owned. Cars these days barely have enough room to fit your hand with all the electronic components crammed in them!
I grew up during the original muscle car era. The cars that are selling for ridiculous prices were daily drivers. Dom’s car was a 1970 Dodge Charger with a supercharger. The car from the “Knight Rider” series was a 1984(?) Pontiac Firebird. A Shelby Mustang in mint condition will go for well into the six figures.
In high school, I had a 68 Mustang that I paid $1,000 for. It was in solid shape, perfect interior… just needed paint. My best friends had a 67 Camaro and a 68 Firebird. We had a lot of fun in those cars.
When I was a kid, my mom drove a 1979 Camaro Z28, dark brown with t-tops. It rumbled so loud, I could hear her coming about 4 blocks away before she picked me up.
There is no other feeling of strapping into an American muscle car and feeling the engine vibrate your insides and the raw power lifting the front tires off the road on a launch (pending you hook them to the road) and feeling the acceleration of raw power!! It’s a buzz!!!
Back in the day, I raced a 71 Camaro z28 on roads that you can’t go 100 feet without getting to a traffic light now. Loved hearing those tires bark!! Fun fun times.
Here in the US almost all manual transmissions have been replaced with DCTs(Dual Clutch Transmission). It's known as a "manual automatic" it will shift automatically or you can shift it manually with the paddle shifters behind the steering wheel. I always loved manuals and all my cars were manual so I was skeptical about DCTs. Until I got Chevy Camaro SS. I immediately fell in love with DCTs and paddle shifting.
I grew up in Detroit, but didn’t know alot about cars. I actually learned alot about cars watching the UK’s Top Gear. I knew alot about the Detroit car companies already, but now when I go back, I have a new appreciation for cars in general.
my absolute favorite muscle car is the 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS... the cost of a mint condition muscle car would depend on where you buy it but most of the time $50-$60k will get you one
I had saved for college and then was awarded an academic scholarship. For graduation in 1966 I bought a brand new Chevelle SS with that huge engine- it was my everyday car until I got married and my husband spent the next three years wrecking it! I miss that car, even 50 years later. Paid for my 67 in cash, my college savings!
The 1970 Chevelle body ripped off the Pontiac GTO which had used the body style since 1968 just go back and look at the 1968s The rear side window and tailliggts in the bumper the coke bottle lines. The Chevelle rearside window came back to a point.
I owned a Trans Am back in the day, great car. It was a beast. I use to own a Mustang as well. ( My favorite) Gas hogs for sure. With the prices of gas today, it would be a challenge to own a muscle car. With that said. If you can afford a muscle car today, I guess the price of gas wouldn't matter.
I was very little in the ‘70s and would hand tools to my dad as he worked under the hood. I also washed and waxed alot of cars through the ‘70s and early ‘80s. I remember how big everything was in the cars and how big the parts were. I went to a car class maybe 10-15 years ago and I was stunned how much everything shrank. For example, I remember the hose clamps were these huge, steel rings, but nowadays, they will use something that looks like a zip tie. I was a bit blown away.
I love the look of the older muscle cars, but I've never really wanted to own one. If I had the opportunity, however, to own one of my choice, I would absolutely love a Firebird Trans Am. :)
Hi Kabir! I had a 1966 GTO with a 389 cubic inch engine and a two-speed automatic transmission. If you floor boarded it didn't shift into second gear until you got to about 75 miles an hour. I also had a 1969 Oldsmobile Delta 88 with a 455 cubic inch engine. While technically not a muscle car (it looked like a regular family car) the engine cranked out 370 horsepower and could compete favorably with most of the muscle cars. The speedometer went up to 135 mph, one day when I was about 18 I wanted to see if it would really get up to that speed--it did! Great video as usual Kabir, keep up the good work.
Kabir, my best friend collected muscle cars (all convertibles) from the 1960s until he passed away in 2009. He owned a 1964 Pontiac GTO, a 1965 GTO, a 1965 Pontiac 2+2 and many other GM cars. He would buy them cheap and beat up, and then restore them to new condition. They all had manual transmissions, and high horsepower engines. I used to drive one of the GTO's occasionally, and man did it have a heavy clutch. You really had put some power in your left leg with that clutch. It was almost like doing a leg press.😀 Anyway, I hope you get to drive a true muscle car sometime.
You might like watching auto auctions such as Barrett Jackson or Mecum. They have lots of high end muscle cars go through and it's fun to see what kind of money they bring.
In my neighbourhood, there is a 1969 Pontiac GTO is bright yellow. The owner keeps it under wraps but when he takes it out for a drive it can be heard at least a block and a half away. When he turns it on, it a beautiful growling sound.
I had a 57 Chevy in high school. Primer gray, drivers seat only. 327, Edelbrock aluminum high rise intake manifold, Holly dual line double pumper 4 barrel carb, Corvette heads, milled 30,000th, Hooker headers, glasspack mufflers, Muncie 4 speed, Dodge 488 rear end, steel u-joints. Wish I still had it. Two friends, brothers, had a 70 Chevrolet Chevelle SS & a 340 Dodge Dart, balanced and blue printed. That car held a National Hot Rod Street class 1/4 mile record for 2 years before he bought it from the owner who built it. Also knew a guy that had a Shelby Mustang GT 500, 427. We also had built out custom vans. When I was in high school seeing these cars was an every day thing. Those were the days!
Loved my ‘68 GTO in high school. I had the fortune of working at a small home business that sold restoration parts for GM A Bodies, everything from chrome bumpers and original Delco batteries, to all the door jam and engine compartment decals.
My father was with Chrysler and received a free company car twice a year, had a midlife crisis in 1970 and informed head office he was tired of driving big boats and to send him something that had some guts!. The factory sent him an AAR Cuda' that had been specially homologized to challenge for the North American Trans`Am road racing series. My father and I were delighted (10 yrs old) my mother and the neighbours not so much. I was sad when it eventually had to go back, but overjoyed with the Charger R/T 440 that showed up in the driveway the next day. BEST 12 MONTHS EVER.
Probably the most underrated American muscle car, because so few were made, on account of them being almost impossible to insure, was the 1972 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda. The shorter chassis and lighter weight compare to the Dodge line made it the only US production car that could lift the front wheels off the pavement straight from the dealers lot. Unlike the 1970 model with its 426 cubic inch engine, the '72 had it fully bored and sleeved to a displacement of 454 cubic inches. The volumetric inefficiency of that chamber dimension made it impossible to meet the 1973 emissions requirements, so it was a single year model from the get go.
The cars were much easier to work on, very few electronic parts if any at all. I had a Firebird as a teenager and I did all the maintenance myself it was super easy and inexpensive to maintain. Parts are still readily available for those cars.
My mother picked out a '68 Mercury Cougar for me in 1975 after I rolled my first car, literally had had only one driver before. Manual transmission, could jack rabbit about any other car in town on a green light, incredibly easy to change tiresl, handled snow like no one's business. It is the car that I've compared all other cars against since. Loved that car, cried when It finally bit the dust.
Thanks for posting! This took me on a nostalgic trip. The Dodge Viper was a Sports Car, the Ford GT was a Supercar. The term "Musclecar" originally referred to a mid-size, full frame, 2 door, rear wheel drive, V8 powered automobile. Things like Camaros, Firebirds, Mustangs, Challengers, Barracudas and Novas were deemed "Pony" cars since they have a partial or "subframe" setup, also ponycars have a long hood (bonnet) and short trunk (boot). These distinctions are lost or forgotten by many today. The 68 Shelby GT 500 had a horsepower rating of 335, which was honestly closer to 400. It had a 4 speed manual or 3 speed automatic. NOBODY made a 600 horsepower engine or 6 speed manual in the 60's. The car mentioned would be considered a "Resto-mod", meaning restored but modified. Sold new in 68 for about $4500, a mint condition GT 500 KR could easily bring $300,000 today. $60k might get you one that needs restoration. Impalas were not considered muscle cars. They were full size cars. Yes the Cougar was built from 1967-2002, but the only performance models being the 67-70 models. In 1971 the Cougar got a restyle which made it bloated, bulky and ugly. I have owned and worked on musclecars since I was a teenager in the 70's. There is nothing better than sitting down behind the wheel of a 400+horsepower beast, firing it up and hearing that throaty roar, feeling the torque mash me back into the seat as the posi rearend starts to spin, the scent of gasoline, oil and tiresmoke as I burn off the line, the feel of the Hurst shifter connected to the Muncie M22 "Rockcrusher" 4 speed as the speed increases, the whine of that wicked four speed as I go through the gears, watching the loser in the Mustang disappear in the rearview mirror as I show him that my ride is superior. God I miss those days, but in the immortal words of Roger Waters of Pink Floyd, "...the memories of a man in his old age, are the deeds of a man in his prime..." So true. .
My first car in 1970 was a 1968 Pontiac Firebird 400 with a double barrel carburetor, tachometer on the hood and 4 on the floor transmission. As an 18 year old girl I got a lot of attention and had a hard time getting insurance. The speedometer went up to 160 but I only got it to 120 and had to slow down because the front end came up off the road. By the way my mom was with me and was egging me on. I paid $1,750 for it. I would love to have it again.
Hi Kabir the high cost of a musclecar usually depends on how rare it is and what condition it is in. Cars like the Hemi, Boss, Cobras, etc will probably fetch alot since they are so rare. I did a quick Google search on the highest price at an auction and it was a Shelby Cobra, the first Cobra car, it sold for over $13 million! I believe all the major automakers had at least one model that fetched very high dollar amounts, maybe no where near that cobra but in the million dollar range.
My uncle had a car like this about a decade ago. It was very cool but wide- when he moved from a beach town to our colonial one- it was very hard for him to navigate our winding roads. The breaks were much slower than modern ones which was also scary- and that was just summer/ the tires weren’t good for winter driving. If your gonna have an og model/ you gotta have something else for the snow! It was very beautiful and I learned how to parallel park on it 😂
As an American it delights me to see a foreigner appreciate American muscle cars. To answer your question about replacement parts for these cars there is a huge aftermarket of companies that manufacture replacement parts. However, for some of the rarer makes and models like the American Motors two-seater, AMX, Javelin and special Hurst edition models it can be challenging to find parts for them. In such cases owners make their own replacement parts if possible and if not, there are specialty muscle car restoration shops that can fabricate the parts for those able to pay the high prices to do so. Lastly, to answer your question about actor, Vin Deisel's car in the movie The Fast and the Furious, it was a I believe a 1970 Dodge Charger which looks close to the 69 Charger shown in this video.
Actually, when you have a classic car it’s easier to maintain (so long as you keep it factory) as it doesn’t have the computers. Also, the parts are not that hard to find because there a so many companies that make parts for these cars. My husband and I have a ‘71 and ‘72 split bumper Camaro and an ‘84 and an ‘85 square body Chevy C10 truck. My first car was an ‘80 Turbo Trans Am. BTW the Knight Rider car you were wondering about that David Hasselhoff drove was an ‘82 Trans Am.
My sister's friends back in the day they were all into the hot cars and most of them all had a GTO and then a Corvette from like the 50s and early 60s those were the cars that they really went for! Then there was one called the Super Bee I forget who put that out. She would take me and my brothers with her on her dates to the drag races!
My favorite is the 1968 Mustang Cobra. My wife and I back in the 90's lived near the Ford Rouge plant in Dearborn Michigan which at the time was the Mustang plant. She at the time had a 1973 Mustang.
Both my brothers had firebirds and trans am. My first husband had 1 of each. I love those cars( more than him) remembering flying down the roads with music loud as it would go. Also no seat belts. Miss them.
My first car,at 17, was a 1964 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport (SS) 409. Immortalized by The Beach Boys song of ‘409’. It had a 409 cubic inch engine rated at 425 horsepower with dual 4-barrel carburetors, a solid-lifter (no hydraulic slack adjustment) 300+ degree camshaft (a dog below 3000RPM, 3001RPM it was GODZILLA!!!) As the song goes: “…a 4-speed, dual-quad, posi-traction 409” Giddy up!!!😎👍👍
I LOVE all these cars. Have always loved 60-early 80s cars. If I could wish myself one?> 67 Chevy or GTO charger convertiable. My last 3 cars were all from 70s- early 80s. Cars now are soooo boring! Fun video!
I had a 66 Ford Mustang back in the day. Not as fast as these other cars but still looked cool enough. If you come to the states you should try to go to a car museum or better yet some places offer you the chance to rent a classic car for a day.
My favorite car from back in the '60s was the 68 Camaro! I just love the way it looked and my mom and dad had a 66 Ford Mustang! That was pretty cool car.
My dad had a 69 Mustang 302 convertible, fire engine red. It was an auto so mom could drive it. When they were out of town one time my brother & I pulled the heads and had them milled 30,000th of an inch to increase compression. Dad wanted to know what we did to his car after he drove it when they got back. We ended up having to cop to it. Were pretty much forbidden to work on the family cars after that unless he knew exactly what we were going to do ;0)
My mom owns a 1968 Shelby Mustang GT500KR. She says the clutch is a pain in the ass. This was her daily driver in the late 70s and early 80s. I remember riding around in it. The car wasn't worth much back then. When you start the car, you can smell it in the whole house. And hear it. My parents were the third owners. It was leased to a local disc jockey its first year, then my dad's friends bought it. When they couldn't afford it, my parents bought it from them. A few times over the years my dad thought about selling it but Mom told him she would quit her job if he did. For several years, my dad put a different engine in it! It was from a Torino but he put the original engine back in when he did, not really a restoration but he did some serious repairs like new seat covers to replace the cracked ones, repainted, that kind of thing. The front seats were in the living room for almost a year. He was a mechanic, and he loved working on cars.
When you visit the U.S., check with the major car rentals for their American Muscle series of cars. Hertz, Avis, Enterprise, etc. I went to high school in the '60's when it was music and muscle cars all the time. I got a new '69 Mustang Mach I and often had races with GTO's, SS 396 and 454's, Z28's, Dodge R/T, etc. Guys returning from Vietnam had their tax-free earnings and combat pay so bought fast cars looking for the adrenaline rush. I once lost a 1/4 mile drag to a veteran missing his left hand, but he could steer his Chevelle SS396 enough to beat me while shifting with his right. Good times in cars without smog crap or goofy electronics. Easily modified and repaired. We sure had fun back in those days with these cars.
I graduated from high school in 1979, a few months before I turned 19. Most of my classmates came from families that were wealthy, and many of them got a Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am when they turned 16 years old and learned to drive.
3:32 The 1967 Mustang Shelby GT500 is a very rare car. I actually saw one on the road about 10 years ago. In mint condition (numbers-matching), don't expect to pay under $100,000.00 for one, but that's a starting range if you're interested.😆 These are all cars that I regularly saw on the roadways when I first got my driver's license. I had friends who owned some of them (Camaro RS, SS and Z28, Chevy Impala, Chevy Nova SS, Chevelle SS, etc.). I had a Pontiac Firebird for some years w/5-Ltr V8 engine, a personal trick paint job and Rally-Sport rims on performance tires (you could hear the car coming before you saw it👍). My personal favorite was the Plymouth GTX. This brings back memories.
As an afterthought, I thought I might expound upon the "numbers-matching" reference I made in my first comment, since many people may not know what that is or how it can effect the value of a classic car. All cars produced in the USA have a VIN number (or Vehicle Identification Number). These VIN numbers are stamped virtually all over the car in inconspicuous places (e.g., the engine block, the heads, and even on hidden parts of the body). The VIN number will tell you when the car came off the production line (month/year), where it was made (which plant) and what number the car was in production phase (first, second, etc.). If a certain car was restored or rebuilt, and the owner had to replace old parts with parts from another vehicle (junkyard, etc.), the VIN numbers won't match and the car will fetch a lower price than one that still has all the original parts (and same VIN numbers). VIN numbers by law, must be listed on all vehicle registrations and Owner's Titles (or Bill of Sale). I know that was kind-of long winded, but I thought it might help clear up the classic car values. 😉🚙💰
American here, I grew up driving a manual. I had a 5 speed Nissan Sentra SE-R and a 5 speed Acura Integra GSR. I wish I could have an Eleanor Mustang though. That is the dream.
I had a 1968 Shelby gt 500 that my uncle had left to my family when he passed away. It had a 4-speed manual transmission and a 428 Cobra-jet engine, Light blue paint job with white stripes. I had to sell it during the 2008 economic crash just to pay my bills, really sad cause I miss that car! My father had a 1969 Stingray Corvette Burgundy red with an L88 427 cast aluminum big block engine and a 4-speed transmission, as well as a 1968 Chevelle SS Butternut-yellow with a 396 Big block and a 4-speed transmission. My father grew up drag racing as well as I, until my late teens then I stopped. These cars are very hard to get and will cost you from $50k-$80k on the low end! Some of these cars can reach over $100k+ due to scarcity and rarity, or you can hit up the junk yards and find one in poor condition to restore it, but you will need money, time, the proper tools, and access to parts if you wish to do a project restoration! Great vid bro, hope you get the muscle car of your dreams!
My husband had a 1969 Mustang and I had a 1971 Thunderbird. The Thunderbird wasn't really a muscle car, having 4 doors, bench front seats, and automatic transmission, but having a 429 engine and 4 barrel carburetor, it'd move. Plus since we were skinny back then, I could fit myself and 7 friends in it. And the suicide doors were cool. My dad was also a fan of fast cars, but at his age was a lot more financially secure than we were, so he had a 1969 Jaguar E-type convertible for his midlife crisis car. Yeah, we're old.
When I was in high school in the late 70's I bought a 1972 Chevy Nova SS, big block 350 engine, painted fire engine red with black vinyltop and racing stripes for $700. The guy who owned it was married and just had a kid so his wife was pushing him to sell it. The only thing I added was a Craig 8 track player (yea I know, I'm old) and speaker boxes in the back. Absolutely loved that car, only sold it when I joined the Army and was stationed overseas. I still miss it to this day.😭
I come from a family of muscle car lovers. Being born in the 50's probably influenced us. Plus having 4 brothers. We owned a 69 Charger, a 73 Challenger, a 73 Barracuda(red with black stripes), a 71 Cougar, a 70 GTX 440, a (not sure of the age) Chevelle. It was black with white stripes. And a 68 Mustang. What I would give to know how much those cars would have been worth way back then. Guess they wouldn't have been sold. 😂
Maintenance on a classic muscle car is generally quite low because they aren't driven much. I have a Dodge Coronet R/T, closely resembling the Charger, with 440 Magnum and 4-speed manual transmission. I drive it probably 750-1000 miles a year. Both the young and the old, flat love these old muscle cars!
In 2003, my Uncle gave me his 1979 Pontiac Trans Am; white on red, hardtop, full graphics package in gold/yellow and an era-correct Pioneer AM/FM cassette deck. Power came from a *185* horsepower Oldsmobile 6.6 litre V8 and a 3-speed automatic. "But sir, the video just said the Trans Am had a 455!" Yeah, unless you were unfortunate enough to be in California. Emission laws are a bitch. (Also, the 455 had been dropped by this point.) This 3,800 pound beast averaged 12.5 mpg and yes, decimals count. Thank God it had a 20 gallon tank! This car was not fast at all but it did cruise. I miss that critter. As for maintenance: you can maintain an old American car with a length of string and a brick. These vehicles were mass produced into the hundreds of thousands, so parts are easy to source from either new-old stock, new from aftermarket or the sea of salvage yards that cover America. Some of the trim pieces or engines can be specific and built in low numbers but again, the aftermarket exists. One last thing: "Muscle Car" is kind of ambiguous but I've always used the metric of "small car, big engine". The "first" muscle car, the GTO, was based on the mid-size Pontiac Le Mans with the 389 V8 from the full-size Pontiac Bonneville. That'd be like bolting BMW's 6 litre V12 into a E90 3-series.
I grew up in that time. All or the cars in this video are beautiful. They did one thing good. Go in a strait line. My car was a 1970 Nova SS. With all the positives of these cars. I'll keep my 2018 Focus RS. In 1/4 mile I can spank them. On a road course I can spank them. But when I look back.........THEY WERE FANTASTIC !
My favorite and the one I owned as a kid was the 1969 formula S barracuda with a 340 in it and I had gone through it bumper to bumper and put in thousands of dollars worth of high performance parts
My son n law has a trans am and he works on it a lot always adding more and keeping it up to date he loves his car n in the summer takes it to car shows and driving with his car buddies
For Kabir's perusal, litre to cubic inch conversions of common V8s. 4.6 = 289 5.0 = 302/305 (This is what Europeans call a "large" engine.) 5.2 = 318 5.7 = 350 6.0 = 360 6.4 = 389/390 6.6 = 400/403 7.0 = 427/428/429 (Americans believe this when an engine gets big.) 7.4/7.5 = 454-460 8.2 = 500/502 (The Cadillac 500 is the largest mass produced V8 ever installed in a sedan.) These are off the top of my head and are just for quick reference. Engine displacement is never exact. An engine can be 4.9 litres but is still marketed as 5L or maybe 300 cubic inches. Also, I do use the international spelling of "liter" because that's what was on my Trans Am's shaker hood. And people say Americans don't use the Metric system. 😄
And for future reference, if you take a look at that Dodge charger, that is the car, Dominic Toretto raced with, although his was a 68 which was before the split in the grill
My boyfriend, in the 80s, had a 69 Chevrolet Chevelle SS. I remember it had centerline rims and zoom gears. I was so afraid of that car, I wouldn't get in it for anything! LOL! The police knew that car, too and the power it had. He would get pulled over in it, all the time. He finally sold it. I was happy!
That Shelby mustang, or a Boss 429 is my dream car. I've had 2 mustangs but they were a 2004 and 2008. Had to go with something else because of too many tickets. One was a stick and the other a manual. Still lots of power.
There's a Shelby museum in Las Vegas which I visited last summer. It has easily some of the most gorgeous cars on the planet from GT350s and GT500s, to Ford GTs, and one of a kind exclusive cars. It's a relatively small showroom with only maybe 15-20 cars on display, but it's easy to get lost in awe of everything on display for at least an hour or two.
My dad had a 1970 Mustang Mach 1, 428 Cobra Jet, 4-speed Top Loader, Shaker hood scoop, all the bells and whistles. The only thing it couldn't pass was a gas station. It affected me.
Once when my car was rear ended I had to wait 2 weeks for it to be repaired. During that time my insurance covered a rental car for me to drive. I didn't complain that for those 2 weeks I had to drive a Ford Mustang convertible. At the time I was living in Florida and it was March, time time of year when the weather is pretty much perfect all the time.
The First Muscle Cars were built in the late 40's into the 50's Hudson Hornet, Oldsmobile Rocket 88, Chevrolet Bel Air Coupe, Ford Thunderbird, Plymouth Fury, Packard Hawk just to name a few
I own a 1974 Gran Torino Elite and maintenance is actually super cheap. The most expensive part I replaced was the gas tank and that was $150. Partly why it's so inexpensive is because they're not high tech or computerized. In addition, all of the labor I did myself, and I'm not a mechanic or anything like that. They're just basically unbolt the old part, bolt the new part on.
I've completely redone the brakes, suspension and fuel system as well. Most of it didn't actually need to be done, but it's good to have preventive maintenance especially because they're all made of steel instead of plastic, so parts do rust if not taken care of properly.
The guy was wrong about the horsepower rating of the '67 GT500. . .it had a claimed 355hp from the side-oiler 427. The '68-'70 GT500s came with a rated 335hp 428 Cobra Jet. Also, the GT350 was built for racing, as was the '67-69 Camaro Z28. . .
There are rental companies around the Atlanta area that rent classics. Sport and luxury models are available in hardtop and convertible. Had thanksgiving with a cousin who owns a variety of mid 50's Chevy's and a couple of late 60's MOPAR's. A couple of the Chevy's are kitted out for racing dirt tracks, which he did in his younger years. His life in retirement is restoring classic cars and hitting every major car show/auction within a couple days drive.
My dream car is always been the TransAm. You can't find them as easily now as you used to. Yes, the maintenance on these is incredibly expensive because the parts have to be made for you sometimes depending on the age of the vehicle, or they're very difficult to obtain either way. Going to muscle car shows here in this country is a summer pastime; you just get to go and lust after all these gorgeous, well-maintained vehicles. You should get someone to take you next time you come to the States, it's a wonderful experience. Of course, it wrenches your soul because you want the vehicles and you can't have them, but it's still pretty great. You've tapped into the one of my favorite complaints about cars these days. There've been studies done that say basically that the road used to be full of brightly-coloured vehicles, and now things are pretty monochrome. The most common vehicle colors now are black, white, and then dark blue. I find that depressing... but I also find it depressing how every vehicle seems to look alike nowadays. I started noticing it in the late 90s / early 2000's with Ford Tauruses, and at this point I don't even know one car from the other anymore. But back in the day I could tell the make and model of a vehicle from a half-mile away or something depending on the view. It was a favorite game in my family to try to be the first to identify a vehicle's make model and year and all that stuff, my dad would challenge us to try to beat him. He was a muscle car guy and he knew them all on sight. I never got as good as him at doing it, but it's still fun to quiz myself. My first vehicle was a 62 Ford Falcon, which had the same base engine as some Mustangs (sans mods), but it was a little bit more sedate a vehicle. That's where I learned to turn a wrench, rerouting the column shifter down to the floor because it had frozen (which was a common problem in those cars). my dad's pride and joy was his souped-up 57 Chevy pickup, modified with a Corvette engine. That thing roared like a dragon. Good times. I also agree with you about manuel shifting. I am very ADHD, and in automatics I tend to have my mind wander off somewhere completely off the task; but if I'm in a manual vehicle I am focused on what I'm doing, and I pay more attention to my driving. And like you said, there's just something about being in tune with the engine like that!
I've had about half a dozen fast cars the past two were mustangs. One of which was supercharged both of which were track prepped and I drove regularly on racecourses. These days I'm muddle around in a Toyota RAV4. LOL getting old.
Usually the 1965 shebly you saw runs on a average of around $300,000, a mint one I saw for sale was running 1.1 million dollars, so 60k won’t get you the door it might get you the door handle
If you are able to get it on TV, you should watch the Barrett-Jackson Auctions. They have one in Scottsdale Arizona and they televised it and it's all these different types including early makes and models of automobiles sometimes. And they auction them off so you might be interested to watch that when they come just look it up on the internet and find out when it's on.
The values of muscle cars can vary greatly based on a number of factors. A car with a manual transmission is worth a lot more than one with an automatic. The video mentioned the Boss 429 Mustang and Cougar Eliminator. Those cars are pretty similar mechanically but the Boss 429 is worth about twice as much as the Cougar. The most valuable muscle cars are Hemi Cuda's with a 4 speed. Some of those cars can fetch over $500,000 at auctions.
My Mom has a 1979 Corvette. My Dad has a 1986 Camaro drag strip car, Uncle Jon has a 1979 Camaro drag strip car and a Fox body Mustang drag strip car, Uncle Tom has a "Bandit" Pontiac Firebird drag strip car, and I myself have a 1982 Camaro Z28 drag strip car I'm currently building. It's always fun when I take my helmet off and the other racers realize I'm a 5' tall female 😆
I rent a mustang convertible every year when on vacation on Florida. I love the deep roar of the engine and acceleration especially compared to my regular fuel efficient car. I had that muscle version of the Cougar in my younger years.
If you own a muscle car, you definitely don't want to live where there's lots of ice and snow because they salt the streets, which rusts the metal in record time. In high school, my sister drove a maroon Dodge Charger with racing stripes and black leather seats. I was about 10 years old and I instantly fell in love with that car, even though the Mustang GT 500 (black with white stripes) is more what I would go for. It was the sound of the engine as well. I called it a "Budda Budda" car because of the sound it made at stopped at lights. But, my sister had to sell it because she could not resist the urge to race when anyone challenged her (What an appropriate name for the car.), and the last straw was when she was racing some guy and as they were going up a hill, she said she thought, "What am I doing? I need to grow up." She slowed down and her rival flew over the hill. She crested the hill at the posted speed and saw that her rival had been pulled over by the police. She got just the jolt she needed. She sold that gorgeous powerful beast and bought another maroon car with black leather seats .... a Volkswagen Karmen Ghia.🤣🤣🤣 You can't race them, but they are pretty damn cute. I became a VW Bus and Bug fan after that. Very easy to work on!
Back when hubby was boyfriend. After highschool before married life. So old enough to know better. He(we) had a 1974 Datsun Nissan 280Z(?) (It's late) that thing could go from total stop at red light. Lightly press gas pedal boom you're doin a 360 in the middle of the intersection. Really hated Any Wet Weather. Good thing I was the only 1 who had a green. In the middle of rush hour at a Really busy light! Lol
Barrett-Jackson is a well known/respected car auction They sold a 1966 Mustang Shelby group 2 for 770,000. You should look them up. I watch their shows all the time.
You should watch on RUclips a classic muscle car auction. You will see absolutely beautiful cars and find out what they sell for now. Very interesting to watch.
Most of the high dollar cars that you see bringing 200k at auction are very rare models. You can buy a very nice muscle car between 50 to 60k or you can buy a fixer upper and build it yourself you can get those for 10k to 20k all depends on condition build the motor,bodywork, and interior yourself and save a ton of money, I have a 70 chevelle and a 72 chevelle. We have car shows and cruise inns all summer around here. It’s a must see if you visit the US. It’s not uncommon to see 400 to 500 cars at a show. You will be surprised how many cars are still out there.
My favorite is a 71 'cuda. Matching #'s with the bigger engine is going to be a few hundred thousand, convertibles and the rare 426 hemi engine are going to run more than a million.
Gotta love good old American Muscle cars. My family actually owns quite a few classic cars. These cars in mint condition could easily bring $100,000+. Honestly in my opinion these cars are less expensive to maintain than new cars. There isn't any hightech stuff to break on them and they are pretty reliable for the most part. Some parts can be hard to find and a bit pricey though but not as much as you would think
Well put.
Yep, most of your money goes in the gas tank. Money well burned.
Old cars are definitely easier to work on too
It's pretty nice to be able to sit in the engine bay to work on the engine!! I could do that with the 66 Mustang and 64 Impala we owned. Cars these days barely have enough room to fit your hand with all the electronic components crammed in them!
@@md_vandenberg People who own these cars aren't using them as a daily driver.....
I grew up during the original muscle car era. The cars that are selling for ridiculous prices were daily drivers. Dom’s car was a 1970 Dodge Charger with a supercharger. The car from the “Knight Rider” series was a 1984(?) Pontiac Firebird. A Shelby Mustang in mint condition will go for well into the six figures.
The car in Knightrider was a 1982 Pontiac Trans am the 1st year for the 3rd gen . They came with 305 cid chevy V8 sadly only 145hp to 165hp .
@@tomcherry7029 it was like getting a piggyback from an asthmatic child
In high school, I had a 68 Mustang that I paid $1,000 for. It was in solid shape, perfect interior… just needed paint. My best friends had a 67 Camaro and a 68 Firebird. We had a lot of fun in those cars.
I had a 68 camero! Supercharged, miss that car.
Did you go to school in 71 lol?
@@daviddepeak6790 you would think so, but it was the 80s when I was in school
@@daviddepeak6790 Nice! I miss my Mustang too.
In High School 1985 or so I had a 1967 Mustang (I loved the non functional side fins). I loved that car. Baby blue with a 289.
When I was a kid, my mom drove a 1979 Camaro Z28, dark brown with t-tops. It rumbled so loud, I could hear her coming about 4 blocks away before she picked me up.
There is no other feeling of strapping into an American muscle car and feeling the engine vibrate your insides and the raw power lifting the front tires off the road on a launch (pending you hook them to the road) and feeling the acceleration of raw power!! It’s a buzz!!!
Oh Crap! How am I going that fast! I'm only in 3rd! Stay in 2nd driving through the neighborhood!
Back in the day, I raced a 71 Camaro z28 on roads that you can’t go 100 feet without getting to a traffic light now. Loved hearing those tires bark!! Fun fun times.
and now the younger gen is cucked, lmfao
Here in the US almost all manual transmissions have been replaced with DCTs(Dual Clutch Transmission). It's known as a "manual automatic" it will shift automatically or you can shift it manually with the paddle shifters behind the steering wheel.
I always loved manuals and all my cars were manual so I was skeptical about DCTs. Until I got Chevy Camaro SS. I immediately fell in love with DCTs and paddle shifting.
Yup, that's a manual automatic, but not an automatic manual. Still a far cry from a manual.
But can you fix it?
I grew up in Detroit, but didn’t know alot about cars. I actually learned alot about cars watching the UK’s Top Gear. I knew alot about the Detroit car companies already, but now when I go back, I have a new appreciation for cars in general.
my absolute favorite muscle car is the 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS... the cost of a mint condition muscle car would depend on where you buy it but most of the time $50-$60k will get you one
I just googled it - my goodness that thing is gorgeous 😍
Yes sir 396 or 454 with a 4spd 🔥
I had saved for college and then was awarded an academic scholarship. For graduation in 1966 I bought a brand new Chevelle SS with that huge engine- it was my everyday car until I got married and my husband spent the next three years wrecking it! I miss that car, even 50 years later. Paid for my 67 in cash, my college savings!
😊
The 1970 Chevelle body ripped off the Pontiac GTO which had used the body style since 1968 just go back and look at the 1968s The rear side window and tailliggts in the bumper the coke bottle lines. The Chevelle rearside window came back to a point.
I own a 1968 Pontiac GTO. It was the first new car that my dad bought. I inherited it in 2015 and it is still a badass ride.
You should react to the movie, Smokey and the Bandit.
Which has the 1977 Firebird Trans-Am and is a classic comedy.
I owned a Trans Am back in the day, great car. It was a beast. I use to own a Mustang as well. ( My favorite) Gas hogs for sure. With the prices of gas today, it would be a challenge to own a muscle car. With that said. If you can afford a muscle car today, I guess the price of gas wouldn't matter.
I was very little in the ‘70s and would hand tools to my dad as he worked under the hood. I also washed and waxed alot of cars through the ‘70s and early ‘80s. I remember how big everything was in the cars and how big the parts were. I went to a car class maybe 10-15 years ago and I was stunned how much everything shrank. For example, I remember the hose clamps were these huge, steel rings, but nowadays, they will use something that looks like a zip tie. I was a bit blown away.
I love the look of the older muscle cars, but I've never really wanted to own one. If I had the opportunity, however, to own one of my choice, I would absolutely love a Firebird Trans Am. :)
Hi Kabir! I had a 1966 GTO with a 389 cubic inch engine and a two-speed automatic transmission. If you floor boarded it didn't shift into second gear until you got to about 75 miles an hour. I also had a 1969 Oldsmobile Delta 88 with a 455 cubic inch engine. While technically not a muscle car (it looked like a regular family car) the engine cranked out 370 horsepower and could compete favorably with most of the muscle cars. The speedometer went up to 135 mph, one day when I was about 18 I wanted to see if it would really get up to that speed--it did!
Great video as usual Kabir, keep up the good work.
Kabir, my best friend collected muscle cars (all convertibles) from the 1960s until he passed away in 2009. He owned a 1964 Pontiac GTO, a 1965 GTO, a 1965 Pontiac 2+2 and many other GM cars. He would buy them cheap and beat up, and then restore them to new condition. They all had manual transmissions, and high horsepower engines. I used to drive one of the GTO's occasionally, and man did it have a heavy clutch. You really had put some power in your left leg with that clutch. It was almost like doing a leg press.😀 Anyway, I hope you get to drive a true muscle car sometime.
You might like watching auto auctions such as Barrett Jackson or Mecum. They have lots of high end muscle cars go through and it's fun to see what kind of money they bring.
In my neighbourhood, there is a 1969 Pontiac GTO is bright yellow. The owner keeps it under wraps but when he takes it out for a drive it can be heard at least a block and a half away. When he turns it on, it a beautiful growling sound.
I had a 57 Chevy in high school. Primer gray, drivers seat only. 327, Edelbrock aluminum high rise intake manifold, Holly dual line double pumper 4 barrel carb, Corvette heads, milled 30,000th, Hooker headers, glasspack mufflers, Muncie 4 speed, Dodge 488 rear end, steel u-joints. Wish I still had it.
Two friends, brothers, had a 70 Chevrolet Chevelle SS & a 340 Dodge Dart, balanced and blue printed. That car held a National Hot Rod Street class 1/4 mile record for 2 years before he bought it from the owner who built it. Also knew a guy that had a Shelby Mustang GT 500, 427. We also had built out custom vans. When I was in high school seeing these cars was an every day thing. Those were the days!
Loved my ‘68 GTO in high school. I had the fortune of working at a small home business that sold restoration parts for GM A Bodies, everything from chrome bumpers and original Delco batteries, to all the door jam and engine compartment decals.
My father was with Chrysler and received a free company car twice a year, had a midlife crisis in 1970 and informed head office he was tired of driving big boats and to send him something that had some guts!. The factory sent him an AAR Cuda' that had been specially homologized to challenge for the North American Trans`Am road racing series. My father and I were delighted (10 yrs old) my mother and the neighbours not so much. I was sad when it eventually had to go back, but overjoyed with the Charger R/T 440 that showed up in the driveway the next day. BEST 12 MONTHS EVER.
Probably the most underrated American muscle car, because so few were made, on account of them being almost impossible to insure, was the 1972 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda. The shorter chassis and lighter weight compare to the Dodge line made it the only US production car that could lift the front wheels off the pavement straight from the dealers lot. Unlike the 1970 model with its 426 cubic inch engine, the '72 had it fully bored and sleeved to a displacement of 454 cubic inches. The volumetric inefficiency of that chamber dimension made it impossible to meet the 1973 emissions requirements, so it was a single year model from the get go.
I'm a sucker for wagons. Belvederes, Volares, Magnums, Chevelle's, Malibu's, Nova's, etc. If it has a wagon counterpart, I want to see it.
Kabir, you definitely need to check out a classic car show the next time in the US.
The visuals, smells, and experience are something else.
The cars were much easier to work on, very few electronic parts if any at all. I had a Firebird as a teenager and I did all the maintenance myself it was super easy and inexpensive to maintain. Parts are still readily available for those cars.
My mother picked out a '68 Mercury Cougar for me in 1975 after I rolled my first car, literally had had only one driver before. Manual transmission, could jack rabbit about any other car in town on a green light, incredibly easy to change tiresl, handled snow like no one's business. It is the car that I've compared all other cars against since. Loved that car, cried when It finally bit the dust.
Thanks for posting! This took me on a nostalgic trip.
The Dodge Viper was a Sports Car, the Ford GT was a Supercar. The term "Musclecar" originally referred to a mid-size, full frame, 2 door, rear wheel drive, V8 powered automobile. Things like Camaros, Firebirds, Mustangs, Challengers, Barracudas and Novas were deemed "Pony" cars since they have a partial or "subframe" setup, also ponycars have a long hood (bonnet) and short trunk (boot). These distinctions are lost or forgotten by many today.
The 68 Shelby GT 500 had a horsepower rating of 335, which was honestly closer to 400. It had a 4 speed manual or 3 speed automatic. NOBODY made a 600 horsepower engine or 6 speed manual in the 60's. The car mentioned would be considered a "Resto-mod", meaning restored but modified. Sold new in 68 for about $4500, a mint condition GT 500 KR could easily bring $300,000 today. $60k might get you one that needs restoration.
Impalas were not considered muscle cars. They were full size cars.
Yes the Cougar was built from 1967-2002, but the only performance models being the 67-70 models. In 1971 the Cougar got a restyle which made it bloated, bulky and ugly.
I have owned and worked on musclecars since I was a teenager in the 70's. There is nothing better than sitting down behind the wheel of a 400+horsepower beast, firing it up and hearing that throaty roar, feeling the torque mash me back into the seat as the posi rearend starts to spin, the scent of gasoline, oil and tiresmoke as I burn off the line, the feel of the Hurst shifter connected to the Muncie M22 "Rockcrusher" 4 speed as the speed increases, the whine of that wicked four speed as I go through the gears, watching the loser in the Mustang disappear in the rearview mirror as I show him that my ride is superior. God I miss those days, but in the immortal words of Roger Waters of Pink Floyd, "...the memories of a man in his old age, are the deeds of a man in his prime..." So true.
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The Viper was a modern muscle car. It was pushing into supercar territory by the end of its run.
My first car in 1970 was a 1968 Pontiac Firebird 400 with a double barrel carburetor, tachometer on the hood and 4 on the floor transmission. As an 18 year old girl I got a lot of attention and had a hard time getting insurance. The speedometer went up to 160 but I only got it to 120 and had to slow down because the front end came up off the road. By the way my mom was with me and was egging me on. I paid $1,750 for it. I would love to have it again.
had a 67 ss/rs camaro, convertible that did the same thing with the front end getting light as the speed went up
Hi Kabir the high cost of a musclecar usually depends on how rare it is and what condition it is in. Cars like the Hemi, Boss, Cobras, etc will probably fetch alot since they are so rare. I did a quick Google search on the highest price at an auction and it was a Shelby Cobra, the first Cobra car, it sold for over $13 million! I believe all the major automakers had at least one model that fetched very high dollar amounts, maybe no where near that cobra but in the million dollar range.
My uncle had a car like this about a decade ago. It was very cool but wide- when he moved from a beach town to our colonial one- it was very hard for him to navigate our winding roads. The breaks were much slower than modern ones which was also scary- and that was just summer/ the tires weren’t good for winter driving. If your gonna have an og model/ you gotta have something else for the snow!
It was very beautiful and I learned how to parallel park on it 😂
As an American it delights me to see a foreigner appreciate American muscle cars.
To answer your question about replacement parts for these cars there is a huge aftermarket of companies that manufacture replacement parts.
However, for some of the rarer makes and models like the American Motors two-seater, AMX, Javelin and special Hurst edition models it can be challenging to find parts for them.
In such cases owners make their own replacement parts if possible and if not, there are specialty muscle car restoration shops that can fabricate the parts for those able to pay the high prices to do so.
Lastly, to answer your question about actor, Vin Deisel's car in the movie The Fast and the Furious, it was a I believe a 1970 Dodge Charger which looks close to the 69 Charger shown in this video.
Actually, when you have a classic car it’s easier to maintain (so long as you keep it factory) as it doesn’t have the computers. Also, the parts are not that hard to find because there a so many companies that make parts for these cars. My husband and I have a ‘71 and ‘72 split bumper Camaro and an ‘84 and an ‘85 square body Chevy C10 truck. My first car was an ‘80 Turbo Trans Am. BTW the Knight Rider car you were wondering about that David Hasselhoff drove was an ‘82 Trans Am.
My sister's friends back in the day they were all into the hot cars and most of them all had a GTO and then a Corvette from like the 50s and early 60s those were the cars that they really went for! Then there was one called the Super Bee I forget who put that out. She would take me and my brothers with her on her dates to the drag races!
My favorite is the 1968 Mustang Cobra. My wife and I back in the 90's lived near the Ford Rouge plant in Dearborn Michigan which at the time was the Mustang plant. She at the time had a 1973 Mustang.
Both my brothers had firebirds and trans am. My first husband had 1 of each. I love those cars( more than him) remembering flying down the roads with music loud as it would go. Also no seat belts. Miss them.
Manual transmission cars we call Man Shift and automatics are called Chick Sticks.
My first car,at 17, was a 1964 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport (SS) 409.
Immortalized by The Beach Boys song of ‘409’.
It had a 409 cubic inch engine rated at 425 horsepower with dual 4-barrel carburetors, a solid-lifter (no hydraulic slack adjustment) 300+ degree camshaft (a dog below 3000RPM, 3001RPM it was GODZILLA!!!)
As the song goes:
“…a 4-speed, dual-quad, posi-traction 409”
Giddy up!!!😎👍👍
I LOVE all these cars. Have always loved 60-early 80s cars. If I could wish myself one?> 67 Chevy or GTO charger convertiable. My last 3 cars were all from 70s- early 80s. Cars now are soooo boring!
Fun video!
I had a 66 Ford Mustang back in the day. Not as fast as these other cars but still looked cool enough. If you come to the states you should try to go to a car museum or better yet some places offer you the chance to rent a classic car for a day.
My favorite car from back in the '60s was the 68 Camaro! I just love the way it looked and my mom and dad had a 66 Ford Mustang! That was pretty cool car.
My dad had a 69 Mustang 302 convertible, fire engine red. It was an auto so mom could drive it. When they were out of town one time my brother & I pulled the heads and had them milled 30,000th of an inch to increase compression. Dad wanted to know what we did to his car after he drove it when they got back. We ended up having to cop to it. Were pretty much forbidden to work on the family cars after that unless he knew exactly what we were going to do ;0)
My first car wasnt a muscle car but it was a classic. 1978 Pontiac GrandAm. God I miss that car.
My mom owns a 1968 Shelby Mustang GT500KR. She says the clutch is a pain in the ass. This was her daily driver in the late 70s and early 80s. I remember riding around in it. The car wasn't worth much back then. When you start the car, you can smell it in the whole house. And hear it. My parents were the third owners. It was leased to a local disc jockey its first year, then my dad's friends bought it. When they couldn't afford it, my parents bought it from them. A few times over the years my dad thought about selling it but Mom told him she would quit her job if he did.
For several years, my dad put a different engine in it! It was from a Torino but he put the original engine back in when he did, not really a restoration but he did some serious repairs like new seat covers to replace the cracked ones, repainted, that kind of thing. The front seats were in the living room for almost a year. He was a mechanic, and he loved working on cars.
When you visit the U.S., check with the major car rentals for their American Muscle series of cars. Hertz, Avis, Enterprise, etc. I went to high school in the '60's when it was music and muscle cars all the time. I got a new '69 Mustang Mach I and often had races with GTO's, SS 396 and 454's, Z28's, Dodge R/T, etc. Guys returning from Vietnam had their tax-free earnings and combat pay so bought fast cars looking for the adrenaline rush. I once lost a 1/4 mile drag to a veteran missing his left hand, but he could steer his Chevelle SS396 enough to beat me while shifting with his right. Good times in cars without smog crap or goofy electronics. Easily modified and repaired. We sure had fun back in those days with these cars.
Good...GREAT times!!
Sending love and respect to the “Ancients” of the SFV!! It’s me, Don’s girl...Corky!!
I graduated from high school in 1979, a few months before I turned 19. Most of my classmates came from families that were wealthy, and many of them got a Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am when they turned 16 years old and learned to drive.
3:32 The 1967 Mustang Shelby GT500 is a very rare car. I actually saw one on the road about 10 years ago. In mint condition (numbers-matching), don't expect to pay under $100,000.00 for one, but that's a starting range if you're interested.😆 These are all cars that I regularly saw on the roadways when I first got my driver's license. I had friends who owned some of them (Camaro RS, SS and Z28, Chevy Impala, Chevy Nova SS, Chevelle SS, etc.). I had a Pontiac Firebird for some years w/5-Ltr V8 engine, a personal trick paint job and Rally-Sport rims on performance tires (you could hear the car coming before you saw it👍). My personal favorite was the Plymouth GTX. This brings back memories.
Yeah when he guessed 60k for one I kinda chuckled to myself and thought, "yeah maybe, but it's a pile of parts in a shop somewhere" lol!
As an afterthought, I thought I might expound upon the "numbers-matching" reference I made in my first comment, since many people may not know what that is or how it can effect the value of a classic car. All cars produced in the USA have a VIN number (or Vehicle Identification Number). These VIN numbers are stamped virtually all over the car in inconspicuous places (e.g., the engine block, the heads, and even on hidden parts of the body). The VIN number will tell you when the car came off the production line (month/year), where it was made (which plant) and what number the car was in production phase (first, second, etc.). If a certain car was restored or rebuilt, and the owner had to replace old parts with parts from another vehicle (junkyard, etc.), the VIN numbers won't match and the car will fetch a lower price than one that still has all the original parts (and same VIN numbers). VIN numbers by law, must be listed on all vehicle registrations and Owner's Titles (or Bill of Sale). I know that was kind-of long winded, but I thought it might help clear up the classic car values. 😉🚙💰
American here, I grew up driving a manual. I had a 5 speed Nissan Sentra SE-R and a 5 speed Acura Integra GSR. I wish I could have an Eleanor Mustang though. That is the dream.
I had a 1968 Shelby gt 500 that my uncle had left to my family when he passed away. It had a 4-speed manual transmission and a 428 Cobra-jet engine, Light blue paint job with white stripes. I had to sell it during the 2008 economic crash just to pay my bills, really sad cause I miss that car!
My father had a 1969 Stingray Corvette Burgundy red with an L88 427 cast aluminum big block engine and a 4-speed transmission, as well as a 1968 Chevelle SS Butternut-yellow with a 396 Big block and a 4-speed transmission.
My father grew up drag racing as well as I, until my late teens then I stopped. These cars are very hard to get and will cost you from $50k-$80k on the low end! Some of these cars can reach over $100k+ due to scarcity and rarity, or you can hit up the junk yards and find one in poor condition to restore it, but you will need money, time, the proper tools, and access to parts if you wish to do a project restoration!
Great vid bro, hope you get the muscle car of your dreams!
My husband had a 1969 Mustang and I had a 1971 Thunderbird. The Thunderbird wasn't really a muscle car, having 4 doors, bench front seats, and automatic transmission, but having a 429 engine and 4 barrel carburetor, it'd move. Plus since we were skinny back then, I could fit myself and 7 friends in it. And the suicide doors were cool.
My dad was also a fan of fast cars, but at his age was a lot more financially secure than we were, so he had a 1969 Jaguar E-type convertible for his midlife crisis car.
Yeah, we're old.
I just picked up my first car, a 72 mustang mach 1. Learning to rebuild the Cleveland in it rn, I love it
When I was in high school in the late 70's I bought a 1972 Chevy Nova SS, big block 350 engine, painted fire engine red with black vinyltop and racing stripes for $700.
The guy who owned it was married and just had a kid so his wife was pushing him to sell it.
The only thing I added was a Craig 8 track player (yea I know, I'm old) and speaker boxes in the back.
Absolutely loved that car, only sold it when I joined the Army and was stationed overseas. I still miss it to this day.😭
the 350 was not a big block,the smallest big block was the 396
I come from a family of muscle car lovers. Being born in the 50's probably influenced us. Plus having 4 brothers. We owned a 69 Charger, a 73 Challenger, a 73 Barracuda(red with black stripes), a 71 Cougar, a 70 GTX 440, a (not sure of the age) Chevelle. It was black with white stripes. And a 68 Mustang. What I would give to know how much those cars would have been worth way back then. Guess they wouldn't have been sold. 😂
I’ve owned a ‘78 and an ‘82 Camaro Z28! Great cars! Loved the rumble!
Maintenance on a classic muscle car is generally quite low because they aren't driven much. I have a Dodge Coronet R/T, closely resembling the Charger,
with 440 Magnum and 4-speed manual transmission. I drive it probably 750-1000 miles a year. Both the young and the old, flat love these old muscle cars!
In 2003, my Uncle gave me his 1979 Pontiac Trans Am; white on red, hardtop, full graphics package in gold/yellow and an era-correct Pioneer AM/FM cassette deck. Power came from a *185* horsepower Oldsmobile 6.6 litre V8 and a 3-speed automatic. "But sir, the video just said the Trans Am had a 455!" Yeah, unless you were unfortunate enough to be in California. Emission laws are a bitch. (Also, the 455 had been dropped by this point.) This 3,800 pound beast averaged 12.5 mpg and yes, decimals count. Thank God it had a 20 gallon tank! This car was not fast at all but it did cruise. I miss that critter.
As for maintenance: you can maintain an old American car with a length of string and a brick. These vehicles were mass produced into the hundreds of thousands, so parts are easy to source from either new-old stock, new from aftermarket or the sea of salvage yards that cover America. Some of the trim pieces or engines can be specific and built in low numbers but again, the aftermarket exists.
One last thing: "Muscle Car" is kind of ambiguous but I've always used the metric of "small car, big engine". The "first" muscle car, the GTO, was based on the mid-size Pontiac Le Mans with the 389 V8 from the full-size Pontiac Bonneville. That'd be like bolting BMW's 6 litre V12 into a E90 3-series.
I grew up in that time. All or the cars in this video are beautiful. They did one thing good. Go in a strait line. My car was a 1970 Nova SS. With all the positives of these cars. I'll keep my 2018 Focus RS. In 1/4 mile I can spank them. On a road course I can spank them. But when I look back.........THEY WERE FANTASTIC !
My favorite and the one I owned as a kid was the 1969 formula S barracuda with a 340 in it and I had gone through it bumper to bumper and put in thousands of dollars worth of high performance parts
The best part of owning an old American muscle car is that they are really simple to fix and parts are readily available.
My son n law has a trans am and he works on it a lot always adding more and keeping it up to date he loves his car n in the summer takes it to car shows and driving with his car buddies
My mom's 1st car was a 1965 Ford Mustang. My brother restored it & gave it to my nephew when he came home from his 1st deployment.
Left out my favorite the Oldsmobile 442. 400 horses, 4 speed tranny and dual exhaust.
For Kabir's perusal, litre to cubic inch conversions of common V8s.
4.6 = 289
5.0 = 302/305 (This is what Europeans call a "large" engine.)
5.2 = 318
5.7 = 350
6.0 = 360
6.4 = 389/390
6.6 = 400/403
7.0 = 427/428/429 (Americans believe this when an engine gets big.)
7.4/7.5 = 454-460
8.2 = 500/502 (The Cadillac 500 is the largest mass produced V8 ever installed in a sedan.)
These are off the top of my head and are just for quick reference. Engine displacement is never exact. An engine can be 4.9 litres but is still marketed as 5L or maybe 300 cubic inches. Also, I do use the international spelling of "liter" because that's what was on my Trans Am's shaker hood. And people say Americans don't use the Metric system. 😄
I had a 1967 Mustang that was a bit rough when I bought it. It was fun to work on over the years though.
I owned a 1972 340 Plymouth Road Runner white with black stripes on the hood and the roof line with rear spoiler
And for future reference, if you take a look at that Dodge charger, that is the car, Dominic Toretto raced with, although his was a 68 which was before the split in the grill
My boyfriend, in the 80s, had a 69 Chevrolet Chevelle SS. I remember it had centerline rims and zoom gears. I was so afraid of that car, I wouldn't get in it for anything! LOL! The police knew that car, too and the power it had. He would get pulled over in it, all the time. He finally sold it. I was happy!
I had a 70 challenger rt when I was in college. It was badass.
That Shelby mustang, or a Boss 429 is my dream car. I've had 2 mustangs but they were a 2004 and 2008. Had to go with something else because of too many tickets. One was a stick and the other a manual. Still lots of power.
There's a Shelby museum in Las Vegas which I visited last summer. It has easily some of the most gorgeous cars on the planet from GT350s and GT500s, to Ford GTs, and one of a kind exclusive cars. It's a relatively small showroom with only maybe 15-20 cars on display, but it's easy to get lost in awe of everything on display for at least an hour or two.
My dad had a 1970 Mustang Mach 1, 428 Cobra Jet, 4-speed Top Loader, Shaker hood scoop, all the bells and whistles. The only thing it couldn't pass was a gas station. It affected me.
Once when my car was rear ended I had to wait 2 weeks for it to be repaired. During that time my insurance covered a rental car for me to drive. I didn't complain that for those 2 weeks I had to drive a Ford Mustang convertible. At the time I was living in Florida and it was March, time time of year when the weather is pretty much perfect all the time.
The First Muscle Cars were built in the late 40's into the 50's
Hudson Hornet, Oldsmobile Rocket 88, Chevrolet Bel Air Coupe, Ford Thunderbird, Plymouth Fury, Packard Hawk just to name a few
I own a 1974 Gran Torino Elite and maintenance is actually super cheap. The most expensive part I replaced was the gas tank and that was $150. Partly why it's so inexpensive is because they're not high tech or computerized. In addition, all of the labor I did myself, and I'm not a mechanic or anything like that. They're just basically unbolt the old part, bolt the new part on.
I've completely redone the brakes, suspension and fuel system as well. Most of it didn't actually need to be done, but it's good to have preventive maintenance especially because they're all made of steel instead of plastic, so parts do rust if not taken care of properly.
My favorite was the Olds 442 - the 1970 Indy Pace car to be exact
Nice video . Myself i grew up with a 65 Mustang and a 71 Chevy Nova another one of Chevy's muscle car options. Both beautiful classic cars.
The guy was wrong about the horsepower rating of the '67 GT500. . .it had a claimed 355hp from the side-oiler 427. The '68-'70 GT500s came with a rated 335hp 428 Cobra Jet. Also, the GT350 was built for racing, as was the '67-69 Camaro Z28. . .
There are rental companies around the Atlanta area that rent classics. Sport and luxury models are available in hardtop and convertible. Had thanksgiving with a cousin who owns a variety of mid 50's Chevy's and a couple of late 60's MOPAR's. A couple of the Chevy's are kitted out for racing dirt tracks, which he did in his younger years. His life in retirement is restoring classic cars and hitting every major car show/auction within a couple days drive.
My dream car is always been the TransAm. You can't find them as easily now as you used to. Yes, the maintenance on these is incredibly expensive because the parts have to be made for you sometimes depending on the age of the vehicle, or they're very difficult to obtain either way. Going to muscle car shows here in this country is a summer pastime; you just get to go and lust after all these gorgeous, well-maintained vehicles. You should get someone to take you next time you come to the States, it's a wonderful experience. Of course, it wrenches your soul because you want the vehicles and you can't have them, but it's still pretty great.
You've tapped into the one of my favorite complaints about cars these days. There've been studies done that say basically that the road used to be full of brightly-coloured vehicles, and now things are pretty monochrome. The most common vehicle colors now are black, white, and then dark blue. I find that depressing... but I also find it depressing how every vehicle seems to look alike nowadays. I started noticing it in the late 90s / early 2000's with Ford Tauruses, and at this point I don't even know one car from the other anymore. But back in the day I could tell the make and model of a vehicle from a half-mile away or something depending on the view. It was a favorite game in my family to try to be the first to identify a vehicle's make model and year and all that stuff, my dad would challenge us to try to beat him. He was a muscle car guy and he knew them all on sight. I never got as good as him at doing it, but it's still fun to quiz myself. My first vehicle was a 62 Ford Falcon, which had the same base engine as some Mustangs (sans mods), but it was a little bit more sedate a vehicle. That's where I learned to turn a wrench, rerouting the column shifter down to the floor because it had frozen (which was a common problem in those cars). my dad's pride and joy was his souped-up 57 Chevy pickup, modified with a Corvette engine. That thing roared like a dragon. Good times.
I also agree with you about manuel shifting. I am very ADHD, and in automatics I tend to have my mind wander off somewhere completely off the task; but if I'm in a manual vehicle I am focused on what I'm doing, and I pay more attention to my driving. And like you said, there's just something about being in tune with the engine like that!
The LS6 454 in 1970 was a beast. And got you about 3 gas stations to the mile. But man, did she sound good getting there.
I once had a '69 Cougar, not the Eliminator, but it did come with a 351 Windsor 2 barrel. .
I've had about half a dozen fast cars the past two were mustangs. One of which was supercharged both of which were track prepped and I drove regularly on racecourses. These days I'm muddle around in a Toyota RAV4. LOL getting old.
Usually the 1965 shebly you saw runs on a average of around $300,000, a mint one I saw for sale was running 1.1 million dollars, so 60k won’t get you the door it might get you the door handle
Kabir,
these days the starting price for a basic muscle car is $65k. for me my dream muscle car is 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge ram air.
If you are able to get it on TV, you should watch the Barrett-Jackson Auctions. They have one in Scottsdale Arizona and they televised it and it's all these different types including early makes and models of automobiles sometimes. And they auction them off so you might be interested to watch that when they come just look it up on the internet and find out when it's on.
The values of muscle cars can vary greatly based on a number of factors. A car with a manual transmission is worth a lot more than one with an automatic. The video mentioned the Boss 429 Mustang and Cougar Eliminator. Those cars are pretty similar mechanically but the Boss 429 is worth about twice as much as the Cougar. The most valuable muscle cars are Hemi Cuda's with a 4 speed. Some of those cars can fetch over $500,000 at auctions.
My Mom has a 1979 Corvette. My Dad has a 1986 Camaro drag strip car, Uncle Jon has a 1979 Camaro drag strip car and a Fox body Mustang drag strip car, Uncle Tom has a "Bandit" Pontiac Firebird drag strip car, and I myself have a 1982 Camaro Z28 drag strip car I'm currently building. It's always fun when I take my helmet off and the other racers realize I'm a 5' tall female 😆
I rent a mustang convertible every year when on vacation on Florida. I love the deep roar of the engine and acceleration especially compared to my regular fuel efficient car. I had that muscle version of the Cougar in my younger years.
My favorite muscle car is the Firebird TransAM with the bird on it. From 1976-1978.❤
The “bonnet” of the car. I love it
I owned a Camaro back in the early 2000s. Loved that car. Was the car I got my first speeding ticket in.
If you own a muscle car, you definitely don't want to live where there's lots of ice and snow because they salt the streets, which rusts the metal in record time. In high school, my sister drove a maroon Dodge Charger with racing stripes and black leather seats. I was about 10 years old and I instantly fell in love with that car, even though the Mustang GT 500 (black with white stripes) is more what I would go for. It was the sound of the engine as well. I called it a "Budda Budda" car because of the sound it made at stopped at lights. But, my sister had to sell it because she could not resist the urge to race when anyone challenged her (What an appropriate name for the car.), and the last straw was when she was racing some guy and as they were going up a hill, she said she thought, "What am I doing? I need to grow up." She slowed down and her rival flew over the hill. She crested the hill at the posted speed and saw that her rival had been pulled over by the police. She got just the jolt she needed. She sold that gorgeous powerful beast and bought another maroon car with black leather seats .... a Volkswagen Karmen Ghia.🤣🤣🤣 You can't race them, but they are pretty damn cute. I became a VW Bus and Bug fan after that. Very easy to work on!
Back when hubby was boyfriend. After highschool before married life. So old enough to know better. He(we) had a 1974 Datsun Nissan 280Z(?) (It's late) that thing could go from total stop at red light. Lightly press gas pedal boom you're doin a 360 in the middle of the intersection. Really hated Any Wet Weather. Good thing I was the only 1 who had a green. In the middle of rush hour at a Really busy light! Lol
Those cars should've been announced by that guy who announced cars for Need for Speed2: Hot Porsuit.
I loved the way he called the cars...
Barrett-Jackson is a well known/respected car auction They sold a 1966 Mustang Shelby group 2 for 770,000. You should look them up. I watch their shows all the time.
My British friend you’re drooling over these cars.
K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider was a 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am. Dom's black car in the first Fast and Furious was a 1970 Dodge Charger R/T.
You should watch on RUclips a classic muscle car auction. You will see absolutely beautiful cars and find out what they sell for now. Very interesting to watch.
The Firebird Trans Am is what had my eye back then. The next redesign of the Trans Am is what you saw in Knight Rider.
Most of the high dollar cars that you see bringing 200k at auction are very rare models. You can buy a very nice muscle car between 50 to 60k or you can buy a fixer upper and build it yourself you can get those for 10k to 20k all depends on condition build the motor,bodywork, and interior yourself and save a ton of money, I have a 70 chevelle and a 72 chevelle. We have car shows and cruise inns all summer around here. It’s a must see if you visit the US. It’s not uncommon to see 400 to 500 cars at a show. You will be surprised how many cars are still out there.
Hey, one of my cars made the list. I have a 70 Plymouth Cuda with 383 super commando.
My favorite is a 71 'cuda. Matching #'s with the bigger engine is going to be a few hundred thousand, convertibles and the rare 426 hemi engine are going to run more than a million.