If this was in the late ‘50s, talking about muscle cars would be the oddest thing. No one really knows what they are, the examples making headways are pony cars, and Shelby is yet to lay his hands on one of the most important muscle cars yet. Fast forward more than half a century later, and talking about muscle cars is starting a war between Ford and Chevy fans.
Today, tire-burning coupes with the power of a neutron star are a staple in the American motor culture. There’s the famous Mustang and Camaro that essentially bully the rest of the pack in dragstrips and even race circuits. Then there’s the Dodge Challenger and Charger that make a name for themselves by packing absurd amounts of power that barely keeps the rubber on the rear tires in one piece. But still, within all this knowledge and hype lie a few rare gems.
The 10 muscle cars in this list did not make it to the mass markets. That’s not necessarily because they were lemons. Rather, their spice in the market could only be tasted in limited numbers.
10 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle 454 LS6 Convertible
Before the Camaro transformed itself from Chevy’s favorite pony car into the intimidating muscle car it is today, the Chevelle SS was the king of the streets. Its 454 engine was the most powerful power unit you could put in a muscle car at the time. That humongous V8 could produce 450hp at 5,600rpm and 500lb-ft of torque at an incredibly low 3,600rpm.
The 0-60mph run took an absurd five seconds. The top speed this powerful muscle car could hit was 142mph. But Chevy didn’t want everyone getting their hands on this magnificent piece of engineering. Thus, only 4,475 units were produced. According to Hemmings, less than 20 exist today.
9 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T Convertible
Today, getting a convertible Dodge Challenger is akin to finding a Big Mac in Starbucks. But in 1970, the Dodge Challenger R/T Convertible offered the once-in-a-blue-moon opportunity to own this rare piece of machinery. Dodge released this marque in hardtop and convertible types. According to Hagerty, about 200 hardtops were ever sold. In contrast, only nine convertibles made it out of the production line.
If you ever find one today, you have to part with no less than $1 million. What you get instead is a powerful monster that could produce 390hp out of a “six-pack” engine. Optionally, the 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T Convertible came with a 426 Street Hemi engine that could develop 425hp.
8 1966 Ford Fairlane 500 R-Code
Back in 1955, no one was interested in a muscle car. That’s why when Ford initially conceptualized the Fairlane, they wanted to build it like a full-size sedan. The Fairlane stayed that way until 1962 when it was transformed into a midsize car. That would change in 1966 when the Ford Fairlane 500 R-Code came out in full muscle car flair.
Under the hood, the Fairlane 500 R-Code packed a massive V8 engine that could produce 425hp. According to Barrett-Jackson, only 57 examples of the 500 R-Code were ever produced by Ford, making it exceptionally rare today.
7 1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88
The 1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88 lives as a legend today. Only 20 examples of this impressive marque were ever made by Chevy. That uniqueness, plus the mad amount of power it packed, makes it the Holy Grail in the world of Corvettes.
Under the hood of the ’67 Corvette L88 was a massive 7.0L 427 V8 engine. That power unit could crank up to 560bhp at 5,400rpm. 550lb-ft of torque would come in earlier at 4,000RPM. The rest of the performance figures were thus ridiculous. The L88 could hit a top speed of 170mph. Some reports suggest that this marque could go from 0-60mph in just 4.3seconds.
6 1970-1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda Convertible
Yes, you can still get a convertible muscle car today. But one of the rarest and sexiest is the 1970-1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda Convertible.
It is believed Plymouth made only 21 examples of this impressive ride. Today, it is one of the most sought-after collector cars in the market. The Hemi Cuda Convertible was not just irresistible. It was also a very powerful marque that packed a massive engine and wild top speed and acceleration numbers. At the 2020 Show and Dream Giveaway, the organizers were giving away this rare muscle car and a 2019 Dodge Ram.
5 1967 Plymouth RO23 Belvedere
The 1967 Plymouth R023 Belvedere is another greatly sought-after collector car in the muscle car community. American Car Collector reports that the production of this marque was limited to only 55 units. For the original listing, you had to part with $3,831 to lay your hands on this ride. Fast forward today, and you need to cough between $70,000 and $95,000.
The R023 Belvedere came in various trims. You could opt for either the Belvedere I, Belvedere II, or the Satellite. There was also the GTX trim which was referred to in some circles as the “King of Belvederes”.
4 1963 Chevrolet Impala Z11
Today, the Impala is a chimp in a war of gorillas. But it wasn’t always that way. The boring sedan that you see being marketed today was once a hard-charging muscle car that commanded a lot of respect in the streets.
The 1963 Chevrolet Impala Z11 was a mad machine. It packed a 427 V8 engine that produced up to 430hp. But Chevy didn’t intend to bring this impressive muscle car to the mass markets. About 50 units were produced. Of the few that survived to see the 21st century, one was sold in an auction, back in 2017, for a bank-breaking $525,000.
3 1971 Pontiac GTO Judge Convertible
Scoring a 1971 Pontiac GTO Judge Convertible today is a tall order. This muscle car was produced in very limited numbers. Only 357 hardtops made it out of the production line. On the flip side, only 17 convertibles were produced. That means the odds of getting your hands on this ride is one in a million.
But if you do part with your life savings for one, what you’ll be getting is a classic muscle car with a hard-charging 335hp V8 engine. That 7.4L power unit also produces 480lb-ft of torque, providing one of the most thrilling rides you can get from a muscle car, especially with the top down.
2 1969 Chevrolet Corvette ZL-1
The 1969 Chevrolet Corvette ZL-1 is not your ordinary Corvette. Before its debut, no other Corvette could charge as hard as this one could. The piece de resistance was the massive engine that Chevy developed with McLaren.
Officially, that Chevy-McLaren power unit was rated at 430bhp. However, when that hard-charging V8 was put on the dyno, CorvSport reports that the numbers shot to 560 and 585bhp. It immediately became a fan favorite. However, owning the Corvette ZL-1 was challenging to most buyers. The introduction price was a whopping $10,048.15. To make matters worse, only two examples were ever sold.
1 1967 Shelby Cobra Super Snake
In 1967, people were willing to sell their houses, declare bankruptcy, and drain all their savings accounts just to get their hands on the Shelby Cobra Super Snake. It was one of the best Shelby creations of the decade.
The performance numbers of this muscle car were downright insane. The ’67 Shelby Cobra Super Snake packed a 7.0L big-block 427 supercharged V8 engine. That humongous power unit could produce 800bhp at 5,600rpm. The 462lb-ft of torque would come in at an impressively low 2,800rpm. The top speed, on the other hand, was an insane 201mph. So, what happened to those folks who sold everything to get this ride? Well, they had to apologize to their banks and wives for such reckless behavior because only one example was ever produced.