General Motors has been around in the United States for over a century now and there are very few cars they've built over the decades as imposing and desirable as those from the muscle car era of the '60s and '70s. They were big, fast, loud and exceedingly powerful. What really impressed most people was how capable they were of creating that speed reliably.
Nevertheless, the time hasn't been easy for the large majority of those muscle cars. Most have rotted away into history and the next largest percentage of those cars have been cobbled together and are barely running today. There are however some owners that have taken it upon themselves to be fine stewards of the monsters of old. Today we look at 15 of them that are still haunting roadways across the country.
15 Chevy Nova
This Nova was a complete frame off restoration. That means that every nut and bolt has been meticulously cared for so that it runs and drives even better than it did the day it came out of the factory. It certainly doesn't hurt it that it makes nearly 400 horsepower either.
14 Bel Air
This Bel Air is clearly quite modified. Notice the wild exhaust manifolds over the front wheels exiting just in front of the doors. It's built to run hard and fast and stay cool. This example lives in Florida and the owner says it never runs above 180 degrees. Pretty cool in every way possible.
13 Bel Air V12
This Bel Air lost its motor over the decades. The owner doesn't care where it is because the new one is a HEMI headed 12 liter V12 made in Italy. Frankly, I didn't know about the engine-building company BPM before this post, and now I'm blown away at their abilities. This Bel Air has certainly been well cared for.
12 Chevelle
The Chevelle is a wonderful muscle car. It gave you a little more space and practicality than the smaller models available at the time but it didn't sacrifice on the most important feature, power. Many motors were available and clearly this owner has taken especially good care of his rarer SS optioned car.
11 Camaro
This Camaro was recently sold online and we are jealous of the buyer. This car came with the very hard to find headlight louvers that close when you're not using the lights. It gives the front end a gorgeous sleek look and sets off the entire car. The Camaro was certainly a force to be reckoned with.
10 Buick GSX
The Buick GSX was GM's answer to the boys from Dodge and Ford. It used a gigantic motor to push out nearly 400 horsepower and was a menace to most. The way it felt, sounded, and went was leaps ahead of older GM products. It set the trend to be followed moving forward.
9 Buick Grand National (GNX)
The GNX is by far the most boring looking car here, but it was a game-changer. It was the first real serious successful turbocharged car in the states. It meant that you could now embarrass big bad V8s with a relatively small V6.
8 Chevy Nova
This is a 74 Nova and we get to see one of the first moments that the owner experiences as he's brought it from the brink of the junkyard all the way back to health in this video. The smile on his face is one that we can happily mimic since we can appreciate how much work goes into caring for any car. How much harder it can be when it's had more than 40 years for parts to break.
7 76 Camaro
The Camaro in 76 was one of the last truly classic birds Chevy built until recently. This car has the Z28 package that meant it got to run around with more than 350 horsepower in what was a fairly small footprint. Unlike many muscle cars, this one can corner with the best of the breed of the time.
6 69 Camaro
The 69 Camaro was about to change and Chevy sent it out with a bang. First, it made the COPO Camaro that basically was a street-legal cop car. Then it sold the first ZL-1 Camaro which was basically a street-legal drag racer. They had no inhibitions and took to task any car that challenged them.
5 1300 Horsepower Chevelle
This Australian Chevelle is obviously a monster with those giant turbos sticking out of the hood. They're good for more than 1300 horsepower in this car and while the body may need some attention, it's great to know that the motor certainly doesn't.
4 Yenko Camaro
The Yenko Camaro was a car that was bought from Chevy and then heavily modified by a gentleman who decided it needed more power. As we've mentioned, Chevy had no problem building their own fast cars but this guy pushed the motor to 450 horsepower. Today they're ultra-rare and exceedingly expensive.
3 Buick Skylark
While it seems there may be a small coolant leak on this car I'm sure it won't be a major pain for someone who's built the rest of it. The bug catching blower and the custom wheels go to show you how much this owner must care about the car. The Skylark is such a special car we almost never see on the road. It's lovely to see this one still rolling.
2 Little Red Bel Air
We've seen a couple of Bel Airs that have been totally modified and that's lovely but this is special too. It's totally original. The whole car has been gone over and the only real adjustments have been upgrades that couldn't be avoided. Imagine if Chevy built a new one of these today. It would sell like hotcakes.
1 Impala
Lowrider culture isn't something I'm deeply entrenched in by any means, but I respect anyone who makes a car their own. The best thing about lowriders is that they take great muscle cars and bring them all the way back to a properly restored condition. Yes, the wheels might be small but the rest of these cars are cared for to ensure they won't break under the stresses they're put under.