We love muscle cars, and just a mention of the glorious ‘60s gets us talking about everything muscle on the road. It’s not as if they don’t make muscle cars anymore, in fact, the Mustang, Camaro, and even the Challenger are all alive and well. It’s just that, when the muscle car segment first exploded, the cars that came from it were so incredible and different that they remain forever etched in our hearts.
And it's not just the Boomers who remember muscle cars with fondness; a lot of the passion we have for classic American muscle cars has been passed on to the millennials. Today, they too profess a love for these classics, both for their timeless looks, exciting drive, and easy repairs.
Most of the classic American muscle cars fetch hefty amounts on the collectors' market today. But despite this, you can still find some of the rarest and most exciting muscle cars ever produced abandoned and gathering dust. Appalling, we know!
We don't know why anyone would leave these great cars to rot away like this, but we prepared a list of the 15 that hurt our soul the most. Which one got your goat?
16 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500: Two Great Minds
A 7.0-liter V8 engine powered this beauty, with two four-barrel carburetors taking the horsepower to a whopping 355. The fastback body and the gorgeous styling apart, this pure-bred muscle car raced from 0 to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds. The askew tires and rusted patina is painful for any muscle car lover to see.
15 1967 Chevrolet Camaro: Mustang’s Able Competitor
Nothing succeeds like success, and nothing hurts more than the competition’s success. So when Chevy saw the Corvair wasn’t going to make it and that the Mustang was unstoppable, they brought in the sleekest muscle car yet, the Chevy Camaro. The topmost V8 engine gave out some 370 horses, and the Camaro was here to stay. Sadly, this one lies forgotten and trashed.
14 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429: Rare And Unstoppable
The Boss 429 is one rare muscle car, so it's very surprising to see it lying abandoned and in decrepit condition. A total of 1,359 of these were made, basically to homologate the 429 engine as NASCAR rules. They were listed at 375 horses for legal purposes, but everyone knows that the Boss was the boss of all roads.
13 1968 Pontiac GTO: The Trend-Setter
The Pontiac GTO (Grand Tempest Option) preceded the Mustang hullabaloo and is often said to have started the whole muscle car trend. By 1968, the GTO was in its second generation and looked sleeker than ever. It also came exclusively with V8s under the hood. Back in the day, this rusted beauty was propelled with the power of 350 horses. To see a classic like this in such woebegone condition is painful, to say the least.
12 1970 Dodge Super Bee: Answering The Roadrunner
The iconic front grille of the Super Bee has always been a show-stopper. A low-priced, stripped-down muscle car, rather like a rebadged Plymouth Roadrunner, the Dodge Super Bee came only with V8s and jetted 335-425 horsepower. Rust has almost completely eaten away at this once-beautiful, blue Bee. Heart-breaking.
11 1954 Oldsmobile Super 88: The Big Daddy
Wondering what a ‘50s car is doing on a muscle car list? Well, meet the earliest muscle car ever, an Oldsmobile Super 88 with a 5.4-liter “rocket” V8 that jetted 185 horses. Of course, these cars were heavy and not as fast as the muscle cars of the ‘60s – but this was a ‘50s muscle car, and did pretty well in its heydays. This one seems trashed with no wheels, even if the paint is still holding.
10 1968 Chevrolet Nova Yenko Deuce: All The More Special
The Chevy Nova was marketed as a mini muscle car and did well for its small-block engine. But when Donald “Don” Yenko, a big-time Chevy dealer, used his inside GM contacts to make the coolest Nova ever, it gave birth to the Nova Yenko Deuce. An LT1 engine (straight from the Vette), along with other specialty parts, placed the Nova’s horsepower figure within the 350-360 range. It was utter pandemonium on the roads, so it's doubly sad to see a forgotten one gathering dust here.
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8 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396: Too Powerful For Its Time
The Chevelle SS 396 was Chevy's best-kept secret that turned this otherwise family sedan into an all-out muscle car with a 6.5-liter Big Block V8 under the hood. The engine jetted out 325-370 horses and turned the Chevelle into a force to be reckoned with. The wheel-less and rusted beauty we sadly see here still seems ready for one last ride.
7 1971 Plymouth Roadrunner: Pure Stripped-Down Muscle
This beast may have once outclassed every other car on the road, but today, it lies abandoned and rusted with barely any patina left on it. For 1971, the power output dropped to 300 horsepower, as a result of all-new emission and power standards. But, it was a beauty to look at it and be in. Plus it drove on nothing but V8s.
6 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302: The Extra-Power Trend
There was a time when the Camaro was more powerful than the Mustang, enough to seriously worry Ford. So, Ford came out with the Boss 302, an optional 5.0-liter V8, which spat out 290 horsepower and could make the 0-60 mph dash in 6.9 seconds. This was the Mustang’s “take that, Camaro” version. With only about 7,000 made and sold, it's surprising to see this abandoned barn-find in such a sorry state,
5 1969 Ford Torino 428 Cobra Jet: Mustang’s Step Sibling
The Ford Torino may never have achieved the success of the Mustang, but some versions of it were veritable muscle jewels. When equipped with a 7.0-liter naturally-aspirated Cobra Jet V8 engine, the Ford Torino went 0-60mph in 5.5 seconds, shooting out 355 horses. Pretty cool, right? Which is why this desolate Torino calls out to us.
4 1973 Dodge Challenger: The Last Of The Greats
By 1974, the muscle car jubilee was wrapping up under strict emission and engine norms as well as a looming oil crisis. 1974 saw no Dodge Challenger vrooming on the roads, which is why this 1973 Dodge Challenger looks all the more miserable. With a 5.9-liter V8 shooting out 245 horses, this one needs rescue.
3 1979 Pontiac Trans Am: Celebrating Ten Years
1979 was a milestone for the Pontiac Trans Am, in that it completed ten years in production. The special anniversary edition boasted “firebird” hood decals, and this is the most memorable Trans Am of all time. More than 115,000 of these were sold, making 1979 a very successful year for this legendary muscle car that jetted 260-280 horses. Sadly, this one is in awful state.
2 1965 Chevrolet Impala SS Convertible: Beginning Of SuperSport
The Impala was always a beautiful, big-sized car. With the advent of the SuperSport version, the Impala came into its own as a muscle car of repute. Engines ranged from a 4.1-liter inline-six to a 7.4-liter V8, taking the top speed to a cool 153 mph. Abandoned in a glade, this beautiful convertible tugs at our heartstrings.
1 1987 Buick Regal Grand National: Twins Found In A Barn
If you've made it this far, we have a happy ending for you. In 2017, a story broke – twin 250-horsepower Buick Regal Grand Nationals were found abandoned in a barn, dust-covered, with sagging seats and flooring. As a happy ending, the twins with consecutive VINs found a happy home with another owner who promises to keep them together, forever.