There’s something about a gleaming, glistening classic car that catches every eye on the road, the appreciative, the jaundiced, and of course, the envious. And if the classic is a special edition one, well, the glances get a whole lot more intense.

Nearly every classic car out there brought out special editions, back in the day when they weren’t considered a classic and came daisy fresh. The special editions came for all sorts of reasons, sometimes they were to celebrate the anniversary of a nameplate, other times to celebrate the brand in itself.

And if sales were lagging, getting out a special edition was another trick used by automakers to get the ball rolling and sell some sleek cars. These special edition classics often bore the most powerful engines, as well as the best of looks, and today are quite the crème-de-la-crème of them all.

Here are ten of America's most memorable special edition classics we could find.

10 Is It A Bird? Jeep CJ-7 Golden Eagle

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Jeeps are popular, from back then, to now, and you’ll always find a Jeepster a stone’s throw away in the US. The reason why the Jeep marque has survived from the time of the Willy’s to now. That said; some Jeeps are definitely more vaunted than the others, and when it comes to the classics, we have to talk about the Golden Eagle.

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All the 1977-80 Jeep CJ-7 Golden Eagle special edition did was add on fender flares, better upholstery, and a giant bird (as in an eagle) decal on the hood. Much like the bird-embossed Pontiac Firebird TransAm, the Jeep Golden Eagle’s sales soared as well.

9 The Snake ‘Stang: Ford Mustang GT500 Super Snake

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The 1967 Ford Mustang GT500 earned its Super Snake moniker later, and came coined by dealer Don McCain, when he convinced Carroll Shelby to take the GT40 engine, and stuff it in a GT500 that had been kept aside to test tires for Goodyear’s Thunderbolt. Of course, for Shelby, there was nothing like too much power and so the car came to be.

1967 Ford Mustang GT500 Super Snake
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The $8,000 price tag proved to be a killing bite for the customers, and only one such car came to fruition ever back then. If you’re okay with a newer version of this car, then in 2018 Shelby made 10 more such cars.

RELATED: 15 Sick Facts About Carroll Shelby And The Cars He Turned Into Legends

8 A Cutlass That Rallied: Oldsmobile Rallye 350

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The Rallye 350 was basically a special edition based on the Cutlass and only 3,547 of these were ever built. Even then, these bright yellow blobs on wheels were difficult to sell, mostly because they were simply too yellow, right down to the bumpers.

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It was a first and last hurrah for the Rallye 350 because by the time 1969 turned into 1970, it was clear that big block V8s that guzzled gas were on their way out. Oh and in a bid to sell the cars, many dealers redid the bumpers into chrome, but for the Rallye 350, it was the end of the road.

7 The Secret’ Vette: Chevy Corvette L88

1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Coupe front
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Whenever Chevrolet shakes out a new model Vette, it usually does so with plenty of pomp and show to make the best sales. But in 1967, the L88 was a secretive Vette and one that dealers discouraged people to buy, because it came with the kind of the power that would win you races on tracks, but become a bad boy on the road.

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Only 20 were made and sold, and today, one of these gorgeous, sharp-edged coupes can cost you $3-4 million, so clearly, this car is in the league of extraordinary automobiles, if not gentlemen.

6 The Rare Shark: Plymouth Barracuda Hemi Convertible

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The Plymouth Barracuda was a cool enough car, although it sounded way cooler than it was. When special edition Mustangs began to soak in sales, the Barracuda went the Hemi way, engine-wise, and became the Hemi ‘Cuda.

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The holy grail of all Hemi ‘Cuda was the Hemi ‘Cuda convertible, which is now an elusive beast today and even at the time, it came pricey enough to be rather unaffordable by the masses. Production remained limited and the rarity increases the price of this classic today.

RELATED: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Plymouth Barracuda

5 Judge & Jury? Pontiac GTO "The Judge"

Pontiac GTO Judge Convertible
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The Pontiac GTO Judge was supposed to be a 1969 sale-drive edition, only it increased sales and demand so much, they had to bring it back for 1970 and even 1971. The power only grew with each model year, and the GTO Judge has often been judged, what else, as the coolest muscle car ever.

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By 1971, the GTO Judge carried the highest output engine it could, and even though it was one of the nameplates to go down the malaise era, it is still hailed as the ultimate in muscle car mania and is vaunted for its looks as well as its power.

RELATED: A Detailed Look Back At The 1969 GTO Judge

4 Buick’s Wildcard: GSX Stage 1

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While the Buick GNX often takes all the credit for the muscle car line-up from Buick, the Buick GSX Stage 1 was one gorgeous piece of Buick ingenuity, and while it did not call itself a muscle car because of better looks and interior plush, it gave as good as its contemporaries.

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Bold and beautiful, the GSX came in only two color schemes of yellow and white and came bearing a giant wing. It looked good and ran even better and made Buick the secret cool carmaker.

3 Rage Against The Machine? AMC Rebel

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AMC Rebel’s special edition was The Machine, and it came bearing distinctive white paint with red and blue graphics. It was a collab between Hurst Performance and AMC, and its 6.4-liter V8 engine managed to jet 340 horses.

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This was the most powerful car from AMC and could take down the competition at the track while managing to be a street-legal beast at the time. And yet, because it was AMC, it got sidelined by the biggies and is still a relatively affordable classic today.

RELATED: This Is Why The 1970’s AMC Rebel Machine Is An Underrated Muscle Car

2 Doesn’t Hurt To Be A Chrysler Hurst 300

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When Chrysler decided to want to have a special edition built, it did so with Hurst's performance and 485 examples of the Chrysler Hurst 300, also known as 300H were built. Remember the 300 was Chrysler’s flagship car, so this special edition was well received from the start.

America's Most Memorable Special Edition Classics
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There was extra power, of course, as well as tons of extra ornamentation including a whole new set of wheels and tires to make sure these cars stood a step above the already well-respected 300.

1 The Marlboro Man: GMC Syclone

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A pickup truck that could not haul much but could race its heart out and even beat a Ferrari. That’s the GMC Syclone, and it’s a pickup remember more for its prowess on the track than off it, but even so, only 3,000 or so of these were ever made.

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And if you want this truck to look like your favorite brand of nicotine poisoning, only 10 of these red Marlboro branded studs were made, and the price of this classic then climbs way up the norm. So, feel like a smoke?

Sources: MotorAuthority, Hemmings

NEXT: Remembering The 8 Greatest Cadillacs Ever Made