Since William C. Durant established General Motors in 1908, the company has grown to become one of the largest automakers in the world. GM is a parent company that encompasses iconic American brands like Chevrolet, Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, and more.
Although GM has faced more than its fair share of problems over the past few decades — some of which even forced it to shut down brands like Pontiac and Oldsmobile — it has given us many iconic American cars that gearheads adore. Choosing just a few cars out of the hundreds of models GM has produced over the last century is almost an impossible task. However, these ten will always hold a special place in America's automotive history and are highly sought-after by collectors to date.
10 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
The iconic Corvette was introduced in 1953, but it wasn't until a decade later that it went from a secretary's car to a fully-fledged performance icon. The 1963 Corvette Stingray had many significant changes that marked a new dawn for the brand. For starters, a major redesign made it one of the most beautiful American cars of all time — it had a shark-like mouth, a tapered tail, and sharp fender shapes that looked fantastic.
Chevrolet also built it on a new chassis and boosted its power, allowing it to compete with the Shelby Cobra and other sports cars from around the world. The best engine available was a 327cid small-block V8 pumping out 360 horsepower, enough to make the Stingray pretty fast.
9 1969 Pontiac GTO
When talking about the best American muscle cars ever, it's impossible to skip the GTO. The GTO was not the first muscle car, but it's one of the main reasons why muscle cars became a separate segment and a valued cultural phenomenon.
The 1969 GTO arrived five years after the first one, but it followed the same template — a fantastic design, excellent construction, and enough power to make it one of the most exciting cars of the 60s. The best engine available was a Ram Air IV V8 cranking out up to 370 horsepower, making it a force to reckon with. Even though GM shut down Pontiac in 2010, the GTO will live on forever.
8 1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
In 1969, Chevrolet engineers went to work and came up with the most powerful Camaro they had ever built — the legendary ZL-1. The ZL-1 was essentially a drag-ready factory car and was only available through Chevy's COPO Program.
At the heart of the Camaro ZL-1 was an aluminum 427cid V8 racing engine officially rated at 430 horsepower but capable of producing much more. The car also had various race-inspired components, including a transistorized ignition, a Harrison four-core radiator, multi-leaf rear springs, cold-air induction, and a heavy-duty 12-bolt rear end. Chevrolet built only 69 examples, which is why people are willing to pay hundreds of thousands for one today.
7 1970 Oldsmobile 442 W-30
The late 60s were a turning point for Oldsmobile. With the demand for powerful compact cars exploding, the automaker decided to inject some power into its lineup of sedans, resulting in the Oldsmobile 442. The 442 was initially a trim package for the Cutlass sedan but later became an independent model line.
The 442 was the fastest Oldsmobile since its introduction in 1964, but it wasn't until 1970 that it reached its true potential. GM lifted its internal ban on using engines larger than 400cid in intermediate bodies, allowing Oldsmobile to equip the 1970 442 with a 455cid V8 producing 370 horsepower with the W30 option.
6 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
Throughout the 70s, muscle car performance was awful, largely thanks to new emission regulations that forced manufacturers to dial back horsepower severely. However, Pontiac still managed to build some memorable cars, one of which was the 1977 Firebird Trans Am.
Affectionately referred to as the "Screaming Chicken," the Firebird Trans Am was one of the coolest-looking muscle cars of the 70s and also one of the fastest. It had a 220-horsepower V8 under the hood, making it faster than the Corvette of the day. The fact that it was featured in Smokey and the Bandit also makes it one of the most iconic movie cars.
5 1969 Corvette ZL-1
After the huge success of the second-generation Corvette, Chevrolet didn't make many mechanical changes to the 1968 model. However, they did tweak the design a bit - the third-generation Corvette had a sleek, aggressive "coke bottle" design that looked fantastic. However, Chevrolet felt that the third-generation Corvette lacked power, so it developed the first-ever ZL-1 as the best option for the 1969 Corvette.
Like the L88 produced two years before it, the ZL-1 was a beast on the road. It had an all-aluminum 7.0-liter L88 producing well over 430 horsepower, allowing it to blast past 60 mph in 3.9 seconds. However, the ZL1's huge price tag — almost $5,000 more than the base 1969 Corvette — was a major turn-off for consumers, which is why Chevrolet made only two.
4 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454
Most gearheads consider the Camaro to be Chevy's flagship muscle car, but back in the 60s-70s era, that title belonged to the Chevelle SS. The Chevelle SS was introduced in 1964, but it was always in the shadow of the Cobra Jet Mustangs and the Hemi-powered Chryslers. However, that all changed in 1970 when GM gave Chevrolet the green light to use the monstrous 7.4-liter LS6 V8 in intermediate cars.
As a result, the 1970 Chevelle SS produced 450 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque. This rubber-melting beast was ready for the drag strip as soon as it left the factory.
3 1987 Buick GNX
Whenever Buick is mentioned, the words 'slow' and 'boring' immediately start forming in every gearhead's mind. However, Buick shocked everyone in 1987 when it built one of the fastest muscle cars of all time — the legendary GNX. Buick wanted the GNX to leave everything else on the road in its dust, so it collaborated with McLaren on the project.
The GNX was powered by a 3.8-liter turbocharged V6 producing 300 horses, allowing it to go from 0 to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds. This was quicker than the Chevy Corvette of the day and even some European sports cars. With only 547 ever produced, the GNX is incredibly rare.
2 1961 Chevrolet Impala SS
When Chevrolet introduced the Impala as the top trim level of the Bel Air in 1958, it performed so well that it became a separate model just a year later. The second-generation Impala was still an excellent car, but Chevrolet still felt that it was a bit underpowered. So in 1961, the third-generation Impala came out with an SS package available for power-hungry buyers.
The Impala SS had a fire-breathing 6.7-liter V8 with 360 horsepower and 409 pound-feet of torque, making it unbeatable on a drag strip. Only 453 buyers opted for the Impala SS package in 1961, making it super rare.
1 1967 Chevy Corvette L88
The second generation of the Corvette was coming to an end in 1967, so Chevrolet decided to give it a proper send-off by building the most powerful Corvette yet — the L88. This fantastic sports car kept the beautiful design of the 1963 Sting Ray but was powered by a "track-ready" 7.0-liter L88 V8 engine.
The L88's official power output was 430 horses, but experts believe that the actual figure was closer to 550 horsepower. Naturally, the L88 option didn't come cheap, and Chevrolet ended up building only 20 examples in 1967.