Convertibles are not the types of cars you will see on the road every day. And the same applies to classic muscle cars. Apart from being a wild selection of rare automobiles, the good old classic muscle cars were extremely powerful and cool. These are classic cars that the millennials might never even get a chance to see, let alone drive.
Not that they are not available today, some of these classic convertible muscle cars are still ruling the streets, but their prices are extremely high as they have become the collectibles only the rich can afford.
10 1970 Buick GS Stage 1
There is only one known Buick Gran Sport Stage 1 convertible – only one was produced. It had a three-speed manual transmission. The car featured a 455ci big-block V8 engine with 360 horsepower and 510lb.ft of torque.
The GS Stage 1 happens to be one of the most powerful big-block V8 muscle cars of all time. The regular trims had the Muncie M-22 4-speed manual transmission. There was also an automatic trim of the GS Stage 1 coupe.
9 1970 Pontiac GTO The Judge
Even though the Pontiac GTO Judge convertible did not receive as much love as the coupe, the car is still one of the most coveted classic car convertibles of all time. The GTO Judge coupe was a true crowd puller back in the day. It was discontinued after 1971 and has since become a collectible with very few examples available.
The GTO Judge featured one of the most powerful Pontiac engines of the time, a 7.5L V8 with 350 horses of power and 480 lb.ft of torque. The judge came standard with a Mountain Performance Package that made it even more powerful.
8 1967 Dodge Coronet R/T Hemi 426
The Dodge Coronet Road and Track Hemi 426 was produced for four years, up to 1970. It is one of the mass-produced cars of the 1970s with over 3000 units released. Most of these were coupes, only two of them were convertibles.
The car featured the newly introduced 7.0L Hemi V8 engine that produced enough power and torque to command the respect it deserved. With only two convertibles produced in 1967 and two in 1970, the Coronet R/T Hemi 426 is one of the rarest muscle car convertibles you can buy today. That is if you are ready to cough out $300,000.
7 1970 Mercury Cougar XR7
The Mercury Cougar XR7 is one of the rarest and most powerful classic convertible muscle cars. And it was not just powerful; the Cougar XR7 was the type of car that you could not describe, whether it is a muscle car or luxury convertible. These two, comfort and muscle, perfectly combined, resulted in one of the most wanted classic cars of all time.
The car was powered by a potent Ram Air, 428 cubic-inch engine that produced enough power and torque to earn the Cougar XR7 the respect it deserved. Only a handful of them was ever produced.
6 1971 Plymouth Hemi Barracuda
The total number of Hemi Barracuda convertibles produced in 1970 and 1971 adds up to 21 units. That is still quite a small number for a car that was mass-produced as a coupe. The convertible Hemi Cuda is one of the highly-priced convertible muscle cars sold at auction – commanding a hefty price of 3.5M.
Apart from being a rare vehicle, it is the only original Plymouth Hemi Cuda left with the Hurst shifter. Even the less-premium models of this car are extremely expensive. Back in the day, the Hemi upgrade cost up to $1200.
5 1969 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
One of the best, and rarest muscle cars from the golden age, the 1969 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. It is not just rare today, even at the time of its production, the Trans Am was already a rare gem as only 8 units were produced. All three were RA III models, meaning they were all fitted with the Ram Air III V8 engine.
The Ram Air III V8 was the second powerful engine with 400 cubic inches and 335 horsepower. Ram Air IV V8was the strongest engine at that time. Four of the Firebird Trans Am were automatic while the other half were fitted with a manual transmission.
4 1968 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28
When it comes to rarity, nothing is as rare as the Camaro Z28 convertible. There was only one unit produced, and it was an executive creation – it even went to the then GM chief Pete Estes. The Z28 convertible had a Fathom Green paint scheme, and it looked really cool.
The car was fitted with the highest-end features from Chevrolet. A performance suspension, 4-wheel disc brakes, Koni shocks, among other performance features. Under the hood of this Camaro Z28 convertible was a 302ci V8 engine with 360 horsepower.
3 1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88
The L88 C2 Chevrolet Corvette is the most coveted Corvette of all time. They are quite a rare collection of classic cars that not everybody can lay their hands on. Even more rare are the convertible versions. At least three known examples of the 1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88 were produced, one of which was sold for 3.2 million dollars in 2013.
The car was built as a race car, and Chevrolet indirectly discouraged people from buying them for road use. They intentionally discarded the stereo and the heater from the car.
2 1967 427 "Tri-Power" Corvette
It is not as rare as many other convertibles, but it was special. Why wouldn't anyone love a car that comes with modified features as stock? The 427 "Tri Power" came from the factory with side pipes.
The 1967 Corvette convertible comes with a potent Tri-Power engine with 435 horsepower. The powertrain had enough power and torque to propel the Corvette from 0 – 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds and tear through the quarter-mile in 13.8seconds. The 427 Corvette had a top speed of 142 mph.
1 1966 Dodge Coronet 440
By 1966, Mopar was yet to understand everything about muscle cars. Several high-performance muscles were yet to debut from the company. Dodge had several performance cars, though, the Coronet R/T, the GTX, Road Runner, and more. The Coronet 440 was produced in 1966.
In the same year, over 251,000 units of the Coronet 440 were sold. But only 738 of them were equipped with the potent Hemi V8 engine. Of the 738, only six were convertible, explaining why the Coronet 440 Convertible is such a rare gem.