When we say muscle car, there are plenty of cars that jump to mind. But mostly, it’s the first-gen Mustang, Camaro, Charger, Challenger, and others like the GTO, Firebird, and Hemi ‘Cuda that spring to mind, with the Road Runner and the Super Bee thrown in for good measure.
But between 1965 and the early ‘70s, most automakers had a popular muscle variant of literally every car they had. And these were almost as powerful, just not as glamorous as the ones leading the brigade. Consequently, many of these came more affordable and their low profile kept them out of the insurance companies’ hawk-eyed gaze. So the insurance premiums of many of these cars remained low, and it only added to their affordability.
We agree, most of the prima-donna muscle cars of that time had all the looks and all the pizzazz. But the oft-forgotten, most underrated muscle cars had plenty of good things about them too. And today, these make for very affordable classic cars, too.
10 1970-1975 Plymouth Duster 340
The Road Runner and the Hemi Cuda were great, but the Duster often doesn't get the credit it deserves. The car was basically a modified Plymouth Valiant, offered as a compact sedan and coupe.
The 5.7-liter V8 made 275 horses and 340 lb-ft of torque, for a fairly spirited run of 0-60 mph in 6.2 seconds. In its non-muscle version, you could opt for lower and cheaper engines as well. But with the advent of emission control, the Duster hung up its boots for good.
9 1962 Ford Galaxie 500
When Chevrolet launched the Impala SS, Ford replied with a Galaxie 500. Since this was larger and heavier than your average Mustang, Ford put in a larger and heavier 6.65-liter engine, for a total of 400 horses plus.
It did not come with power steering or brakes, because who cared about safety in the ‘60s when you were punch-drunk on power? And despite its size, the Galaxie 500 managed to sprint 0-60 mph in 6.1 seconds. Reason enough why these have been popular cop cars though they are languishing as classics.
8 1970 Buick Wildcat
When the Buick Wildcat came to be in 1963, it was a declawed full-size vehicle with enough power to take you where you wanted to go, but not in a thrilling manner. Slowly, as the competitions’ displacement kept getting bigger, the Wildcat began to mature.
In 1970, it came with Buick’s largest V8, a 7.5-liter V8 that made 370 horsepower and a whopping 510 lb-ft of torque. So despite the large size, it came with more than enough gumption to take on the smaller muscle cars. But despite the coolness of the car, by 1971 Buick had replaced it with the Centurion.
7 1971 Dodge Dart Demon
The Chevrolet Nova SS was eating up all the competition in the pony car segment, so Dodge decided to Mopar up with the Dart Demon. While it did not carry the 7.0-liter Hemi and the 7.2-liter V8 that made its bigger brothers, the Charger and the Challenger lead the brigade, it did have a 5.6-liter V8 that made 275 horses and 340 lb-ft of torque.
Its smaller size and lighter weight made sure that this was enough power, and even now, it makes for a more affordable classic as compared to the stalwarts of the muscle car era.
6 1991 GMC Syclone
The GMC Syclone came and went pretty fast, both literally and figuratively. It lasted only a year, so that was quite a touch and go. But it managed to beat almost every fast car it went against, considering it zipped 0-60 mph in 4.3 seconds.
For comparison’s sake, the Corvette took 5.3 seconds and even the ZR1 needed 4.4. Not just that, the GMC Syclone managed to beat a $122,000 Ferrari 348ts as well, despite being a financial blip on the radar. It was small, cheap, and should be worshipped as a muscle truck today.
5 1966 Mercury Comet Cyclone GT
The only Mercury car that comes to muscle recall is the Cougar, but why are we forgetting the Comet Cyclone GT? In 1966, the Comet Cyclone GT sported a top-of-the-line 6.4-liter V8 that made 335 horses and came dressed for the part with racing stripes and a non-functional twin scoop hood.
Lower power engines were also available but what made the 6.4-liter V8 stand out was the transmission that made it fun to drive. It sold decently for 1966, with a total of 24,000-plus examples but even then, the Comet remains a forgotten car and classic.
4 1974 Pontiac Ventura GTO
This is not the GTO, and definitely not the GOAT. But considering that by 1974 the muscle car had died, the Ventura GTO was a brave option and the last stand. The Ventura can be compared to the Chevy Nova, and the GTO badge added in plenty of racing features like decals, grille-lights, and a shaker-style hood scoop.
The 5.7-liter V8 made 200 horses which sounds weak for a GTO but think about this, at the time, the Mustang was barely jetting 100 horses. The Ventura GTO remained standing for only a year before it too fell victim to the malaise era.
3 1970 AMC Rebel Machine
The AMC Rebel Machine is proof that when it came to muscle cars, people really did not look beyond the Big Three. The Rebel Machine came liveried in red, white, and blue, and things could not get more patriotic than that.
The 6.4-liter V8 power mill in it made a respectable 340 horses and a cool 430 lb-ft of torque, and it was more than ready to take on the industry’s best with gumption. However, it remained overshadowed then and is a near-forgotten classic today.
2 1965 Oldsmobile 442
The Tempest-based Pontiac GTO was a runaway success, so Oldsmobile also decided to jump in the fray. They took their Cutlass and pumped it full of power, now calling it the Oldsmobile 442. The 1965 Olds 442 carried an almost 6.6-liter V8 that churned out 345 horses and 440 lb-ft of torque, doing quarter miles in the mid fifteens.
The Oldsmobile 442, like all Olds cars back then, rode and handled well, and in case a Mustang decided to race against it, it was left biting the dust.
1 Ford Mustang II
Everyone loves to diss on the Ford Mustang II, calling it the trashiest excuse for a muscle car. But know this, it kept Ford afloat at a time plenty of other marques and automakers went down. It kept selling because that is what the people needed at the time.
When the malaise era brought with it a crippling time for the automakers, the Mustang II became a case study in evolution. No one wanted power at the time, so the Mustang II offered comfort instead. Without it, there would be no Mustang today. And there might not have been a Ford either.
Sources: Hagerty, Hemmings