Gas was 10¢ a litre and no one thought it would ever run out. Engines kept on getting bigger and more powerful, and no one had even heard of the term 'emissions control'. Engineers didn't have to worry about how well the front bumper would absorb a 5 mph crash, and airbags hadn't ruined the clean look of the steering wheel yet.
It was a glorious time for cars - one that will never be seen again.
1969 Pontiac GTO Judge
Layout: Front Engine, Rear Wheel Drive
Engine: 6.6 L V8
Horsepower: 370 bhp
Torque: 445 ft lbs
Curb Weight: 3500 lbs
Top Speed: 125 mph
Zero to Sixty: 6.0 seconds
The GTO is the car most people consider to have started the Muscle Car movement. While this isn't the model that did it (see honourable mentions for that one), it is a proud continuation and evolution of the name sake. Plus, I mean, it was called The Judge. You can't argue with that.
1968 Maserati Mistral Spyder 4000
Layout: Front Engine, Rear Wheel Drive
Engine: 4.0 L Inline-6
Horsepower: 255 bhp
Torque: 261 ft lbs
Curb Weight: 2600 lbs
Top Speed: 155 mph
Zero to Sixty: 6.2 seconds
The late sixties were all about the American V8 in my mind, but that doesn't mean there weren't still some good things coming out of Europe. Italy has rarely disappointed in it's production of beautiful, high performance sports cars, and Maserati is one of the marques that have earned the country it's prestigious reputation.
1969 Dodge Charger R/T
Layout: Front Engine, Rear Wheel Drive
Engine: 7.2 L V8
Horsepower: 375 bhp
Torque: 480 ft lbs
Curb Weight: 3680 lbs
Top Speed: 142 mph
Zero to Sixty: 6.1 seconds
No, not just because of the Duke of Hazzard. Although, it never hurts to have been immortalized on a classic tv show. No, the Charger is here because it is one of the greatest Muscle Cars ever. The only reason that it doesn't appear higher is that it's just too damned big. It's way too long (that's what she said) and way to massive. I might even go so far as to say that it's a bit of a (gasp!) boat. This is a minor complaint, of course, but enough to drop an otherwise great car to 8th place during such a strong era.
1969 Ferrari Dino 246 GT
Layout: Mid Engine, Rear Wheel Drive
Engine: 2.4 L V6
Horsepower: 195 bhp
Torque: 166 ft lbs
Curb Weight: 2480 lbs
Top Speed: 147 mph
Zero to Sixty: 7.5 seconds
This car was never actually branded as a Ferrari. Enzo wanted to create a spin-off company in honour of his recently deceased and only son, Dino. He intended for cars produced under this name to be a less expensive alternative to the Ferrari brand. It was also supposed to be a place for any car his company created that didn't have the famous Ferrari V12 under the hood. But, due to less-than-anticipated sales, Ferrari eventually relented, and started releasing these cars under the flag-ship company's banner.
1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS/RS
Layout: Front Engine, Rear Wheel Drive
Engine: 6.5 L V8
Horsepower: 375 bhp
Torque: 415 ft lbs
Curb Weight: 3790 lbs
Top Speed: 125 mph
Zero to Sixty: 6.8 seconds
Ah, the mighty Camaro, Chevrolet's answer to the Mustang. GM had a corporate mandate that no car (although the Corvette was exempt) could have an engine larger than 400 cubic inches. Therefore, in '69, the best option was the 396 (if you don't count the legendary Yenko 427's...). The Camaro lasted for many years - some, much better than other's - but it was never as pretty as it was in first generation RS trim.
1966 Ford Shelby Mustang GT 350
Layout: Front Engine, Rear Wheel Drive
Engine: 4.7 L V8
Horsepower: 306 bhp
Torque: 329 ft lbs
Curb Weight: 2780 lbs
Top Speed: 137 mph
Zero to Sixty: 6.9 seconds
I know that Gone in Sixty Seconds made everyone and their dog fall in love with the '67 GT 500, but in my mind, it's not even close. The GT 350 from a year earlier was so much better looking, that it shouldn't even be a contest. I know, the mantra with Muscle Cars is that bigger is always better, and the GT 500 had that 428 Cobra Jet that looks so much better on paper than the 289 in the GT 350, but really, the 'Stang was never meant to be a true Muscle Car. It's a Pony Car. Heck, it's the car that coined the term and started the whole movement. And in my mind, when it comes to Pony Cars, bigger isn't the end-all-be-all.
1969 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
Layout: Front Engine, Rear Wheel Drive
Engine: 7.0 L V8
Horsepower: 435 bhp
Torque: 460 ft lbs
Curb Weight: 3419 lbs
Top Speed: 151 mph
Zero to Sixty: 6.0 seconds
My love affair with Corvettes from this era continues. Sure, I could have tried to claim the '70 or '71 as my favourite in order to move this car to the weaker seventies list, seeing that I already had more than enough cars (especially Corvettes) to rank in the sixties as it were. But that just wouldn't be the truth. Although nearly identical on paper - both in performance and style - the difference is that after '69, they switched to the egg-crate style side-grills and I much prefer the vertical slats. It might seem like a minor complaint, but it's still more than enough to forever win the '69 model the prize as my favourite of the third generation Corvettes.
1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/4
Layout: Front Engine, Rear Wheel Drive
Engine: 3.3 L V12
Horsepower: 300 bhp
Torque: 217 ft lbs
Curb Weight: 2425 lbs
Top Speed: 162 mph
Zero to Sixty: 5.4 seconds
The sixties were such a great time for Ferrari. In fact, had I not restrained myself as much as I did, these two lists could easily have been almost entirely made up of cars donning the Prancing Horse. The '62 GTO might very well be my favourite of all-time, but really, that car was much more of a pure-bred race car than it was a road-going GT Car. That's why this stylistically-inspired successor to the 250 has always maintained a soft spot in my heart.
1966 Jaguar XJ13
Layout: Mid Engine, Rear Wheel Drive
Engine: 5.0 L V12
Horsepower: 472 bhp
Torque: 381 ft lbs
Curb Weight: 2290 lbs
Top Speed: 178 mph
Zero to Sixty: unknown
Ok, yes, they only made one. Yes, they never really saw it all the way through to the completion of their ambitious goals. I can see why you might argue that such a car maybe shouldn't qualify for a list like this. And it's true, I have avoided concept cars and such (and hope to continue doing so for the remainder of these lists)because I also agree that they really should not count as actual cars, seeing that most of them never even had a functioning engine under the hood. But the XJ13 did. Although it was almost lost in a crash, it still functions to this day. That makes it a car in my mind, and, seeing that it is quite possibly the best looking car ever created, I think it easily deserves it's spot here.
1966 Ford GT40 Mk II
Layout: Mid Engine, Rear Wheel Drive
Engine:7.0 L V8
Horsepower: 485 bhp
Torque: 475 ft lbs
Curb Weight: 2450 lbs
Top Speed: 205 mph
Zero to Sixty: unknown
The story of the GT40 is almost as great as the car itself. Enzo Ferrari agreed to sell his company to Ford in the early sixties and then, right before the time came to sign the documents, pulled out at the very last second, costing Ford millions in lost lawyer fees and audits. Enraged, Henry Ford II directed his racing division to do whatever it took to beat Ferrari at the infamous 24 Hours of Le Mans. With no expense spared, Ford eventually created this, one of the greatest cars ever made, and succeeded in doing the impossible, dethroning the mighty Ferraris in 1966.
Honourable Mentions:
1969 Chevrolet Chevelle SS
1966 Pontiac GTO
1969 Mercury Cougar Eliminator
1967 Alfa Romeo 1750 Spider Veloce
1968 Mazda Cosmo Sport 110
You definitely know your vintage cars! Well, every car enthusiast and aficionado knows what kind of car they want in their garage, and your choices are definitely outstanding! Let me see…hmmm. The Pontiac and the Maserati would definitely be on my list also. But hey, a Dodge Charger would be a good addition too!
ReplyDeleteFerrari Dino 246 was the primary automobile made by Ferrari in high statistics. It is famous by many because of its intrinsic driving a vehicle qualities and groundbreaking design and style. In 2005, Sports Car Overseas placed your car at quantity six upon its set of Top Activities Cars on the 1970s. Managed speed Classic inserted the 206/246 at amount seven inside their list of the 10 "Greatest Ferraris of most time".
ReplyDeleteDevelopment of the 2-liter 206 GRAND TOURING ended in 69 to make means for the 2. 4lt 246 GRAND TOURING. The 246 GT's coachwork was practically identical for the earlier car, this time in steel, probably as a result of Ferrari realizing that this kind of car would definitely be manufactured in numbers do not before noticed by the provider. Cast straightener replaced metal for the brand new car's engine motor, and this engine now produced 195 horsepower initially, and 180 hewlett packard for vehicles sent to north america.