Posted on 05/05/2023 9:58:21 AM PDT by Red Badger
Muscle cars ignited the national zeitgeist in the 1960s and ‘70s with their hulking engines, exuberant styling, and tire-shredding torque. Though the performance of these charismatic throwbacks can’t hold a flame to modern sports cars, nostalgia rules supreme because the demand for old-school automotive brawn is as hyped as it’s ever been.
“One of the most potent segments of the collector-car market are classic muscle cars, loosely defined as being produced from 1964 through 1974,” says John Kraman, TV commentator/analyst for Mecum Auctions, which has offered examples of the most coveted cars in this category. “This decade of performance set the tone over 50 years ago for an image that has transcended generations to now include Generation X collectors in large numbers. These legacy buyers are actively seeking muscle cars to experience a very special era of both automotive and pop culture history. This market is breaking sales records and we are now seeing entries from long-term ownership into the market.”
To help identify the bygone models that have become exponentially stronger in this regard, Robb Report turned to the team at Hagerty, purveyor of collector-car insurance and also responsible for some of the world’s leading automotive events.
“The top-10 list of muscle cars is dominated by vehicles which best represent the excesses of the era and built in small numbers,” says John Wiley, manager of Valuation Analytics at Hagerty. “They have a combination of the monster engine, the most desirable body style, a competition orientation, and sometimes all three.” Using Hagerty’s valuation data as a blueprint, and with values based on the top condition for each model, here are the 10 most collectible muscle cars, at least for the moment.
A 1963 Pontiac Catalina "Swiss Cheese" muscle car. Photo : Mecum Auctions 10: 1963 Pontiac Catalina “Swiss Cheese” Starting off our list, valued at $500,000, is the so-called “Swiss Cheese” Pontiac Catalina Sport Coupe Super Duty, so named for its aggressive weight-savings tactic of drilling holes in the frame, which helped trim a total of 270 pounds.
The lightweighting duties were performed by NASCAR builder Ray Nichols and hot-rodder/racer Mickey Thompson. The result produced a leaner, meaner, and more competitive stock-body race car. Of the 14 that were built for the 1963 model year, only three remain, further bolstering the desirability of this 410 hp muscle car.
A 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS Convertible. Photo : Mecum Auctions 9: 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS Convertible Chevrolet Chevelles were produced between 1964 and 1978, but it was the SS variants—short for Super Sport—that brought heavy artillery to the muscle-car wars. The 1970 model year was notable for Chevelle SS models because a longstanding displacement limitation was lifted, opening the floodgates for the massive 454 cubic-inch (7.4-liter) motor.
The top of the range features the LS6 power plant, which upgraded loads of components including the carburetor, featuring a Holly four-barrel setup that helps the engine produce 450 hp and 500 ft lbs of torque. This power boost helped the LS6 vanquish lesser foes like the Mustang 428 Cobra Jet and Dodge Challenger Hemi. The vast majority of the 4,475 examples of the LS6 versions produced for 1970 were coupes, leaving somewhere between 19 and 26 examples with the $200 convertible option. Drag racers of the era might have preferred hardtops, but the drop-top’s scarcity makes it the one to have today. As such, the convertible has fetched as much as $572,000, and currently has a Hagerty Price Guide value of $512,000.
A 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge Convertible. Photo : Mecum Auctions 8: 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge Convertible With a moniker inspired by entertainer Sammy Davis Jr’s line, “Here come da Judge!”, from Rowan & Martin’s Laugh In, these notorious variations on the Pontiac GTO have earned a special place in the hearts of collectors. This is especially due to the model’s performance add-ons, which included a gutsier V-8 engine, enhanced wheels, specialty trim, and a rear spoiler.
While a total of 6,725 Judge hardtops and 108 Judge convertibles were produced, only five open-air Judge examples were built with the high-spec Ram Air IV V-8 for the 1969 model year. That rarity helps elevate the model’s price-guide value to $653,000.
A 1970 Plymouth Superbird. Photo : Mecum Auctions 7: 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird Few muscle cars are as visually emphatic as the pointy-nosed, enormously winged Plymouth Road Runner Superbird and its sister car, the Dodge Charger Daytona. With Looney Tunes–derived naming and an over-the-top silhouette, the menacing power of the Superbird’s 426 cubic-inch V-8 led to a dominating 33 wins out of 48 races at the hands of none other than Richard Petty.
While the big-spoilered competition version was so good that it was banned before the 1971 season, road-homologated iterations sat on dealer lots, proving that the 1,920 examples built for public consumption were too radical for the period. Now that the sands of time have washed over this unusual one-year-only model, prices have climbed, landing it at No. 7 on our list of most valuable muscle cars.
A 1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Photo : David Newhardt, courtesy of Mecum Auctions. 6: 1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Although the “King of the Hill” moniker was unofficially earned by a Corvette in the 1990s, the ultimate muscle car in 1969 was the Camaro ZL1. Thanks to Chevrolet’s decision to make an exception to its self-imposed limit on the Camaro’s engine size, in order for the model to be homologated for competitive drag racing, this Camaro claims a 427 cubic-inch V-8 derived from a Can-Am Chaparral big-block engine.
Total output is officially rated at 425 hp, but the V-8 actually produces closer to 550 horses, enough to vanquish the range-topping Corvette back in the day. The aluminum engine was possible due to COPO 9560—short for Central Office Production Order, a specialized fleet division that enabled special build projects to slip into the production flow. The ZL1 engine package cost an astronomic $4,160 at the time, which elevated the model’s MSRP to a breathtaking $7,200. While only 50 examples were planned for homologation purposes, a total of 69 were built—still, a low enough number to yield a valuation of $872,000 for this very special Camaro.
A 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona. Photo : Mecum Auctions 5: 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona Conceived along with the Plymouth Road Runner Superbird as one of two “Aero Cars” for competition, the Dodge Charger Daytona left an unforgettable impression thanks to its long body, bulky nose cone, and towering rear wing. Powered by either a 426 cubic-inch Hemi or a 440 cubic-inch Magnum V-8, the Daytona—named after the legendary track—was a sensation when its race variants battled foes in NASCAR. In competition, it took 20 victories, became the first to break 200 mph, and scored a title series.
The next year’s Superbird continued those winning ways, cementing the legend of the big-winged duo and fueling values for the 503 street cars which were produced, the best examples now valued at a cool million bucks.
A 1965 Shelby GT350R Fastback. Photo : Mecum Auctions 4: 1965 Shelby GT350R Fastback The maestro behind this bit of madness was none other than Carroll Shelby, who was ordered by Ford boss Lee Iacocca to build a car that could dominate the Sport Car Club of America (SCCA) B/Production class in racing. The street car was an athletic and intimidating expression of speed: unlike most unwieldy muscle cars of its era, this ‘Stang was smaller, nimbler, and fitted with plexiglass windows, a roll cage, and fender flares housing larger wheels and tires.
Powered by a hot-rodded 289 cubic-inch V-8, these fastbacks earned notoriety because they subverted the Pony car formula with focused performance that earned them SCCA B-Production championship wins three years in a row with legends like Ken Miles, Bob Bondurant, and Peter Brock behind the wheel. Racing lore has nudged values for top-condition road-car examples to $1.05 million. In fact, the first GT350R prototype, chassis No. 5R002, became the most valuable Mustang on the planet when it sold for $3.85 million in 2020.
A 1969 Pontiac Firebird Convertible. Photo : Mecum Auctions 3: 1969 Pontiac Firebird Convertible In retrospect, it might seem like a no-brainer to tick the $750 “Trans Am” box when ordering a Pontiac Firebird back in 1969. Powered by a 400 hp H.O. V-8 with Ram Air III heads, and fed by a four-barrel Quadrajet carburetor, the package brought special spoilers, scoops, and trim to 689 coupes, though only eight convertibles.
Dividends on those ragtops have paid handsomely for owners; adjusted for inflation, $750 in 1969 translates to around $6,100 today, but a 1969 Pontiac Firebird Convertible, in top condition, can command $1.45 million.
A 1970 Dodge Challenger Convertible R/T. Photo : David Newhardt, courtesy of Mecum Auctions. 2: 1970 Dodge Challenger Convertible R/T Muscle cars, by nature, are extreme. This is thanks to their respective automakers’ philosophy of stuffing the biggest possible engine into a small body. The 1970 Dodge Challenger Convertible R/T added another layer of intrigue due to its notoriously flexible body, making its most-desirable 426 Hemi-engine option grossly overpowered for the model’s skimpy chassis.
The delicious irrationality of such an unlikely pairing is perhaps why only nine convertibles were sold for the 1970 model year, stoking even more demand for this irascible drop-top. With the strongest sale coming in at $1.43 million in 2019, the 1970 Dodge Challenger Convertible R/T has a top-condition estimate of $1.55 million. That’s lofty enough to place it at No. 2 on our list.
A 1971 Plymouth Cuda Convertible. Photo : Mecum Auctions 1: 1971 Plymouth Cuda Convertible Named after the predatory fish, the Plymouth Barracuda was leveraged off the more affordable Valiant platform in the same way the Mustang was based on the budget-minded Falcon. Even hotter than Barracudas was the so-called “Cuda” variant, though one particular strain of the hot-rodded Plymouth model became the ne plus ultra of muscle cars, thanks to its menacing personality and the success of racing legend Dan Gurney when piloting it.
While 16,159 Barracudas were sold for the 1971 model year, only 11 came in convertible form with the extra-powerful Cuda engine, and an even scanter three were equipped with automatic transmissions. That rarity led bidding for one example to reach $4.8 million at auction in 2021, though it failed to meet reserve. Those holding out for the ultimate muscle-car value should look no further than the 1971 Plymouth Cuda Convertible. Packing the monstrous 426 Hemi V-8, the open-air version wears distinctive fish-like gills and offers superior acceleration because it jettisoned the 150-pound rear window of the coupe. Top examples of this ragtop muscle car are estimated to be worth as much as $5.15 million.
PING!.............
My Duster didn’t make the cut?
I’ll take the 421 tri-power super duty Swiss cheese Catalina for $1,000 Alex! 😁👍
I miss my 66 Mercury Comet Cyclone. Well, actually it was my mom’s. 390 engine. About 140 mph. I got chicken after that.
So in the interest of completeness -
That Prius rates sparks, not flames!
I inherited a 71 Cutlass convertible. Rocket 350 with Thrush glass packs. Sounded bytchen. Too bad the car was otherwise a piece of shyt. Those old cars have crap brakes and crap handling. And any modern V6 is faster. But the Cutlass was a great cruising car for sure.
Drooling.
By the way - Only 335 of these were ever built.
I’ll take the ZL1 please
As a collector of classic muscle since I was 16 in 1982, I have had everything from Hemi Roadrunners to Big Block Chevelles. My first muscle car was a 1966 Baby Blue Mustang coupe with a 351 Windsor, Toploader 4 speed and no frills. Got the car for $1000 dollars. In 1983 bought my first over $2500 car. A 1970 1/2 Orginal Brown Z28\RS Camaro, with a solid lifter LT1 motor, M22 Rockcrusher 4-speed, 12 bolt with option 4.10 gears. I ran it at the track in the early 1980's with slicks and nitrous ran a 11.30. Not bad for a small block car with A\C and power everything. I paid $4000 for it. I saw one sell at Mecum...last year same exact car, sans A\C 110k....crazy. The classic muscle market has seen some insane prices that seemed to have peaked. I mean the rare ones like Shelby 500KRs, 1969-70 Hemi Mopar anything and C2 big blocks are always going to be rarified air for most folks. Right now there are bargains, especially in this economy. Example a real nice 1964 409 Impala SS I looked at 16k. The car just needed a new clutch and a some detail work on the paint. Yes Mustangs, and Gen 1 Camaros are what every boomer wants, but those not-so-popular cars like big block Ford Galaxies, Olds 442s and 1969-73 C3 vettes can be had for under 40k.
1965 with fiberglass bumper for oil cooler. I had a 1966 with the same front bumper also in Wimbledon white with blue stripes.
I have a 1968 Firebird in my garage.
My mom preferred the red Firebird over a blue Camaro.
Thank you. I must have skipped it somehow......................
I’ve owned a 78 Camaro and a 99 Firebird.
I miss the Firebird................
A yellow 1971 Cuda was Nash Bridge’s car.
That was one of my teenage dream cars..........
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