Carroll Shelby once famously said: “Horsepower sells cars; torque wins races.” We agree that torque is often a more important metric of a car’s potential and power. This is especially true for classic muscle cars with big V8 engines and massive torque figures. Today, we will look closer at the 10 most powerful cars from that period. Not horsepower but lb-ft of torque!
1. 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 – 500 lb-ft
The Chevelle SS was among the most popular muscle cars of the era, mainly due to its affordable price but excellent choice of engines and equipment. The 1970 model looked great, too. However, the SS454 LS6 was not only the most potent model in the lineup but also one of the quickest cars ever produced by GM.
For just a couple of hundred dollars more over the standard 360 hp Chevelle SS 454, buyers could get the LS6 version with hotter components, a unique intake, and heads and have a 450 hp monster delivered to their dealer. However, those who got it were impressed by the performance. The Chevelle SS 454 LS6 could accelerate to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds and cover a quarter mile in just 13.2 seconds at 108 mph.
2. 1971 Buick GSX Stage 1 – 510 lb-ft
Not many people know, but Buick was a considerable force in the upper echelon of the muscle car segment. Buicks were always fast and well-equipped cars, but the quickest was the limited-production Buick GSX introduced in 1970. The GSX was a luxury muscle car with impressive firepower under the hood. The standard 455 V8 was equipped with a special intake, improved internals, and high-compression heads to deliver 360 hp.
Of course, the factory significantly underrated the engine. However, with a massive 510 lb-ft of torque, the GSX was crowned the most powerful American car of the era. The torque was responsible for a 6.1-second 0 to 60 mph time but, even more importantly, for a 13.38-second quarter-mile time at 108 mph trap speed.
3. 1970 Plymouth Hemi’ Cuda – 490 lb-ft
The legendary 426 Hemi engine is the most sought-after V8 of the classic muscle car scene. Everything with this monster under the hood was swift and respectable on the street, but in 1971, Hemi Cuda was on the top of the Mopar food chain. However, those who could afford 426 Hemi got an astonishing performer, a high-revving V8 with stunning good looks.
Rated at 425 hp, realistically around 500 hp, the 1971 Hemi Cuda sprinted to 60 mph in 5 seconds flat when equipped with a close-ratio 4-speed manual. But the quarter-mile time of 13.2 seconds at 107 mph is even more impressive. If you had a Hemi Cuda in 1971, you were probably the fastest guy or girl in your area.
4. 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 440 Six Pack – 490 lb-ft
The Dodge Challenger R/T was a close relative of the Plymouth Hemi Cuda. However, it was without an expensive and sometimes tricky-to-maintain Hemi V8 engine. Under the hood, it had a 440 Magnum V8 with a famous Six-Pack intake (three two-barrel carburetors), which allowed this massive engine to deliver a healthy 390 hp.
The 1970 Challenger R/T could be equipped either with an automatic or a 4-speed manual, but regardless of the transmission choice, when you hit the right pedal hard enough, you could see 60 mph in about 5.5 seconds. The quarter-mile was 13.62 seconds at 104 mph, which was enough to put this Dodge amongst the fastest cars of the era and a true classic of the muscle car genre.
5. 1970 Plymouth Superbird 426 HEMI – 490 lb-ft
As one of the craziest muscle cars ever produced, the Plymouth Superbird was made only in 1970. Plymouth built just under 2000 road-going Superbirds to homologate the car for NASCAR racing and sold them all over America.
The car was based on the Roadrunner, and it came with a 440 V8 as standard and a 426 Hemi as the only engine option. However, Plymouth installed a nose cone, hideaway headlights, and an enormous spoiler on the back to make it as aerodynamically efficient as possible. Also, it transformed the rear glass from the standard concave-shaped one to a regular one, which proved more slippery in wind tunnel testing.
6. 1969 Plymouth Road Runner 426 HEMI – 490 lb-ft
When it first appeared in 1968, the Plymouth Roadrunner proved to be a very influential and essential muscle car. It introduced the new trend of inexpensive and fun cars and was also a strong seller, affecting the whole segment. The entire idea behind the Roadrunner was simple.
The most appealing thing about the Roadrunner was that Plymouth used the cartoon character of a roadrunner from the popular Willie E. Coyote cartoon. Chrysler paid $60,000 for the rights to use the name and design, and everybody thought the company was crazy for doing so. The sales results proved everybody wrong, and the Roadrunner was the first muscle car with crazy graphics and the car that started the trend. The Roadrunner had a bench seat, no luxury options, and manual steering, but it came with the powerful 383 V8 as the base engine, and buyers could also opt for the 440 or the mythical Hemi 426.
7. 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429 – 490 lb-ft
The mythical Mustang Boss 429 is a proper muscle car legend. Ford conceived it in 1969 as a pure racing engine intended for use in NASCAR championships. The Boss 429 featured a different engine architecture than the rest of Ford’s big blocks. They made the Boss 429 much wider.
With factory ratings of 375 HP, this unit produced over 500 HP, but it created much more in race trim. Ford decided to put this engine into the Mustang, offering a limited production of Boss 429. However, NASCAR chose not to homologate it since they only accepted intermediate and full-size cars, but the Mustang was a pony car.
8. 1966 Dodge Coronet Hemi Sedan – 490 lb-ft
The Chrysler Corporation reintroduced its legendary 426 Hemi engine for 1966 as an option on selected Plymouth and Dodge models. The iconic powerplant was also offered as an option on Dodge Coronet, and technically, it could be ordered with any body style. However, buyers associated Hemi power with two-door coupes or convertibles, and most people didn’t realize that they could have Hemi in a sedan or even in wagon form.
That is why only a few people bought the Coronet De Luxe Hemi four-door in 1966, getting the ultimate muscle car sedan. With advertised 425 HP under your right foot, the Coronet Hemi four-door was arguably the fastest production sedan in America and the ultimate muscle car four-door.
9. 1968 Pontiac GTO Royal Bobcat 428 – 470 lb-ft
All General Motors A-Body intermediate cars got a thorough restyling for the 1968 model year, and Pontiac debuted an all-new, sleeker, semi-fastback GTO with hideaway headlights and a special front bumper. Called the “Endura” bumper, it was GTO’s unique feature. It was basically polyurethane plastic in body color that could endure damage and hits without deforming. It was a predecessor of modern plastic bumpers.
The 1968 Pontiac GTO Royal Bobcat 428 was a dealer-modified muscle car that pushed performance boundaries. Its 428 cubic-inch V8 engine delivered 470 lb-ft of torque and 390 horsepower. The Royal Bobcat package included performance enhancements such as recalibrated carburetors, advanced ignition timing, and improved airflow. These modifications resulted in quicker acceleration and enhanced throttle response.
10. 1964 Pontiac GTO Tri-Power – 428 lb-ft
The Tempest GTO, as it was called, was an option on the Tempest intermediate model. For just $295, buyers would get a high-performance 396 V8 with 325 HP in standard or 348 HP in the famous Tri Power form. Manual transmission, unique trim, GTO decals, and dual exhaust were all part of the package. Since the car was light, the Tempest GTO had a pretty convincing performance, and in 1964, it was one of the quickest American cars on the market.
Pontiac’s sales manager wasn’t particularly fond of the model but thought that the GTO package didn’t lack perspective. His estimate of a maximum of 5000 examples per year was drastically surpassed by official sales figures of over 32,000 copies. The GTO was a hit amongst the younger buyers, and the star was born.