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40 1960s Muscle Cars That Blew The Roof Off The Car World

Cameron Eittreim July 21, 2020

12: 1965 Ford Mustang GT 289

There were many variations of the Mustang when it first hit the market. The pony car was designed to be a leisurely cruiser, but there were consumers that wanted a performance car. The GT 289 was designed to feed that appetite for performance. This is a track car that can rival even the best of what the Camaro has to offer.

Ford implemented a lot of special weight reduction features into this model. There have been several other special editions of the Mustang to compliment the GT 289. This edition of the Mustang was not sold in a convertible configuration, which was a letdown for a lot of consumers.

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11: 1969 Plymouth Road Runner 426 Hemi

Plymouth is an automotive brand that should not be taken lightly. Although today’s generation of drivers is not familiar with the brand, Plymouth was instrumental in creating of muscle cars. The 1960s were a good time for the automotive industry in general, and Plymouth was cranking out some fast cars. The Road Runner is a name that was made famous by Richard Petty.

If you know anything about this car you know that the 426 Hemi is a powerful engine that can do a lot of damage on the track. The values for these cars have become astronomical. In terms of performance, few cars that have matched the Road Runner. Although the Plymouth brand didn’t survive much into the new millennium, the Road Runner is a piece of car history.

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10: 1967 Ford GT40 Mark III

The current Ford GT is an engineering marvel, but the company has been building the car for decades in one form or another. The original Ford GT was a track car designed to take on the Ferrari. The company managed to create a car that could tangle with the Germans and still drive like an American-made car. The powerful V8 engine is only a small piece of the puzzle that is the GT40 Mark III.

There is also the aerodynamic design and the lightweight body that gives the car its edge on the track. Coupled with the aerodynamic characteristics is a suspension that was designed to take turns with the best of them. Ford went all out to make this car a winner on the track, and the legend continues to this day.

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9: 1968 Dodge Charger 426 Hemi

Drivers had the Plymouth Road Runner and then its corporate cousin the Charger. Long before Dodge was in the business of Hellcats and Demons, the company was building brute-force muscle cars. The Charger 426 handles business on the track and backroads with a fierce rear-wheel-drive design. The powerful Hemi V8 was one of the best creations to come out of Mopar to this day, even inspiring Dodge to bring the powerplant back later on a few decades down the line.

The values of these Dodge Charger models have gone through the roof and for good reason. If you wanted a car that was a little more then your average pony car, this was it. The Charger was one of the first real muscle cars to come out of the 1960s, taking on vehicles like the GTO and the Cutlass.

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8: 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427

Like the ’69 model, the ’67 Corvette 427 was also an innovative and fun model. The difference was the split window design, which made for a great driving experience. The V8 engine was among one of the best to come out of GM, powering the Corvette with authority. Combine that with a racing transmission and you had a mixture of driving pleasure that still rings true to this day. The Corvette in general was designed for drivers pleasure and leisure.

This was a car you could take out on the weekend and enjoy yourself. Through the years the Corvette has stuck to the same philosophy as the ’67 model did, adapting a clean and fun design. It’s no wonder that the car has remained one of the longest-running nameplates in history.

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7: 1964 Pontiac Tempest GTO

Contrary to popular belief, the first GTO was actually born as a trim package for the Tempest. The car came out of the factory with tire-blazing speed, but the next generation of the car was even better. This is the GTO that you want if you are a serious collector. The powerful V8 was exclusive to Pontiac at a time when the brand was being touted as the performance division of GM.

Pontiac has a way of designing compelling muscle cars, and the GTO just managed to connect with owners on a deeper level. The car has become iconic with the muscle car world and is one of the first nameplates that comes to mind.

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6: 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge

When it came time to switch things up and give the GTO its own nameplate, the brand introduced the Judge. Known as one of the fastest muscle cars on the market the Judge was quite the catch. Equipped with a powerful V8 engine and a host of performance modifications, this was a street-legal drag car.

Of course, comfort was still important and this car could seat six with no problem. Coupled with the limited-edition exterior paint and you had one heck of a performance car. The Judge is among one of the highest-rated GTO packages, and it’s also one of the most expensive. Auction prices have been going up on these, especially since the Pontiac brand was disbanded.

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5: 1969 Chevelle SS

With the GTO gaining considerable notoriety and the Mustang hot on the heels of GM, the company had to give Chevy a fighting chance as well. The Chevelle got its own version of the SS package. If the car looks familiar, that is because it shares its body with the GTO and the Cutlass. But the three cars were marketed toward different consumer segments.

The GTO was built for performance, while the Cutlass built on a luxury reputation, and the Chevelle was all-American. The car had a lot going for it and the SS is distinct for its split headlights and oval taillights. To this day, the Chevelle SS is one of the most popular versions of the GM muscle car trio. A common modification these days has been to cram a modern LS V8 engine into it. The value on the Chevelle SS is going up substantially.

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4: El Camino SS

The El Camino also had a special-edition model. The El Camino SS was designed to take the retail customers who wanted a truck and a muscle car. The SS was pretty much a pickup truck version of the Chevelle SS, and that was alright with customers. Its performance was exceptional at the time and propelled the El Camino into sales success.

The SS only lasted as long as the Chevelle version of the car, but that enhanced the value. Finding an El Camino SS is hard, especially since there were so few of these made. But if you can get your hands on one, you’re in for a treat. The El Camino SS is known as one of the most desirable muscle cars on the road today.

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3: 1963 Shelby Cobra 260

When you think about blazing fast sports cars, the Cobra is one of the first that comes to mind. This is a purpose-built race car drivers can take out just about anywhere. The design was masterminded by Carroll Shelby and still looks great to this day. In fact, various versions of the Cobra are still built in modern renditions. The 1963 Shelby Cobra 260 was instrumental in giving the car a footing in the performance world.

Why drive a Corvette convertible when you could take this roadster out for a spin? The Cobra is known as the pinnacle of performance cars. Carroll Shelby put a lot of effort into the Cobra. This was one of his prize-winning designs that managed to combine exceptional driving characteristics and road manners. If you wanted performance in the 1960s, the 1963 Shelby Cobra 260 was the way to go.

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2: 1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass

The corporate twin of the GTO and the Chevelle, the Cutlass was built with its own purpose. This car was designed for drivers who wanted performance but didn’t want to give up creature comforts such as power windows. This car was a monster on the track right out of the factory, combining elegant exterior styling and all of the features that you’d come to expect in an Oldsmobile vehicle.

The 442 is especially sought-after because of the Oldsmobile built powerplant. Performance is a given with this car and the enthusiasts are still seeking these out. Generally, the Oldsmobile models were well taken care of and you can still find these in reasonable shape.

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1: 1969 Buick Skylark

Finally, we get to the 1969 Buick Skylark, a sheer marvel in the history of Buick. What made this car special was not that it shared its bones with the Chevelle and the GTO, but that it was a Buick. With that said, the car was designed to handle just about anything you’d throw at it. The powerful V8 engine was enough to excite even the most discerning muscle car owner, and its luxury features made it comfortable.

Buick has still managed to continuously captivate the minds of muscle car owners to this day. Whether you’re a fan of the Skylark or the later Grand National, the company was known for creating luxury performance. The 1969 Buick Skylark is perhaps a rarer option then the Chevelle and GTO models, and that makes it more desirable in many ways.

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