25. 1969 AMC AMX SS 390
The American Motors Company eventually folded in the mid-’80s. But AMC was always known for its selection of compact, affordable cars, interesting concepts, and dependable mechanics. In the late ’60s, AMC decided to enter the muscle car market, hoping a muscle model would excite their lineup. This was a good decision because today, people remember AMC mostly for its muscle cars. In fact, most people forget their basic, low-optioned family sedans, which were the majority of their production line. AMC presented two models, a four-seat coupe called the Javelin and a two-seat coupe called AMX. The AMX was the only American two-seater model besides the Corvette during that day. They built the AMX on a shortened Javelin chassis featuring better equipment, more powerful engines, and lots of options.
Although the Javelin and AMX enjoyed considerable success, one rare, special version was the AMX SS 390. AMC built this car in cooperation with Hurst, a famous company from the era. It featured lots of modifications and AMC’s biggest engine, the 390 V8 with 340 HP. This may not sound as powerful as some other muscle cars of the period, but the AMX SS 390 was light, compact, and brutally fast. Interestingly, they only made 52 of them. Most of those were in red, white, and blue. These speed machines went to drag strips where they beat much more powerful cars with ease.