40 Facts About Muscle Cars

35. Shelby de Mexico

If you thought that Shelby Europa is the only foreign Shelby outfit, you are wrong. In 1967, Shelby de Mexico operation started, first as a performance dealer which sold Shelby aftermarket parts but then as a full-fledged car builder which designed and produced specially prepared and race ready Mustangs with Shelby flair.

In 1969, Shelby de Mexico introduced its most popular model based on the regular Mustang coupe. Only about 300 of those interesting cars were made and most of them are still lost in rural Mexico waiting to be restored.

36. Japanese Police Mustang

The Mustang entered police forces in America in the `80s when the SSP package was introduced. However, Japanese Police Forces used the Mustang long before their American colleagues did. In 1973, a brand new Mustang Mach I entered Tokyo police as high speed chaise car.

Back in those days, Japanese cars were all compact and slow so we are sure that the mighty Mustang Mach I had no problems outrunning anything on the road.

37. Astronauts drove Corvettes

Alan Shepard was the first American in the space and he was also a vivid Corvette enthusiast owning several models, including a white ’62 convertible which was a present from GM. Just before the legendary Apollo 11 flight, Neil Armstrong, first man on the Moon, bought a Marina Blue `67 Corvette 427. The relationship between astronauts and Corvette continued when Apollo 12 members all received identical gold 1969 Corvettes. Even today, members of NASA space projects drove America`s favorite sports car.

38. Bullitt Mustang

One of the biggest Mustang legends is the Bullitt movie car. In 1968, the legendary actor Steve McQueen starred in a detective flick “Bullitt” and played a detective who drove a mean looking `68 GT390 Fastback. Two cars were used during the shooting, one reportedly being destroyed and other for close ups and promotional shoots which was driven and modified by McQueen himself, and which was preserved.

The second car was later sold and owned by several owners and finally settled in East Coast of America in hands of a very private owner who wants to remain anonymous and who is fully aware of the importance of this particular car. The owner doesn’t want to sell it, but if and when this car eventually makes its way to the auction block, we are sure that this will be the most expensive Mustang in the world with the price which will break any previous records. In early 2018, this legendary piece of muscle and movie history has resurfaced and Ford is proudly showing it around the world after convincing owner to share his treasure with the rest of the car community.

39. Dukes of Hazzard Chargers

We all have grown up watching those Duke boys evading the sheriff and jumping orange `69 Charger all over fictional Hazzard County. Over the course of 7 seasons and over 100 episodes, TV buffs recorded that the General Lee Charger had over 150 jumps caught on camera. Of course, the car was fine on the screen but in reality producers used over 300 cars which all were sent to scrap after the filming was done.

Back in those days, Chargers were cheap and plentiful so producers didn’t have problem procuring that much cars. Some were so badly damaged that were immediately sent to scrap and some were cannibalized for parts and engines. All in all only around 10 original cars survived and the rest are history.

40. Acid dipping

When you wanted to make extreme performance car in late `60s, one of the first thing you did was to acid dip the body. Back in the day, this was popular method of making the body lighter by totally submerging it into a tank full of aggressive acid which removed all paint from the body, body filler and even some amount of metal, making the car body significantly lighter. The process was first used by race car builders to cheat on the propositions and then it was accepted by anybody who wanted maximum out of their car.

Muscle cars continue to be a popular choice for drivers young and old. They make a bold statement on the road, whether they are a new model or a classic one. Ask any driver, and they can probably name their favorite model of a muscle car. And, even if they can’t afford to buy one, at least many car shows feature them.