Gone in Sixty Seconds and The last Ride, there has been some
reference to the good old muscle cars which were immortalised in
movies like Bullit, Vanishing Point and of course The Dukes of
Hazzard series. This top ten list has a look at some of the
muscle car icons born from the late 60's and early 70's.
The main measure of these cars is power, with Brake Horse Power
(bhp) being the term flung around most commonly. What this
refers to is the power released by the engine before the
gearbox, generator, differential, water pump, and other
components sap its power. If you are used to Kilowatts, then
take into consideration that 250kw translates to 335.26bhp.
The 1969 Pontiac GTO
Conceptualised to gain appeal to the younger market, Pontiac put
a 6.3 litre V8 engine into the midsized Tempest shell, making
for a cheap fast car. To the surprise of Pontiac's marketing
team the GTO became massively popular and in 1969 they fitted it
with a 6.5 litre V8 which could kick out 366bhp. The Judge was
born
Again the idea here was to squash a beast of an engine into a
midsized body, in this case the Buick Skylark. In 1967 the Buick
GS became recognised as a standalone model available as a sedan
and convertible.
The 1970 model was given a monstrous 7.5 litre engine capable of
producing 400bhp. The GSX body came in yellow or white only,
adding to the image which made this car a distinct classic.
There were various options available to those purchasing a first
generation Camaro, the Z28 package being the most exciting. With
a 4.9 litre engine, power steering, disc brakes on the front and
a four speed manual gearbox, the Z28 was made for racing -
producing up to 400bhp.
The Plymouth Roadrunner
Built to beat 14 seconds over a quarter mile, the Plymouth
Roadrunner was stripped down to the bare essentials, sacrificing
even the carpets in order to make this into a beast of a
machine. It featured a beefed up steering, brake and suspension
systems and a 6.3 litre engine which pushed 335bhp. An optional
boost came from the 7.0 litre version's 425bhp.
Hitting the market in 1970, the Dodge Challenger was a hit from
the get go, selling more than 80,000 in the first year. Although
various options were made available, the R/T is the model which
attracts the most attention with its 7.0 litre Hemi engine
kicking out 425bhp. Later models lost the plot, with the '72
model dropping to a measly 240bhp. See the Challenger in the
cult classic movie, Vanishing Point.
7.0 litre NASCAR engine with 435bhp. Rigid front suspension and
disc brakes gave the car better handling, and the brute power
kicked the dial over 60mph (100km/h) in six seconds
