CLASSIC MUSCLE CARS
Classic Muscle Cars are high performance street machines built in the United States for formal and informal drag racing. Classic Muscle Cars had their heyday from 1965 to 1970. Today, they are highly prized by collectors and some sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Ralph Nader led a lobbying group that decried Classic Muscle Cars because they were marketed to young men; and because they had powerful engines but mediocre brakes and poor handling. The insurance industry responded by charging hefty fees (about $1000) to insure Classic Muscle Cars for male drivers under age 25.
The higher insurance costs combined with the 1970 Clean Air Act killed the Classic Muscle Cars. The Clean Air Act lowered the top octane of gasoline from 100 to 91, which meant manufacturers had to lower compression ratios and thus engine performance. But the final blow to the days of the Classic Muscle Cars was the gas crunch of 1973.
Special thanks to Johnny Baker and Ward Morrill for helping me select six particular American Muscle Cars to highlight in this article.
1969 YENKO CAMARO WITH A 427 ENGINE
1969 YENKO CAMARO INTERIOR
1969 YENKO CAMARO 427 ENGINE
1969 YENKO CAMARO
The Chevrolet brand reached its pinnacle in the 1950s and 1960s.
In 1963, ten percent of all cars sold in America were Chevrolets.
The small-block Chevy V-8 engine has been in continuous production since 1955, longer than any mass-produced engine in world history.
The Chevrolet Camaro was introduced in 1967 to compete with the Ford Mustang. At its unveiling, reporters asked, "What is a Camaro?" The answer that was given was "A small, vicious animal that eats Mustangs."
Many people consider the 1969 model to be the best-looking Camaro ever built.
For young men who wanted a turn-key drag racer that was still street legal, 500 of the Yenko Camaro were produced with a 427 cubic inch 425 horsepower motor.
The Yenko Camaro ran the quarter-mile in under 12 seconds at 115 mph.
A Yenko Camaro sold at auction recently for $2.2M.
Don Yenko was a Chevrolet dealer from Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.
1970 CHEVELLE SS 454
1970 CHEVELLE SS 454 INTERIOR
1970 CHEVELLE SS 454 ENGINE
1970 CHEVELLE SS 454
Louis Chevrolet was born to French parents in Switzerland in 1878.
As a young man, he became an automotive engineer.
Louis Chevrolet moved to New York and became a race car driver for Buick, which was owned by the founder of General Motors William C Durant.
Louis Chevrolet and William C Durant founded the Chevrolet Motor Car Company in 1911, which was absorbed by General Motors in 1917.
Louis Chevrolet lost everything he had in the 1929 stock market crash and was reduced to working as a mechanic for the company he once founded.
He died penniless in 1941.
The Chevrolet Chevelle was produced from 1964 to 1977 to compete with the Ford Fairlane.
The SS (Super Sport) was the Chevelle Muscle Car.
In 1970, the new 454 cubic inch engine (450 horsepower) was offered as an option.
No factory production engine had ever offered this much horsepower.
1969 DODGE SUPER BEE 440 SIX PACK
1969 DODGE SUPER BEE INTERIOR
1969 SUPER BEE 44O SIX PACK ENGINE
1969 DODGE SUPER BEE 440 SIX PACK
The Dodge Brothers were from Niles, Michigan, in the same county from whence I hail. Horace and John Dodge were perfectly matched as business partners because Horace was a mechanical wizard while John was a superb administrator and sales and marketing guru.
The Dodge Brothers started their company in 1900 in Detroit to supply carmakers with parts. Soon they were building transmissions for Oldsmobile and engines for Ford. In 1917, Dodge produced its first car and within three years they were # 2 in automobile sales. That same year, 1920, both brothers unexpectedly died. Horace only lived to be 52 years old and it is noteworthy that his widow outlived him by fifty years.
The Dodge Classic Muscle Cars were among the fastest and wildest. The Super Bee, based on the Dodge Coronet, was built from 1968 to 1971. The 1969 Dodge Super Bee was available with an optional 440 Six Pack—Dodge's big 440 cubic inch engine with three Holley two-barrel carburetors mounted on an Edelbrock Hi-Riser manifold—that produced 390 hp.
1970 HEMI CUDA
1970 HEMI CUDA INTERIOR
1970 HEMI CUDA ENGINE
1970 HEMI CUDA
"The King of the Classic Muscle Cars" is the 1970 Plymouth Barracuda with the 426 Hemi engine, known affectionately as the "Hemi 'Cuda." The Plymouth Barracuda was produced from 1964 to 1974. Due to new federal emissions standards, the engines were downsized and detuned after 1970. Only 652 Hemi 'Cudas were manufactured in 1970. One sold at auction recently for $329,000 and they routinely fetch more than a Ferrari of the same year.
Walter Chrysler introduced the Plymouth brand in 1928 as a lower cost alternative to his Chrysler automobiles. Plymouth posted outstanding sales for many decades. In 1957, a new record was established when 726,000 Plymouths were sold. The all-time best for the company was 973,000 units in 1973. The last Plymouth was made in 2001.
Walter Chrysler (1875-1940) was the son of a Kansas railroad engineer. As a young man he was a mechanic and machinist whose brilliance landed him a job managing a locomotive plant. In 1912, Chrysler was hired to manage a plant for Buick Motorcar Company, and he soon upped its production from 45 to 600 cars per day. In 1916, he was rewarded by being named the President of Buick.
Walter Chrysler struck out on his own and founded the Chrysler Corporation in 1925. Three years later he purchased the Dodge Brothers Car Company. Chrysler named his parts and service division MoPar (motor parts). He also built one of the most beautiful buildings in the world in Manhattan in 1930, the Chrysler building—tallest in the world at the time.
1969 SHELBY MUSTANG GT 350
1969 SHELBY MUSTANG GT 350 INTERIOR
1969 SHELBY MUSTANG GT 350 ENGINE
1969 SHELBY MUSTANG GT 350
Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company of Detroit in 1903, after he convinced a group of investors to back his ideas with $28,000. Henry Ford developed the assembly-line for mass production. Because each worker only had to perform one simple task, Ford was able to provide jobs to unskilled, uneducated men. Henry Ford paid double the prevailing wage because he wanted his workers to be able to afford the car they were producing.
In 1926, Henry Ford introduced the 40 hour work week—unheard of in America—because he thought leisure time made for happier workers who were then more productive. Ford hated labor unions and his company was not unionized until 1941—after a decade of violence and work stoppages forced him to accept the UAW. The reason Henry Ford was against labor unions was because they always lower productivity, and their leaders usually lean toward Marxist ideas.
The Ford Motor Company is # 2 in the U.S. and # 5 in the world for vehicle sales. It is the 8th largest corporation in America with over 200,000 employees and annual revenues of $118B. Approximately five million Ford vehicles are sold each year.
My first car was an orange (with white stripes) 1969 Shelby Mustang GT 350. To say it was a hit cruising around McDonald's is an understatement.
Ford produced Shelby Mustangs from 1965 to 1969. The 1969 Shelby Mustang GT 350 featured a 351 cubic inch engine that produced 290 hp. This beautiful car had roll bars inside and the first eight-track tape decks. It topped out at 140 mph—for this you have my personal testimony.
1,085 Shelby Mustang GT 350 classic muscle cars were sold in 1969. Only 32 are known to exist today. One sold recently for $105,000. Carroll Shelby was an automobile designer and race car driver from Texas.
1969 BOSS 429 MUSTANG
1969 BOSS 429 MUSTANG INTERIOR
1969 BOSS 429 MUSTANG ENGINE
1969 BOSS 429 MUSTANG
The Ford Mustang debuted in 1964 at the New York World's Fair. The Mustang was the first Pony Car—a compact sports coupe. It weighed only 2,550 lbs. The Mustang was to become the most successful new Ford model since the Model A was launched in 1927. A record 318,000 were sold the first year. The Mustang served as Pace for the 1964 Indy 500. The first film it appeared in was Goldfinger. The Mustang got heavier every year until 1973.
My father owned one of the 849 Boss 429 "twisted hemi" Mustangs built in 1969 (a red one). To keep insurance costs down, Ford listed it at 375 horsepower but the 429 cubic inch engine actually produced closer to 500 hp. The Boss 429 disappointed expectations at the drag strip. It was too heavy overall at 3,870 lbs. but the rear end was too light to gain proper traction. Thus the Boss 429 ran the quarter-mile right out of the showroom in 14 seconds flat (103 mph).
All of the Boss 429 Mustangs were sold by Bob Tasca Ford in Providence, Rhode Island, for $5,000. Bob Tasca went to college with Henry Ford II and they became close friends. Bob Tasca was a drag racer and he designed the 428 Cobra Jet engine.
My father eventually replaced the 429 engine with a Holman Moody 427, which ran much faster (in the 10.60s). The car was sold to the chief machinist at our high performance engine shop in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Mike Luyendyk. The last we heard he still had it in pristine condition in his garage in California. A Boss 429 Mustang recently sold at auction for $350,000.
CLASSIC MUSCLE CARS
My Dad was quite the drag racer back in the day. He had previously raced motorcycles and stock cars. In the early 70s, we built an auto parts store together in Kalamazoo, Michigan, that is still there today: J C Auto Parts (my Dad is J. C. Watkins).
Our store was unusual for the time in that we had a large display area in front of the parts counter. Before this, the parts counter was generally located right near the entry door. We were named the Jobber Topics magazine auto parts store of the year in 1973.
J C Auto Parts included a machine shop that built race car engines, included some for NASCAR driver Tiny Lund, who had won the 1963 Daytona 500. We also had a speed shop in which we sold the latest hi-performance parts for gear-heads to modify their cars. We were direct distributors for Holley carburetors, Edelbrock manifolds, Crane cams, Hooker headers, Mickey Thompson tires, Keystone wheels, and Stewart Warner gauges.
My apologies to fans of the awesome Pontiac GTO, and the hot Trans Am, as well as people who fondly remember the Ford Fairlanes and Torinos. Even American Motors built some Cool Classic Muscle Cars. I almost included the awesome 1978 Corvette L88 427 in this article, but while plenty musclely, it is a true sports car. But space was limited and I chose to highlight these six remarkable machines.
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Introduction
In the last 100 years, humans lives have sped up exponentially. 100 years ago, 100 miles an hour seemed a long way off. Yet in the last 100 years, we've seen trains, planes and automobiles smash past that!
Below are 50 cars from the last 108 years of American auto manufacturing. You might expect to know all of them, but there may be some surprises in there for you.
1901 Oldsmobile Curved Dash
1901 Oldsmobile Curved Dash
1901 Oldsmobile Curved Dash
This car was the beginning for mass production. Ford mastered it, but it was Eli Olds that invented it. Within 2 years of the Oldsmobile "Curved Dash" launch, Oldsmobile had increased production to almost 20000 car in a year. That level of production was unheard of in the early 20Th Century.
1908 Ford Model T
1908 Ford Model T
1908 Ford Model T
5 Years after the Oldsmobile, came the Ford Model T. This was such a huge car in it's day. At one point, over half the cars in America were Model T's, what would Ford do for that market share in 2009?Ford produced a staggering 15million Model T's.
1928 Auburn Speedster
1928 Auburn Speedster
1928 Auburn Speedster
One of the most glamorous car's of the 20's - 30's period. It's design inspired car designers for the next 30 years. The car was first introduced with a 4.5li straight 8, but in the early 30's was also available with a 6.4li V12!
1928 Duesenberg Model J
1928 Duesenberg Model J
1928 Duesenberg Model J
One of the fastest cars available in the late 20's (and for a long time afterwards too) The J was the "basic" model with a 265 Straight 8 which propelled it to 119mph. It's bigger brother had a supercharger bolted to the side and was capable of 140mph!
1934 Plymouth Woody
1934 Plymouth Woody
1934 Plymouth Woody
A very sought after car in it's day, the Woody had a run in the 30's, and became a very popular car after WW2. By the 50's though, steel bodied car's were powering past the Woody and it died. In the 80's there was a retro fashion in America for wooden panels on cars, taken as inspiration from this car.
1936 Buick Roadmaster
1936 Buick Roadmaster
1936 Buick Roadmaster
Buick is one fo the most Iconic brands in the automotive business. In the 30's the "Roadmaster" was the top of the range Buick avaliable in a range of shapes, from this convertible, to a saloon and even an estate. The brand died in 1958 and was revived in 1991. It is currently owned by Ford.
1939 Studebaker Champion
1939 Studebaker Champion
1939 Studebaker Champion
Studebaker's were and still are regarded as some of the most advanced designed cars the world had ever seen. This "Champion" was one of their best selling thanks to a low price, great reliable engine and those amazing lines. A Classic.
1941 Willys Jeep
1941 Willys Jeep
1941 Willys Jeep
If you've ever seen a WW2 movie, then you've seen a Willys Jeep. Built by Willys and Ford for the army, these strong and cheap jeeps are an icon around the world. It's worth noting that the Willys and Ford Jeeps varied very little from each other.
1948 Tucker Torpedo
1948 Tucker Torpedo
1948 Tucker Torpedo
Preston Tucker, the man behind the Tucker Torpedo wanted to take a small car company and build a car to rival the big 3 (Ford, Chrysler and Chevrolet). The stunning Torpedo was introduced in the late 40's. Sadly the car did not sell as well as Tucker had hoped, and only 50 models were ever produced.
1953 Buick Skylark
1953 Buick Skylark
1953 Buick Skylark
The "Skylark" was introduced in 1953 and survived with an on/off production and regular updates until 1998. In post war America the Buick went down very well. The style and lines suited the emerging Rock and Roll image. By the late 90's when the "Skylark" was cancelled, it had gone horribly wrong.
1953 Cadillac Eldorado
1953 Cadillac Eldorado
1953 Cadillac Eldorado
The "Eldorado" was the longest running luxury car. Cadillac built the Eldorado to sit near (but not at) the top of it's range. The Mark lasted until Cadillac canned it in 2002.
1953 Chevrolet Corvette
1953 Chevrolet Corvette
1953 Chevrolet Corvette
The "Corvette" is the American version of the Porsche 911. This car is still in production today! 55 years ago, the charming Corvette won over Americans with it's soft lines and formidable engine.
1953 Nash Metropolitan
1953 Nash Metropolitan
1953 Nash Metropolitan
During the 50's, car makers were making bigger and bigger cars. Nash bucked that trend by making a small but cheap car using the Austin 1200 engine. The car was also sold in England Under the Austin Marque.
1955 Chevrolet Tri-Chevys
1955 Chevrolet Tri-Chevys
1955 Chevrolet Tri-Chevys
The 2 base models of the "Tri-Chevys" were the 150 and 210. You've probably never heard of them. But this is the top of the range "Bel Air" model which is a well know collectors car these days. Classic lines and loads of space made it a top seller in it's day.
1955 Chrysler 300 Series
1955 Chrysler 300 Series
1955 Chrysler 300 Series
What a design! Looking at it now, you would think that this might have come from a 50's SciFi film. This car was the inspiration to one of the Chrysler's modern day triumph's, the Chrysler 300C.
1957 Ford Thunderbird
1957 Ford Thunderbird
1957 Ford Thunderbird
The 57 "Thunderbird" will forever be know as one of Ford's greatest little sportscars. Yet on it's release in 1955, the "Thunderbird"! was actually a grand tourer. The car lasted until 2005 when the last "retro" model was sold.
1959 Buick Electra
1959 Buick Electra
1959 Buick Electra
Another long running name, the "Electra" name lasted all the way to the 90's. Yet like so many others, it had gone horribly wrong in the later models. The Buick was known for it's amazing design and that front nose!
1959 Cadillac DeVille
1959 Cadillac DeVille
1959 Cadillac DeVille
The "DeVille" was a mid level car for Cadillac. Yet the styling was right there with the "Eldorado". It's another huge 50's car. Just look at the rear fins to really see how big it was!
1959 Chevrolet Corvair
1959 Chevrolet Corvair
1959 Chevrolet Corvair
A controversial rear engine (similar to the Porsche and Volkswagen Beetle) was ignored by many who loved the versatile nature of this car. Offered in a full range of styles, from 2 door coupe, to 5 estate and everything in between.
1960 Dodge Dart
1960 Dodge Dart
1960 Dodge Dart
The car that shrank. The "Dart" was introduced as a low price (and slightly shorter) Dodge. In 62 it shrank to a mid-size car and the following year it shrank again to a compact where it stayed until 1976.
1961 Lincoln Continental
1961 Lincoln Continental
1961 Lincoln Continental
In the 30's, Lincoln use the Continental name for a concept. By the mid 50's it was a production car, yet the early 60's Continentals are regarded as the best. The convertible version was of course the car President J. F Kennedy was assassinated in during November of 63.
1961 Oldsmobile Cutlass
1961 Oldsmobile Cutlass
1961 Oldsmobile Cutlass
Oldsmobile launched the Cutlass in 61 and it proved successful for them by selling well. They made a mistake later on though, launching Cutlass as it's own Marque rather than model which confused buyers and sales plummeted.
1962 Studebaker Avanti
1962 Studebaker Avanti
1962 Studebaker Avanti
Another amazing design by Raymond Loewy (see 1939 Studebaker Champion) Some say it was not a beautiful car, yet still had a distinctive style. The Avanti was only made for 2 years.
1963 Corvette Stingray
1963 Corvette Stingray
1963 Corvette Stingray
The original Stingray was an experimental race car for Chevrolet. By the early 60's however, production began on the original "Sting Ray" (deliberately spelt with a space.)
1964 Excalibur SSK
1964 Excalibur SSK
1964 Excalibur SSK
The SSkK was designed around the Studebaker Lark Daytona chassis and used a 290bhp supercharged V8 to power it down the road. It referenced it's lines from the Mercedes Benz's of the time.
1964 Ford GT40
1964 Ford GT40
1964 Ford GT40
After a failed bid to buy Ferrari. Ford was so mad that it designed one of, if not it's best car ever. The Ford GT40 was built to win the Le Mans beating Ferrari. This it did with some success winning it 4 time in a row from 1966 - 1969. It's one of the most iconic 60's race cars in the world.
1964 Ford Mustang
1964 Ford Mustang
1964 Ford Mustang
Another huge success for Ford was the introduction of the Mustang. The car was originally suppose to sell about 100,000 units in its first year. However this was massively under estimated as within 18 months of the cars launch, the 1 millionth car rolled off the production line. The car is still in production today after many full redesigns, the most modern being the most popular for Ford and helping to usher in a wave of 60's retro muscle cars.
1964 Pontiac GTO
1964 Pontiac GTO
1964 Pontiac GTO
Regarded by many as the first true "Muscle Car". The GTO didn;t start life as it's own car. It was originally a 325bhp power upgrade for the Le Mans Model before being upgraded to a full car.
1966 Chevrolet Camaro
1966 Chevrolet Camaro
1966 Chevrolet Camaro
Chevrolet's answer to the Ford Mustang and Pontiac GTO was the 1964 Chevrolet Camaro. It wasn't that successful for Chevy until the revised 1966 version and later with the RS and SS marques. Chevrolet have a new model of the Camaro due out this year as a result of Ford's success with it's latest Mustang.
1966 Dodge Charger
1966 Dodge Charger
1966 Dodge Charger
Another manufacturer who jumped on the muscle car band wagon was Dodge. The "Charge" was originally, (like the GTO) a power pack for the Dodge Dart. In 66 it was released as a full blown muscle car. It was uprated to iconic status by being General Lee from Dukes Of Hazard. More recently, Dodge has reintroduced the Charger (and the Challenger) in the modern Retro muscle car wars with Ford and Chevrolet.
1966 Jeep Jeepster
1966 Jeep Jeepster
1966 Jeep Jeepster
The 66 "Jeepster" was a rear wheel driver version of the 4 wheel drive Jeep. Due to the rear wheel drive nature, on road tires and suspension, the Jeep Jeepster flopped and was only sold for a few years. These days we see a whole range of front and wheel rear drive "jeeps" on the roads which makes this little 2 wheel jeep before it's time.
1966 Oldsmobile Toronado
1966 Oldsmobile Toronado
1966 Oldsmobile Toronado
A Saab Mechanic once claimed that 200bhp through the front wheels of a car was dangerous and foolish. Yet the 66 Toronado had an eye watering 385bhp! That's similar to the soon to be release Ford Focus RS!
1967 Pontiac Firebird
1967 Pontiac Firebird
1967 Pontiac Firebird
General Motors wanted more of the Muscle Car action, so using the Camaro chassis, the Pontiac Firebird was launched in 67 to great success. It is instantly recognized a classic American Muscle car.
1974 Jeep Cherokee
1974 Jeep Cherokee
1974 Jeep Cherokee
This is arguably the first of the modern day SUV (Sports Utility Vehicles) The monocoque design by Jeep sold very well and has spawned so many versions and copies of the last 3 years. So now you know who to thank!
1975 Cadillac Seville
1975 Cadillac Seville
1975 Cadillac Seville
The Seville had been seen before. During the 50's and 60's the name cropped up a few times, yet it was not a full Cadillac until 1975 when it was fully released. Amazingly, the 1978 Seville had a V8 diesel option!
1984 Plymouth Voyager
1984 Plymouth Voyager
1984 Plymouth Voyager
Here's that wood paneling! The 84 Plymouth Voyager is where the Mini-Van craze started. If you needed a car for the 3 kids, 2 dogs and all the shopping, this was the car in the 80's.
1984 Pontiac Fiero
1984 Pontiac Fiero
1984 Pontiac Fiero
The Fiero was a first for an American manufacturer, it was the first production mid engine car. Designed to be a rival for the Toyota MR2, the Fiero saw some good sales figures. These days it is often used as a doner car for many kit cars.
1987 Cadillac Allanté
1987 Cadillac Allanté
1987 Cadillac Allanté
Cadillac needed something to rival the Mercedes Benz SL of the 80's. Cadillac took drastic measures by having this car designed and built in Italy by legendary Italian Designer Pininfarina. The car was shipped back to the States were it flopped.
1987 Jeep Wrangler
1987 Jeep Wrangler
1987 Jeep Wrangler
The "Wrangler" was a replacement for the unloved CJ model. Looking like the Willy's Jeep, the "Wrangler" was designed for die hard off roaders, and yet later in life became popular with young teens in high school.
1988 Chrysler Voyager
1988 Chrysler Voyager
1988 Chrysler Voyager
Introduced 4 years after it's Plymouth sibling, the Chrysler Voyager is still around today as a 7 seater MPV. This was the first year that a Voyager was release in the UK. It's worth noting, that the late 90's version of the "Voyager" is regarded as one of the worst cars to own.
1989 Vector W8
1989 Vector W8
1989 Vector W8
One of Americas forgotton Supercars. The W8 was described as being mroe like and Aeroplane than a Car. Although there are a lot of similarites with the design to some Larborghinis of it's time. The W8 was very expensive for it's time, with prices around $500,000.
1992 Hummer H1
1992 Hummer H1
1992 Hummer H1
The HMMWV (M998 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle) which was known around America as The Humvee was a war machine, the modern day version of the Willys Jeep. A road going version was built and made famous by one Arnold Schwarzenegger.
1997 Plymouth Prowler
1997 Plymouth Prowler
1997 Plymouth Prowler
The 97 "Prowler" was a very radical retro remake for its day. The Hot Rod inspired remake was regarded as a great looking car. Yet Plymouth ruined it by only offering it with a V6 engine.
1999 Cadillac Escalade
1999 Cadillac Escalade
1999 Cadillac Escalade
The big monster. The "Escalade" is a massive machine made famous by numorous rap stars "blinging" them up to show off how rich they were. Although not the kind of vehicle to own when Fuel prices spike over the last year due to it's pathetic fuel economy.
2000 Saleen S7
2000 Saleen S7
2000 Saleen S7
Ford had the Saleen S7 designed and developed in the UK before having it manufactured in America. The original naturally aspirated engine was good for 550bhp. In 2004 a twin turbo version was released with 750bhp. This car currently sits at number 5 in the top 50 fastest production cars of all time with a top speed recorded at 248mph.
2001 Mosler MT900S
2001 Mosler MT900S
2001 Mosler MT900S
The Mosler was another American Supercar designed and this time built in the UK, yet it was sold as American. It also makes the top 50 fastest production cars list, but only in 47th place with a top speed of 190mph. Due to it's low weight it is capable of a 0-60 sprint time of 3.1 seconds.
2003 Ford GT
2003 Ford GT
2003 Ford GT
With the world turning so retro, Ford decided it was time they revive some of their racing heritage for their 100 yr birthday. The Ford GT was a rare concept that saw the light of day, and even more rare was the reviews it got. Some say it was even superior to the GT40 on which it was based.
2005 Chrysler 300C
2005 Chrysler 300C
2005 Chrysler 300C
After a long list of rubbish cars, Chrysler finally hit the nail on the head with this superb car. It's spacious and comfortable cabin reminded people of certain German Marques, yet you could have the power of the SRT8. The price was also very desirable.
2006 Shelby Ultimate SSC
2006 Shelby Ultimate SSC
2006 Shelby Ultimate SSC
This is the fastest production car in the world after recording a top speed some 4 mph faster than the Bugatti Veyron (257mph). The Shelby Super Car (SSC) has been around for a few years now, and with news of an impending electric version capable of 200+mph, SSC have an interesting future ahead of them.
2009 Corvette ZR-1
2009 Corvette ZR-1
2009 Corvette ZR-1
The latest Corvette has surprised many by being a very good drive. The ZR-1 is the most powerful Corvette made to date with the supercharged 6.2li V8 pumps out 638bhp to the rear wheels. The ZR-1 has a top speed of 205mph making it the 24th fastest car in the world.
Conclusion
America has a long heritage of car manufacturing. With the present economy however, the big 3 are struggling to make money. Over the last 100 years some big cars have been and gone. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the American car market over the next 10 years, they could arguably be the most important in it's history.
