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The 1969 Camaro SS could be ordered with the 396 big block in three separate states of tune, and the difference between them shows up the instant the rear tires break loose. The top-spec L78 ran an 11:1 compression ratio and made 415 lb-ft of torque at just 3,600 rpm, in a car weighing roughly 3,790 pounds. Here is what actually separates the three engines, why RS and SS were never the same thing, and how to tell a real SS 396 from a tribute.
This 1958 Ford F100 shortbed still runs its factory 272 cubic-inch Y-block V8 and original three-speed manual, filmed at Country Classic Cars in Staunton, Illinois. Sharp-eyed commenters spotted clues suggesting the radio and mirrors weren’t original to the truck — a reminder of just how much detective work goes into verifying a survivor. Watch to see what else gives this classic Ford’s history away.
The Dodge Dart Swinger was engineered to deliver real V8 acceleration without wearing any of the badges that made insurance companies pay attention, and the 1973 model year brought a new front end, electronic ignition across the range, and engines from a 198 Slant-Six to a 318 V8. Its compact dimensions and leaf-sprung rear axle explain why an A-body smokes its tires so easily. Read on for what changed in 1973 and why the regulation behind it mattered.
The 1969 Camaro SS 396 is remembered for sheet metal Chevrolet used for exactly one model year and then abandoned forever, but the argument that keeps collectors awake has nothing to do with the styling. Three separate states of tune wore the same SS 396 badge, and only one of them carried the solid-lifter L78. Roughly 13,970 big-block cars left the line, and telling them apart takes more than a glance. Read on to find out what actually separates them.
Two Hemi-badged muscle cars, side by side, and no caption to settle the argument. Whichever specific models these are, that small emblem alone guarantees a debate, the 426 Hemi was rated at 425 horsepower when it reached showrooms in 1966, a figure most enthusiasts still consider conservative. It is proof that in the Mopar world, the badge can matter as much as the car wearing it.
Scottie Dyer picked this 1966 Mustang convertible for his Dirty Dozen lineup completely sight unseen, betting on Classic Restorations Of Southern Indiana’s reputation before ever laying eyes on the finished car. What showed up at the 2017 Pigeon Forge Rod Run backs up the gamble — a stance and wheel combination viewers immediately praised, paired with an engine bay built to look deceptively stock. Small shop, big test, national audience. Watch to see if the build holds up.
The 1984 Corvette was the car Chevrolet skipped an entire model year to get right, and it arrived with a chassis so stiff that magazines complained about it while recording the highest skidpad number they had ever measured on a production car. Its 205-horsepower Cross-Fire Injection V8 was the weak link in an otherwise radical package. It still outsold every other C4 model year. Read on for what made it matter.
For most of automotive history, more power meant worse fuel economy, and everyone accepted the trade. Then both numbers started improving at the same time, and the average new car quietly got faster than a 1970s muscle car while returning double the mileage. Read on for the specific technologies that broke the old compromise, and what it means for anyone shopping for performance today.
Metal Brothers brought this 1970 Chevelle to Cruisin’ The Coast 2016 before it was actually finished — no interior, an LS3 still mid-tune, but a stance and mile-deep black paint job already locked in. The panel work is smooth enough that viewers are asking how many hours it took to get there. It’s a rare look at what a serious build looks like before the final polish. Watch to see how much of the hard work was already done.
This compilation skips the commentary and specs entirely, letting a lineup of American V8s speak for themselves through pure sound and acceleration. From big-block burnouts to sleeper street cars, it’s a reminder that muscle car culture has always run as much on exhaust note as horsepower figures. No narration, no sponsor pitch — just cars doing what they were built for.
A station wagon is supposed to be the sensible choice, which is exactly what makes a lime-green 1972 Plymouth Satellite with a big block under the hood so entertaining. Plymouth’s B-body wagons rode a longer wheelbase than the two-doors and rarely got credit for being able to carry the era’s larger engines at all. Read on for where the Satellite wagon fit in Plymouth’s lineup, what engines were realistically available, and why the badge disappeared after 1974.
Shane Coffelt spent twenty years as a saturation oilfield diver, a profession that rewards exactly the patience a long restoration demands, and his 1972 Dodge Swinger is the project that best shows it. The Swinger 340 listed at 2,836 dollars and delivered real performance hardware at a compact-car price, part of Dodge’s White Hat Specials push. Here is why its horsepower rating depends entirely on the year, and how the Demon and Dart Sport names actually fit together.
The 1966 Ford Galaxie is one of the most underrated classics of the era, and the engine list explains why: it ran from a 150-horsepower inline six all the way to a 425-horsepower 427, with the brand-new 428 and the one-year-only 7-Litre model sitting in between. Underneath was a coil-sprung rear suspension most competitors did not offer. Read on for what separated the mild versions from the genuinely fast ones.
This 1951 Ford coupe hides a 368 cubic-inch Y-block V8 pulled from a late-1950s Lincoln, an engine that had no factory business anywhere near a Shoebox. The car left the line with a 226 inline six or a 239 flathead V8, neither of which could keep up with the shape. Here is why builders have raided Lincoln’s parts bin for decades, what separates the Lincoln Y-block from the small Ford engine sharing its name, and which details are hardest to execute.
The 25th Raleigh Classic Car Auction filled two exhibition halls at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds with decades of automotive history, from unrestored survivors to numbers-matching classics. What began as a modest sale has grown into a twice-yearly tradition for collectors chasing originality over modification. Indoors, under controlled lighting, cars that rarely surface elsewhere finally cross the block. See what drew bidders back for a milestone 25th event.