Wes | Muscle Car Fan

Classic muscle car with dual exhaust and vintage license plate.

The Australian Muscle Car comparison that never was.

A 1973 comparison test that Australian magazines dreamed up but never actually ran finally happens decades late, pairing Fords Falcon XA GT Hardtop, Chryslers Charger E55, Holdens Monaro 350, and the doomed Leyland Force 7V in one frame. Three of these cars fought it out on Australian roads and racetracks for real; the fourth never got the chance, killed by British Leylands 1974 collapse before a single customer could buy one. Shannons Insurance staged the recreation the industry never managed in period. Which of these four legends finally comes out on top?

A classic yellow muscle car parked on a country road during sunset.

Most Overlooked & Underappreciated Muscle Cars

by Wes

This compilation skips the usual Camaro-and-Mustang highlight reel to spotlight muscle cars that never got their due — built entirely around engine sound and on-screen text rather than narration. Cars like the AMC Rebel Machine and Mercury Cyclone Spoiler packed genuinely competitive specs but never had the marketing muscle of their more famous rivals. Decades later, they’re still waiting for recognition.

RWD vs AWD car comparison with two cars and hosts.

Cat OR Hawk: 2018 Dodge Widebody Hellcat vs Jeep Trackhawk 1414 HP Review!

by Wes

The Fast Lane Car pits the 707-horsepower Dodge Challenger Hellcat Widebody against the equally 707-horsepower Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk — same supercharged Hemi, two completely different missions. One’s a widened muscle coupe built purely to put power down; the other’s an SUV that can still tow a boat and run an eleven-second quarter mile. Watch to see which one actually wins the buyer’s dilemma.

1967 red Camaro Cherokee convertible showcased at Muscle Car Week.

Breakdown/Review: 1967 Camaro “Cherokee” Concept Show Car

by Wes

Long before the 1968 Corvette reached showrooms, GM design chief Bill Mitchell used a one-off 1967 Camaro convertible called the Cherokee to test styling ideas that would define it. Muscle Car Of The Week talks with restorer Charley Hutton about bringing the car back, including bumper and color details subtle enough that even longtime Camaro owners miss them. Watch to see the concept even collectors rarely know exists.

A vibrant orange 1969 Dodge Daytona 440 muscle car.

History/Breakdown: 1969 Dodge Daytona 440

by Wes

V8TV’s Muscle Car of the Week spends time with a 440-powered 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona from The Brothers Collection, breaking down the aerodynamic nose cone and towering rear wing that made it the first car to officially top 200 mph on a NASCAR superspeedway. Comments dig into the engineering, the Daytona-versus-Superbird confusion, and even a family drag-racing memory from the car’s original era. It’s a deep look at Detroit’s wildest aero experiment. Watch to see the full breakdown.

A classic car chase scene on a busy city street with vintage cars.

’68 Charger vs. a ’68 Mustang: The Chase…

by Wes

A 1968 Ford Mustang GT and a 1968 Dodge Charger R/T tear through the hills of San Francisco in one of the most argued-about car chases ever filmed — and viewers still can’t agree on how many hubcaps the Charger actually lost along the way. No score, no CGI, just two big-block V8s and two drivers who knew exactly how much grip they had left. Watch to see why a scene filmed over fifty years ago still beats the chases Hollywood makes today.

1943 Chevrolet panel truck with custom modifications.

Restoration: 1942 COE carhauler

by Wes

This 1942 cab-over-engine truck was built in the final weeks of civilian production before World War II, at a time when strict length limits made COE designs the workhorses of American trucking. Today, trucks like it are prized by collectors and often converted into ramp-bed car haulers, though restoring one is frequently harder than restoring the muscle car it will carry. Read on to find out what it takes to bring a forgotten 1942 hauler back to the road and onto the show field.

A bright red 1970 Plymouth HEMI 'Cuda convertible.

1970 Plymouth 426 Hemi ‘Cuda #1

by Wes

This 1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda convertible isn’t just rare — it’s the very first of only fourteen ever built, wearing Rallye Red paint, a black top, and the Shaker hood scoop that came standard on every Hemi ‘Cuda. Underneath sits the legendary 426 Hemi V8, rated at 425 horsepower and fed by dual four-barrel carburetors. Decades later, it remains one of the most sought-after Mopars in existence. See what makes serial number one worth more than the other thirteen.

Man restoring a classic car by working on its door.

Simple Steps to Inspecting A Classic Car before you buy

by Wes

A seven-minute Steel Dreams walkthrough on inspecting a classic car before you buy sparked a comment section debate bigger than the checklist itself. Viewers point out that the host is sharing only a fraction of what he knows, and one reply frames a real collector’s dilemma: save five affordable classics or pour everything into one or two done right, since these cars will outlive any single owner. Other commenters zero in on a single pinch weld that supposedly tells you everything. Is a quick checklist really enough to protect a buyer?

Two men discussing a classic 1970s car with its hood open.

Garage/Barn Find: 1970 Camaro With 1130 Actual Miles!

by Wes

Charley Lillard’s 1970 Chevrolet Camaro carries just 1,130 actual miles — parked in a heated garage nearly forty years ago after a minor ding and untouched ever since, right down to the original air still sealed in its tires. He debuted it at the first-ever Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals in Rosemont, Illinois, where it stood out even among a field of other rare survivors. Finds this undisturbed almost never happen.

A vintage white car driving on a scenic country road.

the LAST Vanishing Point Challenger – 1970 Dodge Challenger RT HEMI

by Wes

Ted Stephens owns all five surviving screen-used Dodge Challengers from the 1997 TV remake of Vanishing Point — the only ones left, since every car from the original 1971 film has been destroyed. His favorite of the five, a white 1970 Challenger RT, hides a detail almost no movie car ever gets: a genuine HEMI under the hood instead of a stunt-friendly substitute. It’s a piece of film history most fans don’t even know exists.

1966 Pontiac GTO with 389 Tri-Power engine and 4-speed transmission.

1966 PONTIAC GTO 389 4-speed TRI-POWER musclecar 4K review

by Wes

Filmed on the lot at Garrett Classics in Lewisville, Texas, this 1966 Pontiac GTO wears the setup serious muscle car buyers wanted most: a 389-cubic-inch V8 with Tri-Power carburetion and a genuine four-speed manual. Factory power brakes, power steering, and correct Rally wheels round out a car Pontiac loyalists in the comments call one of the best-preserved examples they’ve seen. It’s unrestored, unmodified, and exactly as honest as a 1966 GTO should be.

A vintage 1968 Buick Riviera in vibrant yellow cruising on a road.

1966 Buick Riviera – Jay Leno’s Garage

by Wes

Randy Clark of Hot Rods and Custom Stuff brought his 1966 Buick Riviera to Jay Leno’s Garage wearing a gold paint job that took his team fifteen hundred hours to complete — longer than most full restorations take start to finish. The Riviera’s clean, GT-inspired lines gave Clark’s crew the perfect canvas for that level of obsession. Even Leno, who has seen thousands of custom builds, wanted to know how anyone justifies that kind of time.

Two sports cars racing on a street with spectators watching.

560hp GT-R vs MUSCLE – Cali Street Racing

by Wes

A bolt-on 560-horsepower Nissan GT-R out of the Bay Area spent a day at an off-the-grid California street racing meetup taking on any American muscle car willing to line up against it. Inconsistent street traction gave the all-wheel-drive GT-R a real edge, but at least one muscle car managed to jump out to an early lead despite the GT-R’s launch control. Viewers praised the driver for being upfront about his real horsepower instead of inflating it on camera. Watch to see who actually crosses the line first.

Blacksmith forging a metal piece in a dimly lit workshop.

Blown Alcohol Engine Blows Up on Dyno

by Wes

This blown alcohol engine was mid-pull on ALEXort2007’s dyno when something let go — and the comments have been debating exactly what ever since. Was it a dropped rod, an electrical arc, or a motor simply held at redline too long? Whatever the cause, one thing everyone agrees on: it’s a far better place for an engine to fail than in the middle of a quarter-mile pass.

Posts By: Wes