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From the mid-50s to the 70s, American street racers were the kings of cool, cruising boulevards and racing deserted runways. Muscle cars with sleek lines, custom paint jobs, and engines that left police cruisers in the dust were the emperors of the road—and their drivers raced for glory and the fastest girls. But crashes, the law, or love eventually sidelined most racers. Still, some of these legends have been passed down, with grandchildren now revving those engines at local dragstrips.
This compilation strings together some of 2017’s most memorable Dodge Hellcat mishaps — Chargers and Challengers caught crashing, spinning out, and getting pulled over across the country. The common thread isn’t bad luck; it’s 707 horsepower meeting cold tires and overconfident throttle inputs in almost exactly the same way every time. Watch to see how consistently the same mistake plays out behind the wheel of America’s most powerful muscle sedan.
The 1970s Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda is the muscle car that makes even Ferraris green with envy. With its daring colors, hood pins, and pistol grip shifters, this car screams suave and macho in one growl. Though only 652 were made, each Hemi ‘Cuda is a treasure, especially the 14 convertibles. It boasts a 0-60 mph in 5.8 seconds with a tire-shredding glory. The Hemi ‘Cuda’s legendary status is solidified with appearances in Need for Speed and Fast and Furious 6. Who knew muscle could be so glamorous?
Dive into the groovy world of the first-gen Chevrolet Chevelle (1964-1967), where muscle met finesse on the mid-size “A” body platform. This Chevelle wasn’t just a pretty face; it was a muscle car contender with options galore. In ’64, the Malibu badge made its debut, along with the “SS” package for those who craved luxury and power. By ’66, the Chevelle SS 396 strutted its stuff as a standalone series, boasting up to 375 hp and a body that could turn heads faster than a cheetah on roller skates.
An independent appraiser spent three to four hours crawling under this 1968 Buick GS 400 before signing off on it — magnet-testing the body, photographing the underbody, and confirming its numbers-matching engine and original Turbo 400 transmission. Pulled from an estate with the original engine included on a stand, it’s the kind of documented survivor that rarely surfaces at ,000. Watch to see what a professional inspection actually finds.
When Consumer Reports crashed a 2009 Chevy Malibu head-on into a 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air, the assumption going in was that the heavier, steel-bodied classic would fare just fine. The eleven-million-view result proved the opposite, and it’s become one of the most cited crash tests in automotive safety history. See exactly what fifty years of engineering changed — and why it matters for anyone who still drives a classic.
This 1967 Camaro SS396 convertible carries the top-tier 375-horsepower 396 big block and a Granada Gold color combination rarely seen even among first-year Camaros. Convertibles from that debut year survived in far smaller numbers than hardtops, making a documented example like this genuinely scarce. Featured as the Camaro nameplate crossed its 50th anniversary, it’s a direct look at where the whole legacy began. See what made the very first SS396 worth remembering.
Believed to be the final Pontiac GTO Judge convertible built for the 1969 model year, this special-order example carries the 366-horsepower Ram Air III 400 V8 and a color combination most Judge buyers never chose. It’s part of The Brothers Collection, a group of muscle cars defined by being the first or last of their kind off the line. Being the last of anything in muscle car history is its own rare distinction. See what closes out a legendary model year.
The AMC Hornet, a “junior” marvel from 1970-1977, buzzed onto the scene with a rich history, including a Hudson lineage and Chrysler ownership. AMC invested $40 million and a million man-hours into this compact, priced at a sweet $1,994 in 1970. It outlasted its rivals, featuring mighty engines, a reinforced body, and even a Levi denim interior. With options like the SC/360 and a Gucci trim, this car was as fashionable as it was fierce. Who knew a Hornet could be so stylishly stinging?
The Pontiac LeMans G3, built on the “A” body platform, strutted its stuff from 1968 to 1972, offering everything from coupes to station wagons—because who doesn’t want to haul groceries in style? In ’68, Pontiac jazzed up the engine, turning the 326 V8 into a sneaky 354.74, proving once again that math is optional in muscle car manufacturing. By 1970, Pontiac was playing musical chairs with engine sizes, and in ’72, they rebadged models like it was a witness protection program.
AMC had no business building a two-seat American sports car to rival Detroit’s best, and did it anyway with the 1968-1970 AMX. This vintage road test captures the refreshed 1969 model exactly as period testers judged it: no collector-market hype, just acceleration runs and honest comparisons to better-funded rivals. It’s a rare, unfiltered look at how the AMX was actually received in its own time. Watch the full test to see how it held up.
This 1969 Chevelle SS had already been through a full restoration at V8 Speed & Resto Shop, so why add a five-speed manual afterward? The crew swapped in a Tremec TKO 600 rated for 600 lb-ft of torque behind the 454 big-block, using a kit built to put the shifter back in its original factory position. Getting the clutch engagement right behind an engine this size took real engineering. Watch the full install to see how it came together.
Jim Patterson has owned his 1967 Plymouth Belvedere GTX, Bright Silver paint, 426 Hemi, four-speed manual, since 1980, which means he’s lived with this car longer than most of its story has been told. Lou Costabile caught up with Jim and his Hemi car at the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals in Rosemont, Illinois. Four and a half decades of ownership comes with details no spec sheet can capture. Watch to hear Jim tell it himself.
The Jaguar XKE Series I, crafted from 1961 to 1968, is a legend wrapped in a sleek, stylish body that even Enzo Ferrari dubbed “the most beautiful automobile ever.” With a 3.8-liter engine and a later upgrade to 4.2 liters, it was the sports car that could whisk you from zero to “I’m late for tea” in about 7 seconds. Known for its quirks like a hood latch that required a special tool, it’s no wonder collectors clamored to keep these beauties in mint condition.