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Chrysler built the 426 Hemi to win NASCAR races, not to sell to the public, and that’s exactly what makes it so special. The factory rated it at 425 horsepower, but nearly everyone who’s put one on a dyno says that number was conservative by a wide margin. Fewer than 10,000 street versions were built across just six model years, which is why a numbers-matching Hemi car commands serious money today. This is the engine that earned the nickname ‘Elephant’ for a reason.
This 1965 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu SS convertible pairs a 327 small-block V8 with a 4-speed manual and factory Madeira Maroon paint, a combination V8TV calls a real knockout straight from the Brothers Collection. It’s a reminder that the Chevelle SS built its reputation on small-block agility before the big-blocks ever arrived. Watch the full breakdown to see what makes this early example so collectible.
The fourth-gen Pontiac GTO, an Aussie import dressed as a muscle car, was born from a mix of Bob Lutz’s road trip and nostalgia for ’60s exhaust notes. Despite its Corvette heart and speed worthy of a drag strip, it struggled stateside, overshadowed by flashier Mustangs and Magnums. Imagine paying over $34k for a car that looks like it should come with an ‘I wish I were a Mustang’ bumper sticker. Even with tweaks and a new engine in 2005, it was more misfit than muscle, selling fewer than expected.
Ford reshaped its mid-size muscle car for 1973 to meet new federal bumper rules, and the redesign paid off with a 52 percent jump in production over 1971. Buyers could choose between a humble inline-six and two V8 options, with the sportiest Gran Torino Sport reserved for V8 power only. The changes pushed the Torino ahead of its longtime rival, the Chevrolet Chevelle, in Fords ongoing battle for intermediate muscle car sales.
This 1963 Plymouth Sport Fury carries the 426 Max Wedge package that turned an ordinary full-size Mopar into a Super Stock drag racing legend, complete with 11.1:1 compression, a dual-quad short-ram intake, and a stripped-down spec sheet built purely for speed. Straight from the Brothers Collection, it’s about as close as a dealer-ordered car ever got to a factory race car. Watch the full breakdown to see what made it a record-setter.
Hemi gets used like a brand name at every muscle car show, but it actually describes a specific combustion chamber shape with real engineering tradeoffs behind it. Engineering Explained breaks down why the hemispherical design allows for larger valves and better airflow, and why that same shape eventually made the layout less practical for modern emissions-focused engines. The explanation reframes a badge most fans take for granted. Watch to find out what the name is actually describing.
A dealer rarely gets sentimental about a car passing through their lot, but the team at Retro Classic Car mounted a GoPro for one last POV drive through this 1979 Camaro Z28 before handing it to its new owner. By their own account, it was one of the best examples of the model they had ever stocked. The sound alone, they say, never gets old. Ride along for the last lap before it changed hands for good.
A soft yellow 1966 Plymouth Belvedere II with a gold interior looks built for grocery runs, not for embarrassing faster cars off the line. Underneath sits a 426 Hemi paired with a four-speed stick, the kind of factory sleeper combination Chrysler quietly offered to buyers who wanted serious power without the attention. This documented example comes from the Brothers Collection by way of V8 Speed and Resto Shop. See what is hiding under that unassuming hood.
In 1958, Ford Motors revved up with three all-new V8 engine families: MEL, FE, and FT, leaving the old “Y” block behind like a forgotten lunchbox. The MEL, aka “Mercury-Edsel-Lincoln,” sported a unique valve arrangement, resembling a Chevy big block but with a twist. Meanwhile, Mercury’s exclusive 383 cu in Marauder flexed its muscles, boasting horsepower that seemed to fluctuate like a temperamental teenager. And let’s not forget the FT, built to power trucks like a caffeinated bison.
Plymouth had a genuinely serious sales pitch for the 1969 Road Runner: it had just been named Motor Trend Car of the Year, beating out far pricier competition. Rather than lead with that fact, the company built a commercial around Wile E. Coyote and his eternal chase, letting a cartoon rivalry do the talking for a real performance bargain. It is a strange and charming piece of muscle car advertising history. Watch to see how the joke and the trophy fit together.
The AMC AMX never had Detroit’s marketing muscle behind it, but it had something more important: a real power-to-weight advantage over cars that cost more and weighed more. This /DRIVE+ segment finally gives one of muscle car history’s most overlooked cars its due. Watch to see why it deserved better the first time around.
Long before the 1967 Chevrolet Camaro ever reached a showroom floor, one unit rolled off the line in May 1966 wearing a serial number that reads more like a birth certificate than a VIN: N100001. It’s the literal first Camaro ever built — and its story is one most enthusiasts have never heard. Watch to find out what survives of it today.
Rev up your Chevy knowledge with the legendary small block saga from 1962 to 1998, focusing on the number 6! The 4.0-inch bore family, featuring the iconic L-48, roared into life in the 1967 Camaro, packing a punch with 300 hp. Over the years, it made its mark in models like the Nova and Impala, even journeying to Australia! EPA regulations tamed its power a bit, but it kept cruising with style. The Corvette’s ZQ3 engine, with its quirky traits, carried the torch, proving that even engines have personality!
Ed Wheeldon — known around Eddyville Dragway as Fast Eddie — once turned down a ,000 offer for his 1968 Dodge Dart Hemi Special, one of the rarest factory drag package cars Mopar ever built. Instead of selling, he still runs it in exhibition passes for a appearance fee. Watch to see why some cars are worth more than the check.
Buick’s 1987 Grand National is the final hurrah, a sleek, black vision on the Regal platform. Among the 27,590 Turbo Regals, the lighter WE4 (Turbo T) stands out with its aluminum components. Even rarer is the GNX, with only 547 units boasting special interiors and performance tweaks straight from McLaren Performance Technologies. This “Darth Vader car” sports a turbocharged V6, achieving 0-60 in 4.3 seconds, proving V6s can rule the road, even when V8s were all the rage!