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A rule change in SCCA Trans-Am racing forced Chevrolet to rethink the Z/28’s engine for 1970, swapping in the Corvette-sourced LT1 350 and wrapping it in a completely redesigned second-generation body. With only 8,733 built that model year, the 1970 Z/28 became an instant turning point for the nameplate. Here’s what changed under the hood and why this year still stands out to collectors.
Only about 41 genuine 426 Hemi convertibles were ever built across the Cuda and Challenger nameplates combined, and no more than 9 had ever been seen together in one place. Then 27 of them showed up at the same 2015 show in Chicago. Here is why that gathering was essentially a once-in-a-lifetime event.
This 1979 Ford Ranchero GT was the final Ranchero Ford ever built, closing out a twenty-year run competing head-to-head with Chevrolet’s El Camino. Gateway Classic Cars brought this GT-trim example into its Tampa showroom, built on the Fairlane-derived platform Ford chose specifically to match the El Camino’s V8 displacement options. One viewer even laid out the platform history in detail in the comments. Watch to see how the American car-truck idea went out — and why some buyers still think it went too soon.
Ford gave the compact Falcon real muscle with the Sprint package and its 289 V8, only to watch its own Mustang, built on the same platform, make the Falcon obsolete almost overnight. Just 300 Sprint convertibles and 2,806 Sprint hardtops were sold in the model’s final year. Here is the story of the compact that lost to its own sibling.
The original Dodge Challenger sold nearly 77,000 units in its debut year, then watched sales crater to a quarter of that almost immediately, numbers that look like a failure on paper. But blame the oil crisis, crushing new insurance surcharges, and emissions regulations that gutted the engine lineup before you blame the car itself. Over its five model years, Dodge still moved roughly 188,600 Challengers before pulling the plug in April 1974.
A barn find 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A has been sitting untouched for years, its original 340 cubic inch Six Pack engine still intact under the hood. Dodge built only 2,399 T/A Challengers that year, and viewers can’t even agree on the factory paint color, some call it Panther Pink, others Plum Crazy Purple. The video poses a pointed question: would you trade this original for a modern Hellcat? Most commenters say no.
This 1970 Plymouth Superbird was built to win NASCAR races, not just look fast — but the detail everyone remembers is the horn, which plays an actual “meep meep” straight out of the Road Runner cartoon. Between the original $4,794.62 window sticker and the aerodynamics NASCAR forced onto the design, this in-depth walkaround finds a lot more than a gimmick. Watch to hear the horn for yourself.
Dive into the world of Chevy’s small-block saga from 1962 to 1998, spotlighting the mighty L46 and LT-1 engines of the late ’60s and ’70s. These beasts, with their sky-high compression and gutsy horsepower, made Corvettes and Camaros the stars of the road. As emissions tightened, power figures wobbled but never wavered in spirit. The L81 of ’81 even had a “smart” carburetor, proving that even muscle cars need a brain sometimes! Stay tuned for more engine antics in this revved-up history.
Named for its four-barrel, four-speed, and dual exhausts, the 1970 Oldsmobile 442 was the muscle car equivalent of a bodybuilder in a tuxedo. With a 455-cubic inch V8 engine cranking out 365 hp, it was the automotive version of a caffeine-fueled sprint. The W30 variant added extra oomph with 370 hp and a hood with more scoops than an ice cream shop. Even James Garner raced one, proving that this car could handle the NORRA Mexico 1000 and still look good doing it.
Only a handful of 1970 Hemi ‘Cuda convertibles ever left the factory with a 4-speed manual, and fewer still wore the eye-searing High Impact color known as Lemon Twist. This is the story of one of the rarest combinations Plymouth ever built — a 426 Hemi, a stick shift, and a paint code designed to be impossible to ignore. Here’s why this particular spec sheet has become one of the most sought-after in the muscle car world.
Ronnie married the woman who bought this 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T brand new in April 1970. They divorced in 1978, but he kept watching the car for decades afterward, waiting for the moment she finally decided to sell. When she did, he had the first chance to buy it back. Watch the story of a marriage that ended and a car that never really left.
The Buick Grand Sport of 1965-1970 was a true muscle car marvel, sneaking a 401-cubic-inch V8 under the hood despite a 400-inch limit—talk about bending the rules! By 1967, the Grand Sport brought along its siblings, the GS 340 and GS California, all dressed to impress with fancy badges. Fast forward to 1970, the GS 455 flexed its 455-cubic-inch muscles, offering a Stage 1 that could make even the Chrysler Hemis sweat. And let’s not forget the GSX Stage 1 in Saturn yellow—it was the fashion icon of the muscle car world!
A vintage 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T commercial has quietly become a cult favorite for reasons that have little to do with horsepower: a blustering, law-enforcement bit built around a Southern sheriff that viewers now recognize as an eerie preview of Buford T. Justice, seven years before Smokey and the Bandit made the archetype famous. Behind the joke sits a genuinely serious muscle car, available with everything from a 383 Magnum up to the 426 Hemi. Watch the full spot to see where the joke started.
A four-minute, music-only tribute to the 1964-1974 muscle car era has turned its own comment section into a decade-spanning argument, about when the era actually started, which cars deserved a spot, and whether America ever built anything this good again. See the cars, then see what the community had to say about them.