1970 | Muscle Car Fan

Ford Fairlane Ranchero from 1970 to 1979½—on the Torino, Thunderbird, LTD platform

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.

1965 Ford Falcon images 302 CID V8 4 Speed Automatic

by Ross Mills

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.

Black and white photo of a vintage muscle car kicking up dust on a dirt road.

Was the Original ’70s Dodge Challenger a Failure?

by Kiril

The Hemi Challenger convertible now ranks among the most valuable classic Mopars ever sold at auction — a strange fate for a car that, by 1970s sales figures, came remarkably close to being called a commercial failure. Discontinued after just five years on the market, the original Challenger’s brief production run quietly built the foundation for its soaring collector value today. Read on to find out what actually went wrong, and why it stopped mattering.

Muscle car with open hood at a car show, showcasing engine.

BARN FIND !! 1970 Challenger 340 T/A Six Pack – Origin of the Hellcat? Road Test TV

by Wes

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.

1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird in bright green.

1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird Start Up, Exhaust, and In Depth Review

by Wes

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.

Chevy Small-block—1962 to 1998 Number 7

by Ross Mills

Chevrolet’s 350 small-block went through four dramatically different personalities in barely a decade — from the 425-horsepower NHRA-rated LT-1 in 1970 to a computer-assisted, 190-horsepower L81 just eleven years later. Tracing the L46, LT-1, L82, and L81 in sequence lays out exactly how emissions rules and changing priorities reshaped one of GM’s most important engines. Read on for the full breakdown, casting numbers included.

A vintage olive-green classic car parked outdoors alongside other vehicles.

True Stories of The Muscle Car Fan: Rare 429 Ford Barn Find

by Pat C

Sherwin M. found his 1970 Ford XL through a classified ad with photos so bad the car was barely recognizable, which is probably why nobody else called first. What he found in person was a sixteen-year-dormant, numbers-matching survivor with its original 429 engine still intact. Read on to find out how a factory-correct rebuild turned this rare full-size Ford into both a daily driver and a genuine 14-second track car.

Oldsmobile 442 1970

by Ross Mills

At the height of his Hollywood fame, actor James Garner raced a specially built Oldsmobile 442 called the Goodyear Grabber across hundreds of brutal miles of Mexican desert terrain. That race car vanished for decades before resurfacing in 2008, bought for just 1,000 dollars by a buyer who had no idea what he’d found. Read on to find out how a movie star’s off-road racer connects to one of Oldsmobile’s most celebrated muscle cars.

Classic yellow convertible car parked outdoors on a sunny day.

Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda 1970 Convertible 4-Speed Lemon Twist

by Kiril

Plymouth’s Lemon Twist paint code paired with a 426 Hemi and a four-speed manual makes for one of the rarest combinations in the entire muscle car world — a car so scarce that most Mopar fans will never see one in person. Read on to find out just how few of these actually left the factory, and why that number keeps shrinking the more you dig.

Front view of a classic 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T in burnt orange.

RARE GARAGE FIND 1970 DODGE CHALLENGER RT BURNT ORANGE GREAT SURVIVOR WOW

by Wes

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.

Buick Grand Sport 1965-1970

by Ross Mills

Buick’s Grand Sport looked like just another understated mid-size coupe, but hidden under the hood was a factory horsepower rating that dyno testing proved was flat-out wrong. From the 401-cubic-inch nailhead that skirted GM’s own displacement rules to the Stage 1 package that quietly outran its own spec sheet, the Grand Sport built a reputation on performance nobody advertised. Read on to find out how Buick kept one of its quickest cars a well-kept secret for six model years.

Vintage car challenge featuring a classic blue muscle car and two men in retro attire.

1970 Dodge Challenger RT Commercial

by Wes

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.

Close-up of a classic 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle SS front grille and headlights.

Tribute to Musclecars 1964-1974

by Wes

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.

Classic gold vintage car with chrome details in a showroom.

Buick Electra 225-1970 IMAGES

by Ross Mills

1970 marked the end of an era for the Buick Electra 225 — the last year of its 1965-era styling, the last convertible, and the last high-compression engines before emissions rules changed everything. Buick sent it off right with a new 370-horse 455 V8, the biggest engine this generation ever got, and over 150,000 buyers agreed it was worth the honor.

Classic black 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 LS6 on display indoors.

1970 Chevrolet Chevy Chevelle SS 454 LS6 Unrestored with 4305 Miles

by Wes

For years, collectors traded rumors about an untouched, low-mileage 1970 Chevelle SS 454 LS6 without ever confirming it was real. My Car Story host Lou Costabile tracks down the car — all-original, with just 4,305 miles and even its factory tires still on it — and the chain of connections that finally brought it to owner David Beem. Commenters are calling it a genuine Holy Grail of muscle car survivors. Watch the moment its LS6 fires up for the first time in years.

Posts Tagged: 1970