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Modern muscle cars like the Hellcat twins hit numbers the original 1960s and 1970s era never touched, but they get there through supercharging and computer control instead of big cubic inches and low compression. Here’s a closer look at how Detroit’s horsepower war came back in the 2010s, and what changed in the engineering between the original muscle car boom and its modern revival.
You’ve found it – a real 1967 Shelby GT500, the car every muscle car buyer dreams about owning. But before you wire a deposit, know this: NHTSA’s records on this exact model include three separate steering-system recalls, a brake-drum installation warning, and a fuel-system complaint that could leave you stranded at a red light. A barn-find restoration currently being torn down on camera shows exactly what four decades of neglect does to a car this complex – and it isn’t pretty under the sheet metal once the panels come off. The seller’s photos will show you the paint and the chrome. They won’t show you what’s underneath, and on a car this old, what’s underneath is everything. This guide walks through what NHTSA has actually documented on the 1967 Mustang platform, what a real teardown reveals, and exactly what to check before you sign anything.
Ford needed to beat Chrysler’s Hemi on NASCAR’s superspeedways, but the rulebook only required 500 street versions of the race engine, not that they share a body with the car actually racing. That loophole put a 429 big-block into a Mustang engine bay never designed to hold it, built through an unusual two-plant process most owners never expect. Read on to see how a homologation technicality created one of Ford’s rarest, most valuable Mustangs.
A Grabber Blue 1970 Boss 302 Mustang, sold in 1975 to pay for college and tracked by its original owner for thirty-six years before he bought it back — that’s the story behind this Legendary Motorcar restoration. Under the hood is one of Ford’s most serious race-bred engines, complete with canted-valve Cleveland-style heads, a 780-cfm Holley, and a high-riser aluminum manifold built to beat Camaros on a road course. Watch to see how close the shop gets it back to 1975.
Ford rated the 1969 Torino Cobra’s 428 Cobra Jet at 335 horsepower — and admitted, in its own advertising, that the number was conservative. Muscle Car Of The Week breaks down exactly why the NHRA put the real figure closer to 380 horsepower, along with the NASCAR aerodynamics, data-plate history, and interior details that make this particular Cobra a genuine time capsule. Even the gas cap has a story worth correcting. Watch the full breakdown to see what Ford wasn’t telling buyers.
In January 1999, Ford beat out Volkswagen and Fiat in a bidding war for Volvo, paying .45 billion to bring the Swedish brand into its new Premier Automotive Group alongside Jaguar and Aston Martin. The deal was meant to build an empire of European luxury under Ford’s roof. Eleven years later, the company let it go for a fraction of the price — a reminder of how fast fortunes can shift in the auto industry.
The Ford V8 engine saga continues with the 410 cu in powerhouse, delivering a punchy 345 hp and 475 ft-lb of torque, initially found in the short-lived Edsel. The mighty 430 cu in engine, dubbed the “Bulldozer,” made waves in Lincoln and Mercury models, hitting a historic 400 hp in ’58. Even yachts and race cars couldn’t resist its allure, with Bertram Yachts and dragsters flaunting its raw power. By ’66, the 430 bowed out, making way for the MEL 462, proving Ford’s engines were always ahead of the curve.
Long before hot rodding had a name, guys with more ambition than money were already cutting up cars just like this one. The 1934 Ford 3-window coupe was cheap, common, and light enough to make backyard speed possible on a budget, a formula that built an entire subculture from the ground up. Here’s why builders are still reaching for this exact body style nearly a century later.
Tim Wellborn built one of the deepest private Mopar collections in the country, including a genuine NASCAR Daytona raced by K&K Insurance and a limelight-green Hemi four-speed he refuses to restore. When Rocket Restorations’ Tom mentioned he was a fan of the channel, Tim didn’t just say thanks — he flew him down for a personal tour and a drive. Watch to see what fifty years of collecting looks like from behind the wheel.
The sixth-generation Camaro ZL1 backs up its supercharged reputation with a factory-certified top speed few people expect from a car that still has back seats. A 650-horsepower LT4, an optional 10-speed automatic borrowed from Ford’s own Raptor, and a quarter-mile in the 11s all point toward one number that changes the conversation entirely. Here is what it actually took to get a mainstream muscle car into 200-mph territory — and why the number matters more than bragging rights.
A flyer promising prize money at a March drag shootout doesn’t tell you much on its own — but the track behind it, an NHRA-affiliated eighth-mile strip built for grudge racing and small-tire shootouts, has plenty of story to it. Door-crasher format, cash on the line, and a community that shows up test-and-tune after test-and-tune. Here’s what actually happens when the tree drops and real money’s riding on it.
Fifty years ago General Motors answered the Ford Mustang not once but twice, and a museum exhibit is now putting the Camaro and Firebird side by side with the movie cars that turned them into pop culture icons. One shape-shifted into an alien robot on screen; the other spent a decade running from the law with a trucker at the wheel. Here’s why GM built two separate pony cars instead of one.
Muscle Car Of The Week usually reaches decades into the past for its features. This week it barely reaches back at all, spotlighting a 2012 Ford Mustang BOSS 302 carrying a designation most viewers have never encountered, Tooling Tryout Number 1, a label reserved for cars used to validate factory production tooling before a model reaches dealers. Built as a direct descendant of the original 1969-1970 BOSS 302, this modern revival turns out to be faster than nearly everything else in the collection. Watch to find out why.
