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Guess what? The Ford Mustang, traditionally seen as a macho muscle car, has been crowned the Women’s Performance Car of the Year for 2016 by a panel of 17 women from 14 countries. Yes, this iconic powerhouse is loved not just for its muscle but also for its charm, appealing to women worldwide. And it’s not alone! The Ford Focus RS almost grabbed the title too, proving that when it comes to fast and fabulous rides, the ladies are revving their engines with delight.
That rusty ‘classic car for sale’ listing everyone laughs at might be sitting on real money. Documented barn finds have sold for six figures once buyers uncovered numbers-matching engines and original parts underneath the grime. Here’s why the collector market takes rough Craigslist finds more seriously than you’d think.
Tom Cotter’s Barn Find Hunter tracked down a numbers-matching 1954 Chevrolet Corvette and its original Blue Flame Six engine, tucked into a collection that also holds a 1970 Buick GS Stage 1 convertible, a big-block El Camino, and a warehouse of dusty Italian sports cars including an ASA 1000 GT nicknamed the “baby Ferrari.” Few barn find episodes cover this much ground in one visit. Watch to see what else Cotter uncovers.
This Model A wearing a flathead V8 is almost certainly a later hot rod swap, not a factory pairing — Ford’s real Model A ran a four-cylinder, and the V8 did not arrive until the 1932 Model 18. That original flathead made just 65 horsepower, yet Ford built over 3 million of them by 1936, launching the era’s most enduring engine-swap tradition.
The Porsche 930 Turbo earned its ‘Widowmaker’ nickname the hard way — a short wheelbase and rear-engine layout that could turn an ill-timed throttle input into a violent pendulum swing at the limit. Born from Can-Am turbo technology and built to satisfy homologation rules, the 930 arrived in the U.S. in 1976 with a 3.0-liter flat-six making 260 horsepower. Later 3.3-liter versions pushed output higher still, cementing the 930’s reputation as one of the most demanding production sports cars Porsche ever sold.
Most retellings of the muscle car’s decline stop at the 1980s comeback, but the real numbers behind the collapse, and the technology that eventually revived it decades later, tell a far more dramatic story. Here’s what actually happened between the insurance crisis of the 1970s and the 700-horsepower factory cars of today.
Dodge called the 2018 Challenger SRT Demon the most powerful V8 production car ever built, and the numbers back it up: 840 horsepower on race fuel, a certified 9.65-second quarter-mile, and a 0-60 time that beat cars costing four times as much. It launched so violently NHRA had to write new rules just to tech-inspect it. Here’s what made the Demon different from every muscle car before it.
Pontiac rushed its answer to the Ford Mustang into showrooms in barely six months, borrowing GM’s F-body platform and grafting on a face unlike anything else on the road. Buyers could order this first-generation Firebird with four completely different engines, from a mild six-cylinder to a 325-horsepower V8 borrowed from the GTO. Fewer than three years later, the rarest versions were already becoming collector gold.
Nissan built the Datsun 240Z to answer one question: could a lightweight, affordable Japanese sports car actually compete with Europe’s best? The 1969 debut proved it could, backed by a 151-horsepower inline-six, a sub-2,300-pound curb weight, and championship wins that followed almost immediately. Here’s how a $3,526 coupe became a genuine racing threat.
In 2017, persistent rumors claimed Dodge was preparing a 2019 Barracuda — a smaller, Alfa Romeo-based two-door meant to replace the aging Challenger outright. It echoed the original E-body Barracuda and Challenger, which shared a platform back in the 1970s. Fiat Chrysler never confirmed it, and the Challenger kept right on selling instead. Here’s what the rumored car was supposed to be.
Meet Alf and his stunning 1965 Chevy II Nova SS, a true muscle car prowling the streets of Adelaide, Australia. Imported in 2008, this beauty flaunts its original California plates and showroom condition, thanks to Alf’s meticulous care. With a 283 engine and two-speed PowerGlide transmission, it’s nearly original—except for the cheeky Flowmaster mufflers for extra oomph. Alf even ditched the dealer-installed AC for authenticity, a decision he might sweat over during summer cruises!
In 2016, the muscle car market was shrinking almost everywhere except one corner of it – Hellcat sales climbed nearly 70 percent while overall Challenger and Charger volumes both fell. The family SUV mentioned almost in passing in this piece would eventually get the same supercharged treatment, at a price tag nobody saw coming back then.
Ford’s 4.6-liter 4V Cobra engine ended up in more vehicles than most people realize, and a few of those vehicles can be had for under ten thousand dollars with the full capability of the SVT program sitting quietly under the hood. Mr Random Reviews tracked down four of them and made the case for why the used market has been underpricing them. If the idea of Cobra-engine performance without the Mustang price tag appeals to you, this video was made for you. Watch to see which four cars made the list.
Muscle cars and sports cars might both rev your engine, but they’re as different as a young Schwarzenegger and Brad Pitt. Muscle cars roar with V8 power, bulging curves, and a torque that makes you feel alive, while sports cars glide with sleek lines, nimble handling, and engines that purr thanks to turbo boosts. Whether you crave the raw power of a muscle car or the agile elegance of a sports car, both are sure to turn heads and spark conversations among car enthusiasts.
Half a century, two engine rebuilds, and one very unusual V8 later, this 1965 Buick Gran Sport is finally running the way its first owner intended. The car’s 401-cubic-inch ‘Nailhead’ engine got its nickname from valves so small the press compared them to nails, yet it powered Buick’s answer to the GTO for over a decade. Here’s what made it tick.