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Mustangs and Camaros get most of the credit for being easy classics to restore, but the second-generation Chevrolet Chevelle deserves a spot on the list too, thanks to the same combination of high original production and a deep reproduction parts industry. The real lesson for anyone picking a restoration project is that production numbers matter more than rarity – the muscle cars built in the highest volumes are usually the easiest and cheapest to bring back to life today.
Wheel alignment sounds like one of those things only mechanics need to understand, but ignoring camber, caster, and toe is one of the fastest ways to burn through a set of tires without knowing why. CNET’s Brian Cooley breaks down what each angle controls and how a small deviation compounds into expensive tire wear over time. It matters even more for muscle cars running lowered suspension or wider wheels.
Ford built the Boss 302 engine to satisfy SCCA Trans-Am racing rules, and almost as an afterthought, a handful found their way into the 1970 Mercury Cougar Eliminator. Mercury built just 469 of these cars for the entire model year, with only 323 getting the close-ratio four-speed that made the high-revving engine worth having. Backed by blacked-out styling and a full-length front spoiler, the Boss 302 Eliminator remains one of the rarest, most overlooked performance Cougars Mercury ever built.
Back in 1977, a 15-year-old Larry F. embarked on his automotive journey with a $400 purchase of a 1970 Pontiac GTO. Despite needing a bit of love, it roared to life and even survived a Cardinal red makeover. Fast forward to a heartbreaking day in a GTO junkyard, where Larry and his son stumbled upon the skeletal remains of his beloved car. Missing its bumpers, engine, and more, it was a sad sight. Larry joked about almost shedding tears, with his son confirming, “I thought you were going to cry too.”
A casual online post about an old car sitting in a barn led one collector on a short drive through Wisconsin and straight into muscle car history: a 1967 Mercury Comet Caliente built with the ultra-rare R-code 427, dual four-barrel carburetors, and a four-speed manual. Cars this specific almost never survive intact, let alone get rediscovered by accident. Watch to see exactly what fifty years in a barn does to a car this rare.
When Dodge announced the Charger was going fully electric, muscle car fans revolted online — so Edmunds’ Brian Wong put the new Charger Daytona Scat Pack head-to-head against the outgoing Challenger Scat Pack to settle it properly. One relies on instant electric torque, the other on a supercharged Hemi’s building roar, and neither wins as cleanly as either side of the internet argument predicts. It’s the most honest look yet at what “muscle car” means in an electric era. Watch to see which one Edmunds actually recommends.
Plymouth built only 114 Hemi Cudas for 1971, with just 12 convertibles among them, numbers so small that two brothers who wrote down an impossibly specific wish list, unrestored, four-speed, original owner, build sheet included, figured the search would take years. They found their car in three weeks. Genuine, documented originals from this ultra-low-production run have sold for well over a million dollars at auction.
KFCOrBust heads to Houston for a night of street and roll racing that reads like a fantasy matchup — an 840 horsepower Hellcat, boosted Coyote-swapped Mustangs, a twin-turbo Camaro, a 1300 horsepower GT-R, and a 1200 horsepower Trans Am, all lining up on the same stretch of road. These are the kind of numbers that usually only meet at a sanctioned drag strip. Here, they met on Lone Star Street Racing’s turf instead.
Some cars promised the world and delivered a tow-truck receipt, and this countdown finally puts them on blast. From a Neon SRT-4 going up in flames to a Taurus wearing a push bar, the picks are the kind that start arguments among enthusiasts who owned them. It is part comedy, part cautionary tale for anyone shopping the used market. See which machines made the list and whether one of yours is on it.
George struck gold in Lisbon, Ohio, when he nabbed a classic 1970 Buick Skylark GSX tribute. The car, already boasting a GS455 engine upgrade, was spotted with a “for sale” sign before its owner had even listed it. George, now a proud MCF, plans to keep the powerful 455 engine under the hood while preserving the original 350 engine for a potential factory reset. With a few tweaks like an electric cooling fan, George is ready to hit the road by summer 2016, promising to keep us updated on his joyride journey!
Named after a speedy antelope, the 1958 Chevrolet Impala danced onto the scene like an Elvis impersonator at a sock hop. As a posh cousin to the Bel Air, it flaunted a snazzy design with horizontal headlights and triple tail lights—perfect for attracting envious gazes. Under the hood, it offered a smorgasbord of engine choices, from a peppy Blue Flame six to a hearty 348 V8. With its jazzy interiors and “eager-to-please” handling, this car was the bee’s knees, helping Chevy reclaim the sales crown.
Plymouth’s answer to the Ford Mustang did not just need to look sporty; it needed to earn the title, and the 1965 Formula S package was how it happened. A 235 horsepower Commando V8 paired with upgraded suspension and a factory tachometer turned an ordinary Barracuda into a genuine performer. Fewer than three thousand buyers ordered it that year, so why did the option that made the car worth having stay so rare?
“Hotrod” Ronnie Miller pulled another rough Camaro out of the overgrown patch of ground he calls the “Honey Hole” — the fifth car he has rescued from that same spot. This 1971 second-gen was sinking into a field and headed for the crusher, but Ronnie has other plans. Follow the dirt-to-driveway rescue and see why he refuses to let this one go.
This compilation skips the commentary and specs entirely, letting a lineup of American V8s speak for themselves through pure sound and acceleration. From big-block burnouts to sleeper street cars, it’s a reminder that muscle car culture has always run as much on exhaust note as horsepower figures. No narration, no sponsor pitch — just cars doing what they were built for.