Ten
Classic Muscle
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With the
popularity of movies like The
Fast and The Furious,
Gone in Sixty Seconds and The
last Ride, there has been
some
reference to the good old
muscle cars which were
immortalised in
movies like Bullit, Vanishing
Point and of course The Dukes
of
Hazzard series. This top ten
list has a look at some of
the
muscle car icons born from the
late 60's and early 70's.
The main measure of these cars
is power, with Brake Horse
Power
(bhp) being the term flung
around most commonly. What
this
refers to is the power released
by the engine before the
gearbox, generator,
differential, water pump, and
other
components sap its power. If
you are used to Kilowatts,
then
take into consideration that
250kw translates to
335.26bhp.
The 1969
Pontiac
GTO
Conceptualised
to gain appeal to the younger
market, Pontiac put
a 6.3 litre V8 engine into the
midsized Tempest shell,
making
for a cheap fast car. To the
surprise of Pontiac's
marketing
team the GTO became massively
popular and in 1969 they fitted
it
with a 6.5 litre V8 which could
kick out 366bhp. The Judge
was
born
The 1970 Buick
GSX
Again the idea here was to
squash a beast of an engine
into a
midsized body, in this case the
Buick Skylark. In 1967 the
Buick
GS became recognised as a
standalone model available as a
sedan
and convertible.
The 1970 model was given a
monstrous 7.5 litre engine
capable of
producing 400bhp. The GSX body
came in yellow or white
only,
adding to the image which made
this car a distinct
classic.
The 1967
Chevrolet
Camaro
There were various options
available to those purchasing a
first
generation Camaro, the Z28
package being the most
exciting. With
a 4.9 litre engine, power
steering, disc brakes on the
front and
a four speed manual gearbox,
the Z28 was made for racing
-
producing up to 400bhp.
The Plymouth
Roadrunner
Built
to beat 14 seconds over a
quarter mile, the
Plymouth
Roadrunner was stripped down to
the bare essentials,
sacrificing
even the carpets in order to
make this into a beast of a
machine. It featured a beefed
up steering, brake and
suspension
systems and a 6.3 litre engine
which pushed 335bhp. An
optional
boost came from the 7.0 litre
version's 425bhp.
The Dodge
Challenger
Hitting the market in 1970, the
Dodge Challenger was a hit
from
the get go, selling more than
80,000 in the first year.
Although
various options were made
available, the R/T is the model
which
attracts the most attention
with its 7.0 litre Hemi
engine
kicking out 425bhp. Later
models lost the plot, with the
'72
model dropping to a measly
240bhp. See the Challenger in
the
cult classic movie, Vanishing
Point.
The 1966 Ford
Fairlane
GT
Launched in
'62 with a 3.6 litre V8,
the Ford Fairlane was
given
a makeover in 1966, complete
with a 6.4 litre engine capable
of
335bhp. As if this were not
enough they decided to upgrade
to a
7.0 litre NASCAR engine with
435bhp. Rigid front suspension
and
disc brakes gave the car better
handling, and the brute
power
kicked the dial over 60mph
(100km/h) in six seconds.
Oldsmobile
442
The Cutlass model was equipped
with a police specification
engine capable of 310bhp. The
442 refers to the four
barrel
carburettor, four speed manual
gear box and the twin
exhausts.
The 442 had a reputation for
its handling when compared to
other
muscle cars, thanks to its
improved springs, shocks and
the
comforting safety of an
anti-roll bar.
The 1968 edition was redesigned
as a shapely coupe, with a
7.5
litre block blasting
390bhp.
Plymouth
Barracuda
Although the Barracuda was
launched in 1964, just a couple
of
weeks before the Ford Mustang,
it was not until 1970 that
Plymouth gained wider
popularity with sexy lines and
some
serious growl under the hood in
the form of a 7.2 litre
390bhp.
The other choice was a smaller
7.0 litre Hemi block which
knocked out some extra power at
425bhp!
Even with a revamped suspension
the power was so much that
the
'Cuda gained a reputation for
difficult handling.
The 1970
Chevrolet Chevelle
SS
The 1965
Chevelle SS sported a 6.5
litre block pushing
375bhp,
which was all too much for the
front end of the car, making
for
some pretty horrible handling.
Luckily this was addressed
with
the revamping of the suspension
and the addition of disk
brakes
on the front.
1969 saw the introduction of
the top engine spec, which
was
featured in the El Camio
pick-up as well. The 1970 SS
was
powered by a 7.4 litre V8 with
450bhp pulling the Chevell
to
100km/h in just six seconds.
Later models were adjusted
for
unleaded fuel and the power
output suffered
considerably.
Dodge
Charger
Bo and Duke's ride of choice,
the Charger was launched in
1966
and some 37,000 cars were sold
in the first year. A 7.0
litre
Hemi reputedly kicked out
around 500bhp, though it
was
officially rated at 425bhp.
This monster reached 100km/h in
just
five and a half seconds. The
Hemi engine option was
available
until 1972.
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