The Pontiac GTO is remembered fondly as John DeLorean’s second most famous achievement, after the DMC-12 of course, which although already famous was shot to solid platinum celebrity status thanks to its memorable appearances in the Back to the Future film series. It’s difficult to imagine any to 10 list of American muscle cars without…
The Dodge Super Bee was named for the platform it’s based on – the Chrysler “B” platform that it shared with a number of other iconic American cars including the Plymouth Road Runner and the Chrysler 300. A Brief History of the Original Dodge 440 Six Pack Super Bees The incredible success of the Road…
The Pontiac GTO is considered by many to be the godfather of the American muscle car, and although automotive historians will point to any number of thunderous V8 American performance cars that came before it, the GTO is by far the best remembered. The American love of the V8 engine already had a long history…
A Short History of the AMC Rebel Machine The AMC Rebel Machine was introduced in 1970 and would only be available for a single model year, the basic concept of “The Machine” had been around since 1967, with the initial prototype featuring a black body, black wheels, and wide tires – with no stripes, scoops, or…
The Shelby GT500 was introduced to the press at New York’s Tavern-on-the-Green Restaurant in early 1967, it represented a departure from the previous Shelby Mustangs in that it provided more comfort and convenience than the fire breathing Shelby GT350. Describing his new Mustang, Carroll Shelby was quoted as saying “This is the first car I’m really…
The Mercury Cougar Boss 302 is exceptionally rare even amongst other low volume American muscle cars, just 169 were built, and it’s not known exactly how many have survived to the modern day. The Mercury Cougar Mercury introduced the Boss 302 in 1969 as a special version of the Cougar Eliminator, it was marketed as…
Steve McQueen and Bullitt There are few movie cars more famous than Steve McQueen’s Highland Green Mustang Fastback from the 1968 film Bullitt. The 10 minute chase scene though the streets of San Francisco is regarded by many as the best in cinema history – Bullitt was a box office smash hit, and the film…
The Pontiac GTO was released in 1964 and is now credited by many as being the car that launched the muscle car revolution that’s still going strong over 50 years later. Of course the American love affair with V8s was nothing new – Ford had released the first affordable V8 road car in 1932. The…
The Plymouth Hemi Cuda is now recognised as one of the most collectible of the original generation of muscle cars, it was first offered in 1970, but due to its significant cost increase over the other Cudas it sold in relatively limited numbers. Plymouth charged a $871 premium for the Hemi 426 V8 option –…
The Ford Mustang Boss 302 Trans Am was built with a very specific task in mind – Ford wanted to trounce the Chevrolet Camaros in the SCCA Trans-Am Series and reclaim their crown as the fastest pony car manufacturer in the United States. Chevrolet has joined the pony car bandwagon in 1967 with the Camaro,…
The second generation Pontiac Firebird Trans Am is a car that many seem to either love or hate, it was made an icon thanks to its appearance in the 1977 cult classic Smokey and the Bandit – and in recent years the collectibility of the model has started to climb. The 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans…
When the AMC AMX was launched in 1968 the AMC vice president Vic Raviolo described it as “the Walter Mitty Ferrari” – a reference to the character created by James Thurber in his short story “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”. Walter was an ordinary man with a wild imagination and an incredibly vivid fantasy…
