9 Rare Old Muscle Cars We Love
Forget the usual Dodge Challenger—check out these rare old muscle cars that are hard to find and even more expensive to own. They deserve some love, too.
Written by Elaine Duvet
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
While supercars may be trending now, Americans were hooked on
muscle cars
in the ‘60s and early ‘70s. Strong and mighty, these beloved workhorses don’t always get the recognition they deserve. Rare old muscle cars from the ‘60s
You may not be an Impala fan today, but have you seen the 1963 Chevrolet Impala Z11? It’s not your average boring yet-to-be-discontinued sedan. The rare Z11 featured a 427 V8 engine with 430 hp and demanded your respect. Since Chevy only built about 50 of these bad boys, in 2017 they were being auctioned for as much as $525,000.
The 1966 Ford Fairlane 500 R-Code went through quite a transformation since its inception. When Ford first conceptualized the Fairlane in 1955, it was to be a full-sized sedan. It was then transformed into a midsize car in 1962.
A rare muscle car by 1966 featured a V8 engine that could pump out 425 hp. Only 57 examples were ever made.
Back in the day, everyone wanted to get their hands on a 1967 Shelby Cobra Super Snake and take it for a spin
down the California coast
. The rare old muscle car featured a 7.0-liter big block 427 supercharged engine with 800 hp and 462 lb-ft of torque. With a top speed of 201 mph, the Super Snake could reach 60 mph in just 3.8 seconds. The muscle car that behaved like a sports car never hit the market, as only one example was ever made.
More rare old muscle cars from the ’60s
Only 20 examples of the
1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88
were produced. Considered the holy grail in the Corvette world, the rare old muscle car sports a 7.0-liter 427 V8 engine with 560 hp and 550 lb-ft of torque. The L88 can accelerate to 60 mph in about 4.3 seconds, and hit a top speed of 170 mph. The 1967 Dodge Coronet WO23/Plymouth Belvedere RO23 was a road-legal dragster. The two race cars were pretty much identical, except for a few small details and badges. But we wouldn’t call them a comfortable ride by any means.
The rare old muscle cars housed their batteries in the trunk, which meant no heater or radio in the cabin. Many were also equipped with a rear-seat delete as well. The autos sported a 7.0-liter Hemi V8 engine with 425 hp and 55 units of each were built to meet the NHRA’s minimum requirement for drag strip homologation.
The 1969 Chevrolet Corvette ZL-1 was the most powerful Corvette to debut at the time. Under the hood, the ZL-1 actually sports an engine that Chevy developed with McLaren. Officially, its horsepower was clocked at 430 brake horsepower, but Corv Sport confirms the output was more like 560 to 585.
Since the rare old muscle car was listed at $10,048.15, it was a bit of a challenge to own. It’s believed that Chevy only sold two units.
MORE: Ford's Best Muscle Cars
Rare old muscle cars from the ‘70s
The 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle 454 SS LS6 is a mean muscle car that often gets overlooked.
Already sold as a muscle car in the late ‘60s, the Chevelle offered small- and big-block V8 engines. Then in 1970, the LS6 upgrade introduced a 7.4-liter V8 mill.
A single four-barrel Holley carburetor was added to the rare muscle car, giving it 450 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque. Only 20 units were ever made.
The super cool 1971 Pontiac GTO Judge Convertible didn’t garner much attention in the drop-top scene. From 1969 to 1970, Pontiac manufactured less than 200 vehicles and only 17 for the 1971 model year. As far as coupes go, they’re also pretty rare at 340 units produced.
The Judge housed the automaker’s most potent engine at the time, a 7.5-liter V8 with 335 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque. A short-lived cabriolet, the Judge was discontinued after 1971.
The 1970-1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda Convertible wasn’t a race-spec or homologation model. Back then, Plymouth didn’t produce many drop-top versions of the Cuda. In fact, between 1970 and 1971, only 21 Hemi-fitted Cudas made it out of the factory.
Ten models per year make this rare old muscle car pretty exclusive, not to mention costing an arm and a leg to build. The Cuda’s expensive price tag matched the likes of the Ford Shelby GT350 or the Mustang Boss 429.
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