This entry is more about an engine, rather than a specific vehicle model line, hence the entry as a bonus item (plus, I couldn’t think of any other way to squeeze it onto the list!). The 426 RB Wedge (aka Max Wedge) was introduced by Mopar in 1963 as a factory produced “racing only” engine, and was sold through 1964, until it was replaced by the more famous 426 Hemi. According to sales brochures, cars ordered with the Wedge were “not a street machine” but were “designed to be run in supervised, sanctioned drag-strip competition”. The usual combo was to order it in Plymouth’s lightest weight model, the Savoy (pictured here), but it could also be found in the more luxerious Belvedere and Sport Fury models. The Dodge equivilent was typically found in the Polara, but in both marques, it could be ordered in any model offered (including wagons and convertables). 2,130 Mopar vehicles with this motor installation were produced in 1963. Boasting dual quads and 13.5:1 compression, this power-plant produced 425 hp at 5,600 rpm. Lightweight stockers with this motor flew down the strip in a blinding 12 seconds.
Many enthusiasts consider the “Goat” to be the first muscle car, and its
classic split grill front-end design is among the most recognizable
features of all muscle cars. Starting life as an option package for the
1963 Pontiac LeMans, the GTO became its own model series in 1966.
Model year 1967 was the last year of this first-generation look with the
stacked headlight design, and is showcased here. Standard equipment
included bucket seats, a walnut-grained dash panel, duel exhaust, and a
beefy suspension. A look under the hood found a bigger 400 cid motor
than the prior year’s 389. Pontiac also went from a tri-power (three
2bbls) carb setup to a single 4bbl for the 1967 edition. The top
performance option in 1967 was the 400 HO, rated at 360 hp at 5,100 rpm.
Adding the Ram Air induction option slightly increased peak rpm.
These GTOs typycally ran the quarter-mile in the low 14s. Almost 82,000
GTOs were sold in 1967, 13,872 of which had the 400 HO, with Ram Air installed in only 751 of these units.
2. 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396
Chevrolet’s “Super Sport” option package was first introduced for the 1961 Impala and soon spread to its other model offerings including the Chevelle, which began life in 1964. The 1966 model year saw the Chevelle take on what I consider to be its best looking body style, with its most-recognizable feature, the classic forward-thrusting front fenders. The Super Sport version also included special wheel covers, red-line tires, and a black-out grill which showed off the SS badging to further compliment its bold appearance. Enginewise, the 396 was basically a de-stroked big-block 409, and was available in several configurations starting with the base-rated 325 hp version. The top option was the RPO L78 which was a mid-year release. Thanks to its 11.0:1 compression ratio, a hot cam, and other tweaks, this baby generated 375 hp at 5600 rpm, could go 0-60 in about 6.5 seconds and ran 14.5 second quarters. In 1966, Chevelle SS 396s with the L78 engine option numbered only about 100 units, and accordingly are highly prized today.
3. 1969 Dodge Coronet R/T and Super Bee
I’m listing both versions of the ’69 Coronet muscle car here, because
they are both very similar (and very cool), but each one has its own
unique advantages. The R/T option designation was available on several
Dodge models starting back in 1967, and signified “road/track”
performance. In 1969, many Mopar fans opted for the slightly less
expensive Coronet Super Bee (boasting its unique logo in the rear-end
bumble-bee striping). This was Dodge’s equivalent to the Plymouth
Roadrunner, and as such, was equally minus many luxury features, making
it lighter in weight as compared to the R/T. Super Bees are also much
more common, especially those equipped with the base 383 cid (over
24,000 units sold), which was not even available in the R/T. A few
Super Bees came with either the bigger 440 six-pack or the 426 twin-four
Hemi. The R/T was only offered with the 440 Magnum or the Hemi. These
burners routinely ran the quarter-mile in the mid-13s. As for the R/T
being the rarer of the two models, about 6,800 R/Ts were produced in
1969, 400 of which were the R/T convertible (all Super Bees were
hardtops). Ten of those rag-top R/Ts had the Hemi, and only four of
those left the factory with the four-speed tranny.
4. 1966 Oldsmobile 442
Technically, pre-1968 Olds 442s weren’t an actual model, but rather
“442″ was an option package available for the Oldsmobile Cutlass. The
standard L78 400 cid engine incorporated a single 4bbl carburetor and
was rated at 350 hp. The favored set-up for muscle car buyers was the
upgraded L69, which was a one-year-only configuration that featured a
hotter cam and a triple 2bbl carb “tri-power” arrangement, which helped
increase the power rating by another 10 horses. Quarter-mile runs were
as quick as 14.8 seconds. Rarest of the rare was the W-30 version of
the tri-power motor, which also incorporated an air induction system via
tubing from the front bumper. There were only 54 factory-released
copies of the W-30, although another 97 were dealer-modified
installations. Finding a W-30 442 today is next to impossible (at this
writing, one is available on eBay for $70k!), but lacking that, the
“regular” tri-power L69′s are most desired by collectors.
Mopar struck paydirt when it came up with the idea of capitalizing on
the muscle car wave of popularity by offering the low-priced Roadrunner
to the masses in 1968, with 1969 being a particularly stellar sales
year. They were definitely marketing the younger audience with better
affordbility, as well as licencing the Warner Brothers cartoon character
as its namesake and mascot, including the well-known “beep-beep” sound
for its horn. To keep the price down, Roadrunners were minimally
appointed, but these cars weren’t toys, as performance and suspension
features were not compromised. Base stickered at under $3,000, the
price quickly went up when you started beefing it up with power options.
Who wants the standard 383 cid mill when you could get a 390 hp 440
with a three-two “Six-pack”? Well forget even that; what you really
wanted under the hood was the 426 Street Hemi. Featuring hi-po goodies
such as Hemi heads, 10.25:1 compression and two fours, its rated output
boosted to 425 hp at 5,000 rpm. It could run the quarter in 13.5
seconds and had a top speed of 140+ mph! Over 80,000 units of the
various configurations were sold in 1969, with the “no-post” hardtops
being the most desirable among collectors. But the real find today is
the rag-top, of which only about 2,200 were produced.
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