Muscle cars, such as the pickup truck, are a big part of American automotive culture. Names like Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, and Pontiac GTO resonate with gearheads globally.
Yet despite their fame and notoriety, some muscle cars are slightly misunderstood. Either because consumers felt they were poor when announced or because they never got the following they deserved.
This list contains muscle cars that fall into those categories. But just because they were misunderstood doesn’t mean you should ignore them.
1969 Chevrolet Kingswood 427
It’s easy to look at a station wagon and gloss over it as “not a muscle car,” yet the 1969 Kingswood 427 was like the Chevrolet Camaro. This family wagon has the massive 427 ci Turbo-Jet V8 under the hood—an engine you would not expect to power a station wagon.
That V8 engine produced 390 hp through a four-speed manual transmission. To put that into context, that is over 200 hp more than some Camaros of the early 1980s. Even more remarkable is the fact it could run the 1/4 mile in just 15.6 seconds. It’s hugely impressive for a car the size of a small town.
1969 Ford Torino Talladega
Ford only produced the Torino Talladega for the 1969 model year, which was to help the Blue Oval become more competitive in NASCAR. Ford made the Torino Talladega in just the first few weeks of 1969.
It was a more aerodynamic version of the Torinp/Fairline Cobra to combat the threat posed by the Plymouth Superbird and Dodge Charger Daytona. Ford only sold them to the public to meet the 500 minimum homologation rules. However, that didn’t stop them from being mighty, as the Torino Talladega won 29 races and two championships. The 428 Cobra Jet V8 was critical to its success, with 355 hp and 440 lb-ft of torque.
1989–95 Ford Thunderbird SC
The original Ford Thunderbird is a classic. Yet few people seem to remember the 1989 to 1995 Thunderbird SC as fondly. This is a surprise, as this supercharged V6-powered muscle car was a bonafide Thunderbird, which had enough performance and comfort to rival comparable GT and sports cars.
The V6 was an offshoot of the small Windsor V8, producing 210 hp and 315 lb-ft of torque—more than a match for rivals from Chevrolet and Dodge. Upgrades in 1994 boosted the power to 230 hp and 330 lb-ft of torque, and the five-speed manual transmission from Mazda meant shifting was a superb experience. A 1/4 mile time of around 15 seconds was awe-inspiring, and the Thunderbird SC certainly had a mean, muscular look.
1970 Chevrolet Nova LT-1 COPO
At the start of the 1970s, a few Chevrolet Nova LT-1s COPOs ended up at Don Yenko’s for what was the sticker package and Yenko Deuce treatment. These extra-special Novas are often overlooked, yet they are incredibly rare. They have some of the best performance figures from any muscle car of the era.
Yenk used code COPO 9010 for the LT1 engine, and the tuner squeezed 360 hp out of the 350 ci LT1 V8 engine. The four-speed transmission was solid and dependable, and the upgraded Posi-traction rear end added to the fun of driving one of these rare muscle cars. Any muscle car with Don Yenku tuning is now highly collectible.
1964 Mercury Comet Cyclone
While not as aggressive as some muscle cars, the 1964 Mercury Comet Cyclone is not one you should ignore. 1964 Mercury added the Cyclone option to the Comet coupe, with the Ford 289 ci V8 producing 210 hp under the hood.
Mercury also introduced the “dress-up kit.” This was a package of cosmetic upgrades that added chrome to the engine accessories, wheel covers, and various other areas of the car. Ford built 50 very special, lightweight performance Comet Cyclones in 1964, which had the massive 427 ci V8 under the hood, specifically for drag racing.
1994-1996 Chevrolet Impala SS
While the standard Impala SS wasn’t a winner, the SS model elevated it to new heights. Chevrolet initially resurrected the SS badge at the 1992 Detroit Auto Show as a concept before popular demand led to it entering production.
Chevrolet had the foresight to shove a beefy Corvette 5.7-liter V8 under the hood of the Impala SS. The Bow Tie retuned it to produce 260 hp and 330 lb-ft of torque, down slightly from the Corvette’s 300 hp. The lower ride height and extra grip from the new 255/50ZR17 all-season tires led to the Impala SS becoming one of the best American performance cars of the 1990s while retaining the practicality of a four-door sedan.
1993 GMC Typhoon
Technically speaking, the 1993 GMC Typhoon is not a muscle car. It is, in reality, an SUV. But one with enough power to classify it as a muscle SUV, as GMC effectively created a muscle car with an SUV body.
The Typhoon is vastly underappreciated. Its turbocharged 4.3-liter GM LB4 engine produces 280 hp and 360 lb-ft of torque at 14 psi of boost. Such was the performance level of the Typhoon. It could run from 0-60 mph in 5.3 seconds and complete the 1/4 mile in 14.1 seconds. Faster than a Ferrari 348. GMC produced just 4,697 Typhoons over a year, making them exceptionally rare.
1970 AMC Rebel Machine
AMC is a name that has long since vanished from the American automotive world. Yet, for a period, the American Motors Corporation could produce some spectacular muscle cars in the form of the Rebel Machine.
The Rebel Machine was a factory drag racer that debuted at the 1969 NHRA World Championship Drag Race Finals in Texas. AMC marketed the car by driving ten cars from their Wisconsin factory to the event, running them at the event, and then driving them back home. Power came from a 390 ci V8 with 340 hp and 430 lb-ft of torque, ensuring the Rebel Machine was a 1970s muscle car classic.
Jensen Interceptor
Before you say it, yes, this is a British car, technically a GT car. Or is it? Under the hood, the Jensen Interceptor has Chrysler’s low-deck and high-deck big-block V8s and the small-block LA V8 powertrain.
What we have here, then, is a fully-fledged British muscle car that could take the fight to the best of what America had to offer. You had the exterior of a classic GT car, but the brawn and power of an American muscle car, and the Interceptor could produce up to 330 hp thanks to the 440 ci engine. Jensen produced 232 Interceptors with the 440 V8, called the Jensen SP.
1971 GMC Sprint SP 454
While everyone knows about the Chevrolet El Camino, the GMC Sprint is often overlooked. It is the unknown sibling of El Camino, and it is again an attempt by GM to merge the muscle car with a pickup truck.
While overlooked, the big LS5 engine in the Sprint SP packed a considerable performance punch. Under the hood, you would find the 454 ci big-block V8 engine, which 1971 produced 365 hp for the Sprint SP. The SP package was the GMC equivalent to the Chevrolet SS trim. Muscle cars like the El Camino and Sprint are misunderstood as pickup truck failures. We should look at them very differently as muscle trucks.
1970 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser 442
As the Chevrolet Kingswood has shown us, you can create a muscle car in station wagon form. The Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser became famous thanks to its starring role as Eric Foreman’s ride in That ’70s Show, but the wagon is so much more than a TV star.
The 442 version was the ultimate form of the Vista Cruiser. It had a four-barrel carburetor, four-speed manual transmission, and dual exhausts, giving it the 442 names. It also packed one of the biggest punches of any station wagon, with the 466 ci V8 under the hood producing 365 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque. These numbers could easily embarrass some fully-fledged muscle cars of the 1970s due to the impending gas crises.
1987 Buick GNX
Despite its incredible performance credentials and pedigree, some misunderstand the 1987 Buick GNX. To them, it’s a step too far for the Grand National, turning it into a sports car and taking it away from its roots due to its V6 engine.
The GNX is a full-blown muscle car that packs 276 hp and 360 lb-ft of torque thanks to the turbocharged 3.8-liter V6 that sits under the hood. Yet that power figure is regularly called conservative, with many claiming the GNX can produce over 300 hp. As a final farewell to the impressive Grand National, the GNX was perfect. It is also one of the rarest muscle cars ever produced.
1989 Pontiac Firebird Turbo Trans Am
Muscle cars of the 1980s were a mixed bag. Some were exceptional, yet others, such as the 1982 Chevrolet Camar, were massive letdowns. Yet, while it was lacking in some areas, the 1989 Pontiac Firebird Turbo Trans Am was an exceptional muscle car.
Pontiac produced just 1,555 Firebird Turbo Trans Am, arguably the best-turbocharged muscle car ever made. Power came from a 3.8-liter turbocharged V6 that Pontiac claimed produced 245 hp, the same as the 1989 Chevrolet Corvette C4. However, the reality was that the Pontiac could make closer to 300 hp. After a decade of largely inconsistent muscle cars, the 1989 Turbo Trans Am was a welcome return to form for the segment.
