Have you ever wondered what the favorite vintage vehicles in America are? We wondered too, and tried to find out. We investigated all manner of websites and all manner of car boards trying to determine what Americans want in terms of vintage vehicles. We came up with more than 200 vehicles. So then we had to break it down, and that wasn’t easy.
Everyone has a preference. We found advocates for everything from the various incarnations of the Ford Torino to, believe it or not, the lowly Gremlin. It wasn’t easy assembling this list, but one thing we did discover is that overwhelmingly, the preference is for muscle cars. Accordingly, we’re basing this list on vintage muscle cars, because no other category even came close.
Here we count down the top ten based on what we’ve been able to determine from various sources. These are the cars that are most desired by aficionados of classic cars.
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The Plymouth Roadrunner was introduced in 1968, and was manufactured for about 12 years. As you might expect, it was marketed with Wile E. Coyote’s image, and the horn featured the Roadrunner’s ubiquitous “Meep Meep.” But don’t let the cuteness fool you. The Roadrunner could go 140 miles an hour and you could order a 426 CDI Hemi rated at 452hp that would allow the car to hit a quarter mile in just thirteen and a half seconds.
If you grew up in the 1960’s, you probably remember the Buick Skylark. It was a popular medium-sized car. The GSX was Buick’s very late entry into the Muscle Car market following less than spectacular sales late in the 1969 model year. The GSX was Buick’s answer to Pontiac’s GTO Judge, Oldsmobile’s 4-4-2 W-30, and Plymouth’s HemiCuda.
This beauty was actually able to hit a quarter mile in just 13.38 seconds.
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The Oldsmobile 442 (pronounced four-four-two) name derives from the original car’s four-barrel carburetor, four-speed manual transmission, and dual exhausts. The most popular version is the 1971 L69, which boasted 360 horsepower and could hit a quarter mile in just over 15 seconds as reported by Road Test magazine and 0 to 60 in 8.9 seconds using the TH400 automatic transmission. On today’s market, the L69 can fetch $85,000 at auction.
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In terms of muscle cars, the Chevrolet Camaro didn’t exactly have a stellar run, although it has since been reworked and is now available for people who always wanted one back in the day.
Four distinct generations of the Camaro were developed before production ended in 2002. The original, first generation Camaro was in production between the years 1967 and 1969. It was then revived on a concept car that became the fifth-generation Camero which started production in March of 2009.
If you can find one of the first generation models you can expect to spend over $90,000 to own it.
The Plymouth Superbird was… well… putting it bluntly, an odd-looking bird. It had a body style that was radically different from its sister vehicle, the Plymouth Road Runner. It was based on the Road Runner, but reworked to meet NASCAR requirements. Odd-looking as it was, it still delivered in terms of power in terms of a Magnum 440 V8 engine that delivered an amazing 375 horsepower. Over the past few years, the value of the Superbird has increased significantly, having sold for around $67,000 at auction in 2001 to $107,000 more recently.
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You know this one if you’ve ever watched The Dukes of Hazzard. With its distinctive front grille and its hidden headlights, this was one classy looking car. In 1968, the Charger sold for about $3,500, and today it can command approximately $170,000 at auction.
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The GTO is, simply stated, an icon. It was built by Pontiac between the years of 1964 and 1974, bursting onto the scene with a V8, 6.3 liter engine. Later, it switched to a 4 BBL carb with 389 horsepower, and in 1969, delivered the Judge model with its 6.5 liter engine. Today, a GTO commands approximately $200,000 at auction.
The Chevelle was actually designed as a sporty version of Chevrolet’s highly popular Impala. It boasted LS6 454 engine, one of the most powerful engines in muscle car history that allowed the Chevelle to from 0 to 60 in 6.1 seconds and a quarter mile in less than 14 seconds. At auction a Chevelle can command up to $369,000.
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The Barracuda was introduced in 1964, but really only attracted a lot of notice when the 7.2 liter engine was equipped in the car. The more powerful version of this car was the Hemi-Cuda, which was equipped with a 7-liter hemi block and could go 0-60 in just a little over five and a half seconds. Very few were made – in fact, just a few hundred, and each model had unique color and trim. A cherry Barracuda can command up to two million dollars at auction.
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The Shelby GT was made for just four years, between 1964 and 1968. The 1966 version is actually considered to be the best, with a V8 engine that delivered a full 360 horsepower. An original 289 roadster is worth more than $300,000.
The rarity of the 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake has helped to drive it’s auction price up to an estimated value of $5.5 million dollars.
So that’s our top ten vintage cars in America. Yes, this is simply an offering, and yes, it’s just muscle cars.
Everyone has a preference, whether it’s in terms of performance, or style, or just something quirky that they love in terms of a vintage vehicle. Maybe you get off on horsepower, or great lines, or just something that’s a bit uncommon. So what about you? Do you love vintage vehicles that aren’t muscle cars? Or do you prefer another muscle car?
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