These Muscle Cars Had The Best Names

American carmakers were slow to drawback connected to nan powerfulness of a awesome exemplary sanction to marketplace a car and create a legacy. The Ford Model T changed nan world, but it sewage its sanction from nan truth that Henry Ford named his prototypes aft letters. Not very imaginative, Henry. Duesenberg besides referred to its astir breathtaking car arsenic simply nan Model J. Other cars were named aft method specs, specified arsenic nan twelve-cylinder Packard Twelve of nan 1930s.

By nan 1950s, however, manufacturers started to drawback on. Cars sewage exemplary names that conjured speed, power, aliases luxury, specified arsenic Corvette, Thunderbird, aliases El Dorado. By nan mid-1960s, car names genuinely started to travel into their ain pinch designations for illustration nan Ford Galaxie, nan Plymouth Barracuda, and nan Pontiac Tempest. The second car became nan ground for nan Pontiac GTO, wide considered nan car that launched nan musculus car era.

Muscle Car Club defines a musculus car arsenic "an intermediate-sized, high-performance oriented model, powered by a ample V8 engine, astatine an affordable price." Although there's plentifulness of statement complete when nan American musculus era peaked, astir work together that it had ended by nan mid-1970s. For astir a decade, then, we saw immoderate of nan astir glorious machines that ever came retired of Detroit. Along pinch tire-smoking V8 engines, nan musculus car era produced immoderate of nan champion exemplary names of each time, too.

Above all, nan musculus car era was astir nan fun provided by smoking tires and eye-popping zero-to-sixty times. Our first car takes nan conception of nosy and leans into it pinch a lighthearted sanction and 1 of nan coolest badges connected immoderate car – the Plymouth Road Runner. Named aft nan beloved Looney Tunes characteristic who was ever 1 measurement up of his hapless coyote pursuer, nan Road Runner debuted successful 1968 arsenic a much affordable replacement to pricier musculus cars of its day. And yes, nan car really sported a schematic of nan Road Runner.

Plymouth licensed nan Road Runner sanction and image from Warner Brothers. It costs them each of $50,000 to do so. The car's horn besides utilized nan animation bird's "beep-beep" sound, truthful Plymouth really sewage its money's worthy from its 50 grand. Heck, moreover Wile E. Coyote's image made an quality connected Road Runners equipped pinch nan Coyote Duster aerial filter, though you had to unfastened nan hood to spot it. Plymouth sewage a animation characteristic two-for-one.

The '68 Road Runner was based connected nan redesigned intermediate-size Plymouth Belvedere, which rode connected Chrysler's B-body platform. Engines for its first twelvemonth included a 383-cubic-inch V8 and nan famed 426 Street Hemi, nan second of which pumped retired 425 horsepower and an earth-shaking 490 pound-feet of torque. Partway done nan 1969 exemplary year, nan 440 Six Barrel motor (also called nan 440-6) became available, producing 390 hp and 490 lb-ft of torque. In 1970, Plymouth introduced nan ultra-aerodynamic Road Runner Superbird, a car truthful accelerated that it was banned by NASCAR.

In keeping pinch nan taxable of fun, nan Pontiac GTO Judge was named aft a catchphrase from nan classical sketch drama show, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. It sported an emblem pronunciation retired "The Judge" successful wavy, trippy achromatic letters outlined successful reddish against a yellowish background–perfect for nan psychedelic '60s. However, nan lighthearted iconography belied nan car's super-cool name, because who is much intimidating than a judge? It stood fresh to pronounce its condemnation connected its competition, and nary lenience could beryllium expected.

The Judge started arsenic a task to build a competitor to nan Road Runner. Like nan Plymouth, it was meant to beryllium a lightweight, bare-bones, affordable musculus car. Originally called nan E/T — which apparently did not yet connote abstraction aliens — nan car's sanction and ngo were changed by John DeLorean, who was past Pontiac's main engineer. By nan clip it deed showrooms for nan 1969 exemplary year, nan Judge sported a 366-horsepower Ram Air III V8, pinch a 370-hp Ram Air IV arsenic an disposable option. Wider tires, a rear spoiler, and a Hurst shifter completed nan package.

Up done 1969, GM prohibited its divisions from installing engines larger than 400 cubic inches, but this prohibition was lifted successful 1970. Pontiac took advantage of this and equipped nan Judge pinch a monster 455-cubic-inch V8 partway done nan 1970 exemplary year. Styling was lightly refreshed, too. About 10 percent of each GTOs sold successful 1969 and 1970 were Judges, truthful buyers didn't rather look to drawback connected to nan unsocial model. It has since go a classic, pinch a $1 cardinal Pontiac GTO Judge sold astatine a Mecum auction successful 2023.

GM's A-body level birthed respective iconic musculus cars, 1 of which we've already met successful nan shape of nan GTO Judge. Several A-bodies person famous, if somewhat anodyne, alphanumeric designations specified arsenic nan Buick GSX and nan Oldsmobile 4-4-2. However, nan Chevelle Malibu SS came pinch a sanction that stands out. Chevelle evidently conjures nan Chevy name, but it besides has echoes of horses, since cheval means equine successful French. However, it has often been said that Chevelle is simply a portmanteau of Chevy and gazelle, though possibly only Chevy's trading section knew for sure.

Regardless of its origins, Chevelle conscionable sounds cool. Buyers agreed, and nan Chevelle became 1 of nan astir celebrated musculus cars of each time. In its debut exemplary twelvemonth of 1964, it sold much than 338,000 units, rising to a highest of 633,000 successful 1970. Not each Chevelle would person qualified arsenic a musculus car, specified arsenic six-cylinder models. However, V8 options included a 283 small-block rated astatine up to 220 hp and a 327 producing 300 hp, some of which were disposable successful nan Chevelle Malibu SS.

By 1966, nan Chevelle Malibu SS 396 exemplary offered V8s rated for 325, 360, and 375 horsepower. A 1968 redesign included a 402-cubic-inch motor option, though it was still designated arsenic a 396, presumably to skirt GM's prohibition connected engines bigger than 400 cubic inches. By 1975, Chevy stopped offering big-block V8s successful nan Chevelle, and successful 1977, nan exemplary was discontinued. Oddly, contempt nan car's fame and cool name, Chevy has ne'er tried to revive it. However, location person been occasional rumors of Chevrolet bringing nan Chevelle back.

Look past nan awkward pronunciation and pronounce nan sanction retired loud: Oldsmobile Rallye 350. It sounds accelerated earlier you moreover laic eyes connected its spectacular yellow-ness. Based connected a Cutlass Holiday Coupe body, nan 1970 Rallye 350 was 1 of a number of musculus car models that responded to rising security premiums by scaling backmost nan capacity facet — but not excessively much. After all, location was still a 350-cubic-inch, 310-hp, four-barrel V8 nether nan car's Sebring Yellow hood.

This made nan Olds bully for a 7.0-second zero-to-sixty run. The quarter-mile clocked successful astatine conscionable complete 94 mph. By nan standards of 1970, this was much than decent, though short of immoderate top-end musculus cars, which helped to appease security companies. However, nan Rallye 350 besides offered decent handling acknowledgment to a suspension package that offered anti-roll bars (front and rear) and stiffer springs.

We support mentioning yellow, but it's difficult to debar successful regards to this car. The body, bumpers, grille, broadside reflector housings, spoiler, and wheels were each yellow, a rarity successful an era erstwhile astir cars sported plentiful chrome. In fact, immoderate dealers tried to boost nan slow-selling exemplary pinch stainless alloy trim rings connected nan wheels, and they sometimes moreover replaced nan yellowish bumpers pinch chrome ones. With only 3,547 units sold, this car is uncommon and doubly unsocial since Oldsmobile is an extinct brand. Indeed, we're still not complete Oldsmobile's death aft much than 2 decades.

What stings much fiercely than a bee? A Super Bee, Dodge's chaotic and short-lived affordable musculus car. The sanction Super Bee most apt derived from nan truth that it rode connected nan B-body platform, but really cool is nan image of a car that stings its competition? When Plymouth deed 1 retired of nan parkland pinch nan 1968 Road Runner (also a Mopar B-body car), Dodge quickly responded pinch nan Super Bee arsenic a mid-year 1968 model.

Like its Road Runner cousin, nan Super Bee sewage a nosy sanction and a cool logo – a animation bee successful a racing helmet and goggles, sporting wheels and broadside pipes alternatively of wings. Under its cool graphics and hood scoops, nan Super Bee was based connected nan Dodge Coronet successful its pillared-coupe version. Like nan Road Runner, nan '68 Super Bee offered a prime of nan 383 big-block and nan 426 Hemi. However, nan Super Bee offered other instrumentality specified arsenic a podded gauge cluster and a Hurst shifter, making it somewhat much upscale than its Plymouth counterpart.

For 1969, nan Super Bee sewage nan aforesaid 390-hp 440-6 motor arsenic nan '69 Road Runner. The action package that it came pinch besides included achromatic wheels and a matte-black fiberglass hood, on pinch a Dana 60 4:10-geared rear end. The exemplary was refreshed successful 1970, but successful 1971, nan Coronet coupe was dropped, starring Dodge to transportation nan Super Bee sanction to a small-block equipped Charger. We judge nan Super Bee is simply a Dodge exemplary that deserves different chance.

Before nan connection charger came to mention to a instrumentality for slow powering up EVs, it referred to a medieval warhorse. Much cooler than an EV, huh? Dodge brought its ain Charger steed to nan musculus car wars of nan 1960s. Like nan Super Bee and nan Road Runner, it was based connected Chrysler's B-body level and shouldn't beryllium confused pinch nan similar-looking but much upscale E-body Challenger. Yet pinch its muscular creation and hidden headlights, nan Charger looked for illustration a premium car successful its ain right.

The 1968-70 type of nan Charger, pinch its iconic Coke vessel styling, has travel to specify nan model. This results partially from its predominant appearances successful movies and TV shows, including a definite Friday nighttime staple of Gen X childhoods successful which an orangish Charger could beryllium seen jumping complete creeks successful Hazzard County while Wayland Jennings narrated nan adventures of "them Duke boys." Just don't punctual america that complete 300 Chargers were destroyed filming nan show's stunts.

First-generation 1966-67 Chargers offered a scope of V8s topped by a 425-hp Hemi that cranked retired 490 lb-ft of torque. The 2nd procreation added an inline-six and nan Magnum V8, which made it a portion of nan group of capacity cars known arsenic nan Scat Pack. Two homologation specials were offered successful 1969 to suffice nan Charger for NASCAR races: nan Charger 500 and nan ultra-aerodynamic Charger Daytona, which joined nan Road Runner Superbird successful being banned by NASCAR for being excessively fast.

Here's a car sanction that piles connected furniture aft furniture of cool. After all, Mercury was nan fleet-footed messenger of nan gods, a cyclone is simply a powerful storm, a cobra is simply a quick-striking snake, and jets powerfulness nan fastest vehicles connected earth. Put them together successful 1 name, and you person nan Mercury Cyclone Cobra Jet. Even nan car that it was based connected had a beautiful cool sanction successful nan Mercury Comet, a compact car that grew into a midsize by 1966 to suffice nan Cyclone arsenic a existent musculus car.

The '66 Mercury Comet Cyclone was a worthy contender and stands retired for its rarity, but nan exemplary came into its ain pinch nan 1969 Mercury Cyclone Cobra Jet. A copy to nan Ford Torino Cobra, nan Mercury type of this car is exceedingly rare, pinch only 2,175 ever built. If you spot one, get a pic, because you'll rather apt ne'er spot 1 again. Its 428-cubic-inch V8 officially made 335 hp, but it's wide believed that nan existent number was rather a spot higher, successful nan 400 hp range.

This was bully for a 14-second quarter-mile time, which would rank nan Cyclone Cobra Jet arsenic 1 of nan fastest musculus cars of its era. Yet because of its rarity, aliases possibly because of nan now-departed Mercury division's estimation arsenic a purveyor of mid-level near-luxury cars, nan Cyclone Cobra Jet faded into history, ignored by each but nan astir die-hard musculus car fans.

As if nan Super Cobra Jet nickname successful this car's sanction wasn't cool enough, there's nan exemplary sanction itself, Torino, nan Italian sanction for Turin, a metropolis successful bluish Italy. Turin is named for nan Celtic Taurini tribe, who lived successful nan area earlier nan Romans conquered it. Their name, successful turn, was derived from a connection meaning either bull aliases mountain. Additionally, Turin is often referred to arsenic Italy's Detroit because it's location to carmakers for illustration Fiat, giving Ford's car a frisson of Italian capacity heritage.

Of course, that was each marketing. The Torino was a thoroughly American car, and Cobra versions of nan Torino utilized a thoroughly American attack to performance: great, big, stonkin' V8s. Even nan regular 1970 Torino Cobra was a formidable musculus car equipped pinch a 360-horsepower Thunder Jet V8 pinch a four-barrel carburetor. With a blacked-out hood and Cobra badging connected a muscular assemblage that had been redesigned for that exemplary year, nan Torino Cobra was an intimidating roadworthy presence. Upgrading to nan 429 Cobra boosted horsepower to 370.

By checking disconnected nan Drag Pack action connected nan bid expanse for conscionable $155, buyers could measurement up to nan Super Cobra Jet. With upgrades for illustration a Holley 4150-series carburetor, header-style exhaust manifolds, and upgrades for durability, specified arsenic heavier-duty connecting rods pushing forged aluminum pistons, this was a race-ready engine. Ford officially rated this centrifugal astatine 375 hp, possibly to appease nan security companies, but a 1971 roadworthy trial achieved a 13.70-second quarter-mile time. Ford must person printed that 375-hp fig pinch its fingers crossed down its back.