If you’re a car-enthusiast who is fond of copious amounts of horsepower, then you know about “Muscle Cars.” Built during the 1960’s and 1970’s, muscle cars were made for raw automotive thrills. Typically, they have 2 doors and a hard top, although some were convertibles. What’s a must in any real muscle car, though, is that it be American-made and have a powerful V8 engine. In this article, we will look at some of the rarest of the muscle cars. As you probably imagine, each of the cars on this list is inconceivably valuable -many well into 7 figures.
1970 Plymouth Hemi Superbird — Only 135 Produced
This outrageous car, complete with a sky-high spoiler and protruding fiberglass nose, was produced in 1970. The Superbirds could be ordered with a selection of motors but 135 were outfitted with Plymouth’s famous 426 cubic inch Hemi engine. What’s probably most endearing characteristic about the Plymouth Superbird is its unique horn, whose sound mimics the sound of Looney Tunes’ Roadrunner.
1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL-1 — Only 69 Produced
The Camaro ZL-1 was modeled after the ultra-popular L88 Camaro. The engine was entirely made of aluminum instead of cast iron and only weighs 500 pounds. The first 20 cars produced were used for professional racing and the rest were available for sale to the public.
1967 Ford Fairlane 500 R-Code — Only 57 Produced
The Ford Fairlane was a full-size model until, in 1962, it was remodeled into the smaller 500. In 1967, the model 500 R-Code was produced (the R signifying dual quad carburetors), with a horsepower reaching 425.
1967 Plymouth R023 GTX — Only 55 Produced
After being shadowed by the more popular Roadrunner and Barracuda lines, the Plymouth’s GTX was upgraded to the RO23 GTX model. The RO23 was fitted with a 426 cubic inch Hemi engine. Due to its powerful engine, the car was designed with larger hood scoops to make way for more airflow. It was quite a fascinating car for 1967 and could go from 0 to 60 in just 4.8 seconds.
1970-71 Plymouth Hemi Baracuda Convertible — Only 21 Produced
This was a car like no other – with a choice of 5 different engine options ranging from 340 to 440 cubic inches, this car is classified as one of the rarest and finest of classic cars. It’s a pity that only 21 ‘Cudas were produced but this poor number may be explained by the increase of $870 in their price. Many lucky owners opted for the 440+6 cubic inch model because it was only $250 more than the base model.
1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 LS6 — Only 20 Produced
The elegant 454 LS6 are the rarest Chevelles found. The LS6 was an exclusive model which was only available on RPO215s with an added horsepower of 100, which totaled up to an impressive 560 horsepower.
1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88 — Only 20 Produced
The Corvette L88 was produced as part of the L88 racing package in 1967 and 1968. It was designed for professional racing purposes. It had a 427 cubic inch Chevy big block engine, which was able to produce 435 horsepower. Unfortunately, the L88 stopped being produced due to the reported increase in its emissions. Out of the 196 models made, only 20 were the 1967 models were the most unique.
1971 Pontiac GTO Judge Convertible — Only 17 Produced
The convertible GTO Judge was designed by John DeLorean as an upgraded package available for the company’s Tempest line. Pontiac got rid of as much of the car’s weight as possible in order to make it lighter, and fitted it with a 455 cubic inch engine. After having produced 207 GTO Judge Convertible models, the company had to stop producing them due to strict emission standards in the U.S. Only 17 of the GTOs were made in 1971.
1969 Chevrolet Corvette ZL-1 – Only 3 Produced
The folks at Sunset Chevrolet of Sumner, a local Chevrolet dealer in Sumner, WA, tell us that the 1969 Corvette is the Holy Grail of ‘Vettdom. The Corvette ZL-1 was outfitted with an aluminum-block, 427 cubic inch and a L88 Special Turbo Jet engine, which could produce 500 horsepower. There were only 3 instances of this powerful ZL-1 engine actually being installed in a Corvette. No wonder the price of this car model was $10,771 in 1969 – over $3,000 more than a normal Corvette.
1967/1970 Dodge Coronet R/T 426 Hemi Convertible – Only 2 Produced
Fitted with 487 Coronet R/T (Road and Track) engine, this car is possibly the rarest model of classic American muscle cars. Just two of these were made in 1967 and another two in 1970. Whoever owns one of the two original 1970 Dodge Coronet R/t 426 Hemi Convertibles is one lucky car owner.
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