AMERICA'S 10 GREATEST CLASSIC MUSCLE CARS, RANKED

[Mikebrinda]

AMERICA'S 10 GREATEST CLASSIC MUSCLE CARS, RANKED

Owned '69 Road Runner in high school, and still alive.

http://www.maxim.com/rides/10-greate...-ranked-2016-5

[ChrisBlair]

Can't view at work. What are their criteria? Usually these things fall into a few categories:

Nostalgic choice
Popularity in context of present day
Rarity
Subjective cool factor

Can somebody list the cars for me?

[shaffe]

1.GTO
2.Daytona/Superbird
3.Charger
4.Chevelle
5.GSX
6.442
7. Road Runner
8.Torino
9.Nova
10. Rebel Machine

I agree with most of the cars on the list, not so much the rankings.

[Royal Tiger]

I'm an Oldsmobile guy, and I realize the Hurst/Olds is extremely rare, but if they are going to have the Charger/Road Runner AND the Daytona/Superbird they could include the H/O as well as the 4-4-2.

[SS 1LE]

Sorry, but that list is pretty terribly made...they have the same basic car listed twice, just as a different trim/models (Superbird/Daytona and Road Runner are VERY similar). Plus some cars are narrowed to a specific model like the 442 and GSX as it should be, but then the Chevelle is just listed as a Chevelle, not Chevelle SS? And a Torino and Rebel, come on now lol...

Most real muscle car enthusiasts would pick the Chevelle SS (1970 LS6) or GSX Stage 1 (1970) as the top dog muscle car. But I can't argue with the GTO as it did start the whole muscle car era.

[ChrisBlair]

"The Goat was the original muscle car, so we are naming it best".

Bullshit on each count. Chrysler and Ford were doing it earlier. And better.

And this one riles me:

"5. Buick GSX
Each of the GM divisions wanted to compete in the muscle cars wars, so even the luxurious Buick brand entered the fray with the creation of the GSX. This was a souped-up version of the company's Regal, using a 455 cubic-inch big block to contend in the performance wars from 1970-'72."

Bullshit again. The GSX was not Buick's first step into this arena. The Gran Sport (not Grand Sport) Buicks had been around for YEARS.The GSX was an appearance package for Buick's GS lineup, which was itself based off the A-body Skylark. Regal did not exist then. The Regal debuted in 1973.

The GSX was also not a "souped up" version of anything. A GSX could be had with the Stage 1 package which was available on any GS455 model. The GSX itself offered no unique performance options aside from the dubious value of the chin air dam and the spoiler. And if you were really savvy you could get the Stage 2 package, which was a performance upgrade, but not GSX specific.


Maxim needs to stick to taking photos of hot women, because they know crap about cars. And somebody tell Dan Carney he knows jack shit about Buicks in particular.

[Kenny Camaro]

Originally Posted by ChrisBlair

"The Goat was the original muscle car, so we are naming it best".

Bullshit on each count. Chrysler and Ford were doing it earlier. And better.

And this one riles me:

"5. Buick GSX
Each of the GM divisions wanted to compete in the muscle cars wars, so even the luxurious Buick brand entered the fray with the creation of the GSX. This was a souped-up version of the company's Regal, using a 455 cubic-inch big block to contend in the performance wars from 1970-'72."

Bullshit again. The GSX was not Buick's first step into this arena. The Gran Sport (not Grand Sport) Buicks had been around for YEARS.The GSX was an appearance package for Buick's GS lineup, which was itself based off the A-body Skylark. Regal did not exist then. The Regal debuted in 1973.

The GSX was also not a "souped up" version of anything. A GSX could be had with the Stage 1 package which was available on any GS455 model. The GSX itself offered no unique performance options aside from the dubious value of the chin air dam and the spoiler. And if you were really savvy you could get the Stage 2 package, which was a performance upgrade, but not GSX specific.


Maxim needs to stick to taking photos of hot women, because they know crap about cars. And somebody tell Dan Carney he knows jack shit about Buicks in particular.

Earlier and better? Come on now Chris, if the were better, how many did they sell? Let's stay in 1964-65, not at the end where every company/division had some low production super hot car that they didn't even offer 2,000 of. I'd agree with not the fastest, but sales has to account into the ranking/rating somehow.

[Kenny Camaro]

I'll step up,' Dan Carney', You don't know SHIT about Buicks brother!!

[Badfinger]

What, no Mustang?

[Kenny Camaro]

Originally Posted by Badfinger

What, no Mustang?

Or trans am or barracuda , but a Torino? Really??

[ChrisBlair]

I hear ya Kenny and I love GTOs. But. "Better" doesn't have to mean "most popular" or "best selling". Budweiser is an extremely popular beer. But it belongs back in the horse that made it. You can get better beer.

If we go by sales, then the list will be much different, and I bet the GSX isn't on the list at all. The GTO was such a beautiful car for almost any year you want to pick, and it's very popular still, but ugly beasts made and sold before that car were better muscle cars, if you gauge it by what a muscle car does and in '64 it wasn't "look at me I'm cool with wings and graphics look out".

Sales must count, you're right, but by the same token Maxim still gives the GTO the crown for virtue of being 'first'.

But the cars that tore up GTOs then were ugly, and they were beasts and unpleasant to drive, as most were 'strippers' with no luxury. Ford's Thunderbolt for one, and Dodge's Ramcharger for another. Quite rare cars, but they were out there. I think that the pretty cars get picked as 'best' too often.

There's a guy with a Thunderbolt in my hometown. Never drives it :(

[SS 1LE]

Originally Posted by Badfinger

What, no Mustang?

Not a muscle car. It's a pony car...same goes for Camaro, Firebird and Challenger.

[SS 1LE]

Originally Posted by ChrisBlair

I hear ya Kenny and I love GTOs. But. "Better" doesn't have to mean "most popular" or "best selling". Budweiser is an extremely popular beer. But it belongs back in the horse that made it. You can get better beer.

If we go by sales, then the list will be much different, and I bet the GSX isn't on the list at all. The GTO was such a beautiful car for almost any year you want to pick, and it's very popular still, but ugly beasts made and sold before that car were better muscle cars, if you gauge it by what a muscle car does and in '64 it wasn't "look at me I'm cool with wings and graphics look out".

Sales must count, you're right, but by the same token Maxim still gives the GTO the crown for virtue of being 'first'.

But the cars that tore up GTOs then were ugly, and they were beasts and unpleasant to drive, as most were 'strippers' with no luxury. Ford's Thunderbolt for one, and Dodge's Ramcharger for another. Quite rare cars, but they were out there. I think that the pretty cars get picked as 'best' too often.

There's a guy with a Thunderbolt in my hometown. Never drives it :(

Thunderbolts and Ramchargers were not production cars, in most cases were not road legal, did not come with a warranty, and were not easily insurable.

Like it or not, the GTO was the first, true to mold, full production muscle car.

[ChrisBlair]

"Most cases". It's not as if I named altered-wheelbase cars...

Fine, ignore them GTO was first, let me see..

1961 Chevy 409 (had so much identity the Beach Boys wrote a song). 1962 Ford Galaxie 500XL, multi-carb 406. (Or a 1957 Ford with factory supercharging. If that wasn't a factory-built hotrod,what was?) 1963 Ford Galaxie 427. And back to butt-ugly with the 1962 Plymouth lineups with the RB Block 413s. OK, that car is rare so go with the 1963 Plymouth and the 426 Max Wedge....barring that how about the '64 Plymouth Commando 426 cars?

Some extremely ugly cars in that list. Mostly Mopars. Almost all a model year or more older than the GTO. And unloved :(