14 Classic Muscle Cars That Are Actually Worth Owning Today

Muscle cars are as American as wide, open highways, fast-food drive-thrus, and apple pie. Born in the '60s at a time when American manufacturers were engaged in a race for the most horsepower, muscle cars showcased the most advanced engine technology automakers had to offer at the time. While there is some debate on what exactly defines what makes a muscle car, some agreed-upon traits include two doors, V8 engine, and lightweight chassis. They are generally a mid-size car and also carry four passengers. Most are a notchback design with a trunk, however, a few fastbacks are included. One trait they all share is horsepower — lots of it.

The heyday of the muscle cars was in the period of the late '60s and early '70s before a global oil crisis and regulations on safety and emissions started to spoil the fun. Horsepower ratings peaked in 1970 before big block engines fell out of favor and everything else became so restricted that even a Cadillac 500-cubic-inch engine barely made 200 horsepower. These are some of the most celebrated cars in the American auto industry, and they have seen a resurgence with new models coming out and classics shooting up in value. There are a lot of good muscle cars to choose from, and the most desirable models today can only be owned if you have a bit of wealth. But, should money cease to be a factor, these are 14 muscle cars that are actually worth owning today.

American Motors Corporation was an independent automaker that struggled to survive for decades. However, despite its economic struggles, the plucky little company from Kenosha, WI managed to crank out interesting cars year after year. Having smaller budgets for development meant having to be clever and inventive to make new models from old designs, and to utilize parts across the whole model range. Designer Dick Teague may have been the company's greatest asset, as he was able to work with these confined conditions to create some remarkable designs for cars that are still desirable today, such as the AMX (via Heacock Classics).

Often obscured from the long shadows of Mustangs, Chargers, and Camaros of the day, the AMX was competent competition in this time of fast and garish muscle cars. In the end, AMX only lasted through three model years. Having only two seats and going up against competition with much deeper pockets made it hard to gain traction in the market, and 1970 was its final year. Today they are a favorite among collectors, and their rarity makes them a popular curiosity at classic car events. The good news for collectors is that their value remains substantially lower than other muscle cars of the era, and an extremely nice one can be had for under $50,000.

The 1970 Superbird was Plymouth's answer to the Dodge Charger Daytona that hit the tracks a year before. While the cars may look similar, they are not the same, however, Plymouth was able to use the wind tunnel test data that Dodge had used already. The single purpose of the Superbird was to win NASCAR races, and it did. When Dodge created the Daytona, 550 road-going copies had to be made, but, due to rule changes, Plymouth had to produce 1,900 copies of the car to be sold in dealerships. Creating and building this car was an expensive endeavor and would push the retail price up significantly over stick vehicles, but Plymouth made it anyway (via Volo Auto Museum).

Part of Plymouth's plan with the car was to encourage Richard Petty to return to the brand for racing, which he did. With the Superbird at Petty's control, it won eight races, with an additional 10 wins by other drivers. It was a success. NASCAR changed the rules once again in 1971, making the car obsolete. Therefore, only one year model exists and today it is strikingly rare and astronomically valuable. While the original selling price of the Superbird was $4,280, one sold recently at auction for a record $1.65 million at Barrett-Jackson.

Using GM's special order system, a clever dealer in Illinois special ordered a Camaro with the built-for-racing ZL1 427 V8 for inventory, resulting in a total of 69 being produced. At the time, the ZL1-code engine was a big block 427 V8 that was all-aluminum construction for race cars, whereas consumer engines were iron and weighed 100 pounds more. Official output of the engine was 430 horsepower but, according to MotorTrend, actual output was likely north of 500. Some hand-wringing was involved in getting the cars from Chevrolet, as project managers did not want to build the cars, and set a minimum order of 50 units. Chevy dealer Fred Gibb agreed to the order of 50 cars and they headed into production. Thirty-seven would eventually be returned to Chevrolet, and those were subsequently sent back out to other interested dealers.

These performance-oriented models originally sold for around $7,000, which was a higher price than the new Corvette at the time. But things have changed since then. High-performance vehicles tend to hold value well and special editions can fetch high prices as the cars age. The ZL1 fits in line with this, as surviving models are possibly the most valuable Camaros in existence. One model in mint condition crossed the auction block at Barrett-Jackson in 2019, selling for just shy of $1.1 million, per GM Authority. The legacy of the ZL1 lives on today as Chevrolet revived the option package with the current model, offering a supercharged V8 that makes 650 horsepower.

[Featured image by via Sicnag Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY 2.0]

Pontiac's GTO set off a storm in the auto industry that had product planners scrambling for a way to compete with their own performance model. Oldsmobile responded by applying its B09 "Police Apprehender-Pursuit" package to the existing Cutlass line, calling it a 4-4-2 for its four-barrel carburetor, four-speed transmission, and dual exhaust. The initial model featured a 330 V8 with 310 horsepower. Once Oldsmobile had some time to properly develop the model, it received a new 400-cubic-inch V8 based on the 425 big block, which changed the naming convention to 400, four-speed, and dual exhaust (via Hemmings).

Oldsmobile kept the 4-4-2 name up through the '90s, although the cars lost the meaning behind the numbers long before. The first two generations are the greatest of these models, as everything after 1973 lost a lot of horsepower. The last model was a Cutlass Calais Quad 442, with a 4 or 6-cylinder engine turning the front wheels and a max of 190 horsepower (via Volo Auto Sales). It kind of signaled the death of the muscle car. The first generation 4-4-2 models are excellent collector cars that embody '60s American muscle well, and can be found at auctions in excellent condition today for $20,000-$40,000, according to Classic.com.

Dodge released the first Charger in 1966 as its first fastback intermediate racer. While the Coronet filled out the intermediate-size cars, fastbacks were all the rage, and Dodge wanted to cash in on the popularity, so it created the Charger as a fun and fast alternative. The first-generation models can be identified by their distinctive rectangular inset from grills with hidden headlights and the long sloping rear window that terminates near the end of the trunk. It also features rear windows, a rarity for two-door cars, and lacks a pillar, creating an open and spacious cabin that can feel almost like a convertible when cruising down the highway.

Dodge redesigned the Charger for 1968, making several styling changes that introduced more curves and special editions, notably, the Charger R/T, a member of what Chrysler marketed as "The Scat Pack," also including the Coronet R/T and Dart GTS. The automaker performed another redesign just a couple of years later with the 1971 model. The R/T package held over, although sales fell sharply. For the 1971 year model, only 63 Charger R/T models left the factory. This was and is the most desirable model of Charger that Dodge ever made. Current prices get close to $320,000, especially if equipped with the ultra-rare sunroof option, according to Classic.com.

John DeLorean is often said to have kicked off the muscle car era with his Pontiac GTO performance model of the LeMans. It proved to be a wildly successful project and the model remained a part of the Pontiac lineup until 1974. DeLorean later wanted to release a model that appealed to younger buyers with performance in mind. His car ended up featuring a 400-cubic-inch V8 with a Ram Air induction hood, Hurst shifter, functional rear spoiler, wider tires, and custom decals denoting the special model. According to Silodrome, he was a fan of Sammy Davis Jr. on the popular comedy show "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" and he called it The Judge, a reference to the "Here comes the judge" skit. It was bright and brash, and originally came in only one color, orange, which was officially called Carousel Red.

While the initial idea was to make a more affordable performance package for the GTO, The Judge's price was higher by a fairly large amount. The Judge performed well in terms of sales, with nearly 10% of GTO production coming with the special package. As much of a shot in the arm The Judge provided for Pontiac, the writing was on the wall for muscle cars, and 1969 would be the only year it made it to dealers (via Audrain Automotive Museum). The unique package offerings and graphics package make it a highly desirable car to own. Recent sales on Bring a Trailer show that you will need up to $100,000 to get one yourself.

While the most popular and highly praised muscle cars come from the late '60s, muscle cars did not completely die with the creation of the EPA. Furthermore, auto manufacturers placed many resources into making modified cars to sell performance variants to the public for increased revenue and marketing purposes, while some smart dealers created their own versions independently of the manufacturers.

One Chevrolet dealer, Don Yenko, began modifying Corvairs and Camaros. With backing from Chevrolet, he produced several versions of these cars that have become coveted collector items today. The last of these projects was the 1981 Turbo Z Camaro. By 1981, horsepower ratings had fallen precipitously along with emissions. Yenko found a good way to bring the horsepower back up by adding a turbocharger to the Camaro. The Z/28 Camaro came with a 350 small block V8 with Yenko adding a turbo providing up to 7 pounds of boost. It also had water injection and a fuel heater to keep it compliant with EPA rules. No horsepower stats were published, but Hagerty estimates a range of 240-250 based on its quarter-mile run time of 14.51 seconds.

While it was past the prime of the muscle car era and its power output still paled in comparison, it is a unique and clever car. Working within the technological constraints of the day, Yenko managed to squeeze a good increase of power out of the car and create something special. Only 19 were built, which makes it extremely rare today.