General Guides: American Classic Cars

From Classic Car Life

A Guide to American Classic Cars

American classic cars are often viewed as Marmite classic cars in the UK; you either love them or hate them. American classic cars, also known as muscle cars, are often quite crude, can’t really go round corners and a bit unrefined, on the flip side of this though, muscle cars are extremely fast in a straight line, are very loud, and have looks that turn heads everywhere. Whether you love or hate American classic cars, read on to find out more about some of the most famous muscle cars in the world.

Ford Mustang

The Ford Mustang has been in production in various forms for over forty years and the first models were introduced in 1964, that said however, the models from the 1970’s until the latest fifth generation model in 2005 have been considered by many as substandard.

The most desirable of these muscle cars were made in the 1960’s and arguably the most desirable Ford Mustang is the 390GT fastback that was featured in films such as Bullitt and Gone in 60 Seconds.

Every Ford Mustang produced has featured a V8 engine of varying displacement and power over the years and all have been rear-wheel drive. The Ford Mustang is one of the most desirable American classic cars on both sides of the Atlantic and good models of these muscle cars can easily fetch upwards of £30k.

Dodge Charger

These American classic cars were the contemporaries of the legendary Ford Mustang and always lived somewhat it its shadow. That said though, these muscle cars still have a huge following and still offer some of the same thrills in terms of power and pantomime as the Ford Mustang. The Dodge Charger was introduced around the same time as the Ford Mustang and these two muscle cars were often seen as rivals. The Dodge Charger found fame in films such as Bullitt and its most famous role as the General Lee in The Dukes of Hazzard.

There were several engines sizes to begin with in these American classic cars, the largest being a 6.3L Hemi V8. A six cylinder engine was introduced at a later date.

Pontiac GTO

The Pontiac GTO is one of the original muscle cars and slightly pre-dates the [Ford Mustang] and the Dodge Charger which were its main rivals. These American classic cars are in quite high demand the US and UK.

Like the Ford Mustang, the Pontiac GTO has been in production for over forty years but it is the early versions of these classic muscle cars that are the most sought after. Like all American classic cars of this ilk, the Pontiac has a very powerful V8 engine and offers good straight line performance. Prices for these muscle cars in good condition are very similar to those of the Ford Mustang and buyers for these American Classic Cars should expect to pay more the £30k.

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