The Mopar wars of the ’60s were the golden age of American muscle cars and made an incomparably huge and significant impact on the industry for years to come. Every major manufacturer was churning out extremely powerful cars that wowed customers and enthusiasts. However, by the ’70s, the oil embargo and tight emission laws led to the downfall of the powerful muscle car era. Great muscle cars were now merely a husk of their former selves, and while some cars managed to change with the times and make it through to the other end of the storm, many nameplates were buried for good.
However, the memories of these amazing classic American cars live on in the hearts and minds of gearheads, even though it has been decades since any of them saw production. Even though some of these classic cars have now become iconic and utterly valuable solely because of their absence from today’s industry, there is something magical about the idea of their revival. Here are ten great classic American muscle cars we truly wish made a comeback.
10 Ford Torino
The Ford Torino stood out among its contemporaries, be it the standard car, the Cobra, or even the GT. To this day, pop culture respects the Ford Torino, which makes it all the more disappointing that a full revival hasn’t been done yet.
Ford offered the Torino with a plethora of versions and engine choices, and one of the best was the Torino Cobra. The Ford Torino Cobra made 360 horsepower, thanks to its 429 cubic-inch V8. Even the GT Sport convertible options were crowd-pleasers, and now, with even the Mustang going electric, there is little hope for the Torino making a muscular comeback.
9 Plymouth Cuda
Plymouth surely made some phenomenal vehicles, and the Cuda is one of the most memorable and loved nameplates in the muscle car world.
While the launch of the original Barracuda technically preceded the 1964 launch of the Ford Mustang, it wasn’t until the beginning of the ’70s that the Plymouth Barracuda took the fight to the Dodge Challenger and the Mustang. Today, the Challenger and the Mustang are still going strong, and gearheads can’t help but wonder what a modern Barracuda might look like among the competition.
8 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
Fans of Smokey and the Bandit would’ve been out with pitchforks if the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am hadn’t been mentioned in this list. A masterpiece of muscle car design and engineering, the 1970 Firebird Trans Am housed a fantastic V8 capable of making 345 horsepower.
The muscle car even handled superbly and was a testament to the great feats Pontiac was capable of. Sadly, the 21st century wasn’t too kind to the brand, and the company went defunct in 2010. However, the car undeniably deserves a modern-day rendition.
7 Buick Gran Sport
As the muscle car wars picked up speed, Buick decided to jump into the fight with the Gran Sport. To this day, the Buick GS is a revered muscle car and remains one of the finest examples of its era.
The massive shell of the Gran Sport housed its 401 cubic-inch ‘nailhead’ V8, which was rated at 325 horsepower. The Gran Sport 400 remains one of Buick’s best offerings from the classic American muscle car era, and it certainly paved the way for better machines. Today, the Gran Sport could certainly be envisioned as a grand tourer with its big body housing a V8 or a turbocharged V6, fit for long trips in the countryside.
6 Pontiac GTO
One of the big, fat skeletons in GM’s closet, Pontiac is one of the brands they had to dissolve to avoid going bankrupt. To this day, you’d find plenty of gearheads still sad about it. After all, Pontiac largely created the entire muscle car segment with the launch of the legendary GTO.
It was the Pontiac GTO that set the standard going forward for other manufacturers when building muscle cars, with a light shell and powerful V8 under the hood. Now, while we wish for a true revival of the Pontiac GTO, we’re just going to pretend the early 2000s revival attempt never happened.
5 Plymouth GTX
One of the best Plymouth cars ever to come off the assembly line, the 1971 Plymouth GTX stands apart as truly special. For the model year, Plymouth altered the B-Body platform for the GTX, fitting it with a 7.2-liter 440ci V8 or a 426 Hemi V8.
A Hemi-powered Plymouth GTX was the bane of the streets, capable of churning out a staggering 425 horsepower. The Fast and The Furious franchise, too, did its bit in making the Plymouth GTX so popular in modern times, creating a whole new generation of gearheads who wish to see a revived version.
4 Chevrolet Chevelle SS
Chevy wasn’t able to give the Chevelle the same support it lent to the Camaro and the Corvette, and even though the Chevelle was a fairly popular model, it was axed by 1977. Inarguably, the most special model is the 1970 Chevy Chevelle SS 454.
One of the most iconic Chevy cars ever made, the 1970 Chevelle SS 454 could make a ludicrous 450 horsepower when ordered in LS6 form, along with an even more remarkable 500 lb-ft of torque. These numbers could put even today’s muscle cars to shame, and the SS sure looked the part, too. What we wouldn’t give for a re-imagining and revival of the Chevy Chevelle SS 454.
3 Plymouth Road Runner
The Road Runner is one of the most popular cars Plymouth ever made, and the fact that it hasn’t yet been revived is frankly surprising. Named after the Looney Tunes cartoon character, Plymouth’s Road Runner went just as fast, and even made the same noise!
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Armed with a 426 Hemi engine that made 425 horsepower, the Road Runner was a street-scorcher, and even though it ended production in 1980, every gearhead sorely misses it. Today, collectors shell upwards of $150,000 for the Plymouth Road Runner, which used to be one of the most affordable Plymouths.
2 Oldsmobile 442
The ‘Malaise era’ claimed many victims in the ’70s, and the Oldsmobile 442 is one of the biggest ones. In its prime, however, the 442 was inarguably one of the best muscle cars on the market. Oldsmobile fit the 442 with a 300 cubic-inch V8 that gave it 350 horses to ride on, with even more available if needed.
By 1970, the Oldsmobile 442, equipped with a 455 cubic-inch power unit, was rated at 370 hp. Sadly, by the late ’90s, weaker engines and bodies tarnished the nameplate, and this is one car that we truly wish made a strong comeback.
1 Buick Riviera
The Buick Riviera was one of the most innovative cars of its time, and collectors would still fight one another for a chance to own it. GM wanted their own car to rival the ultra-successful Ford Thunderbird, and thus, the Buick Riviera was born. Luxurious and opulent, the Buick Riviera was one of the most beautiful cars of its age, and it’s still extremely easy on the eyes.
Of course, it didn’t lack V8 power either, and the Super Wildcat Buick Riviera was capable of generating a whopping 360 horsepower and an insane 465 lb-ft of torque. A true American icon, a revival of the Buick Riviera could simply not fail today, as it managed to do everything right
