1970s: MAXIMUM MUSCLE

Posted on August 17, 2020 by MartynL

Scott Oldham blogs about the 10 coolest domestic and imported performance cars of the 1970s: MAXIMUM MUSCLE 1970 SS454 Chevelle LS6 Gas lines. Smog motors. Big ugly chrome bumpers. Gas guzzling dinosaurs that can’t get out of their own way. That’s what most people think of when they think of cars of the 1970s. And they’re mostly correct. For much of the decade, performance was a four-letter word and the malaise era was in full swing as the car companies struggled to figure out new safety and...

1960s: TEN GREATEST PERFORMANCE CARS

Posted on June 16, 2020June 16, 2020 by MartynL

You can call them Musclecars, Supercars, Ponycars or Sports Cars, but Scott Oldham simply calls ‘em as he sees them: 1960s: TEN GREATEST PERFORMANCE CARS. 1965 Pontiac GTO Everyone was a car nut in the 1960s. Everyone. Even the peace loving, pot-loving, free-loving hippies. Heck, even the people at the car companies. Men like Enzo, John Z., Carroll, Zora, Butzi, and Sir William. These men built the cars they wanted, not what market research told them. And they built powerful art forms through...

ONE OF NONE: PONTIAC 455 VENTURA SPRINT!

Posted on April 29, 2018 by MartynL

What could have been the ultimate 1972 stealth Supercar, a GTO/Firebird 455-inch HO-powered Ventura Sprint, never really happened. They built just one production-ready prototype. It was an unassuming Pontiac Ventura II Sprint coupe motivated by a 455 engine. Little more than a grille and badge-engineered Chevy Nova, this screamer with an EPA certified engine would have flown under insurance companies’ radar. Pontiac built one and everyone loved it. But it was not to be! I drove it in June...

’69½ DODGE: STING LIKE A SUPER BEE!

Posted on February 4, 2018February 4, 2018 by MartynL

Dodge gets its Supercar act together with an aggressive midyear Super Bee with a venomous sting. Built off the midsize Coronet platform, the Super Bee was packaged for testosterone-infused enthusiasts. Like the streamlined Charger 500 and Charger Daytona, Detroit’s Creative Industries handled final assembly of Dodge’s in-your-face Super Bee. With its lift-off scooped fiberglass hood, tri-power 440 Wedge, beefy Dana 60 rear end, status graphics, taut suspension and “electric” colors, the Super ...

MUSCLECARS 101: BACK IN THE DAY!

Posted on May 29, 2017May 29, 2017 by MartynL

Musclecar was barely part of enthusiast vernacular when iconic GTOs, Hemis and Camaros and Mustangs were new and prowled the streets. Today, it’s the only word used to define those ground-pounding Supercars and Ponycars. When Pontiac built the GTO in 1964 they jump-started Detroit’s performance car revolution; the Supercar was born. That same year, Ford gave us the Mustang. It became the quintessential Ponycar. It was Supercars and Ponycars, period. Musclecar was the catchall descriptor used ...

PLYMOUTH SUPERBIRD: THE RICHARD PETTY CONNECTION!

Posted on January 28, 2017May 15, 2017 by MartynL

Our man on the track, Stephen Cox, talks with Richard Petty about his connection to the winged Superbird. It has been claimed that Plymouth's legendary winged ‘70 Superbird was the brainchild of NASCAR champion Richard Petty. The rumor has been around for decades but I've never found anyone with first-hand knowledge who could absolutely confirm or deny that the car's origins truly began with The King of Stock Car Racing. But opportunity knocked a couple of weeks ago when Petty was in attend...

FORD: TOTAL PERFORMANCE, ROAD & TRACK!

Posted on December 13, 2015May 15, 2017 by MartynL

CarGuyChronicles Editor and Ford GT owner, Martyn Schorr chronicles Ford’s rich performance heritage from the 1920s through the golden age of musclecars. And, takes you inside Ford’s Skunk Works. FORD TOTAL PERFORMANCE is 208 slick pages of Ford race and street car history from 1920s Fours, 1930s-1940s Flatheads, 1950s Y-Blocks and 1960s to 1971 big-blocks. It showcases Boss 302-351-429 Mustangs, Shelby GT Mustangs, Shelby & AC Cobras, Pantera, Torinos, Sunbeam Tiger & Lola-Ford GT ...

POWER & PETALS: RODS & ROSES AUTO SHOW!

Posted on July 2, 2015May 15, 2017 by MartynL

Jim Palam captures some of the highlights of the annual Carpinteria hot rod, classic and muscle car show. "Car and Flower Guys" came together again on historic Linden Avenue in seaside Carpinteria, CA last weekend to showcase captivating examples of American engineering and California agriculture. Proceeds from this popular show benefit local non-profits such as Future Farmers of America and Carpinteria Education Foundation. The weather was perfect – as were these “cream of the crop” ...

YORK-US30 REUNION: MUSCLECAR MADNESS!

Posted on April 9, 2015May 15, 2017 by MartynL

Legends of the quarter-mile celebrate one of the most exciting periods in drag racing history. Thomas Wolfe got it wrong when he wrote, ‘You Can’t Go Home Again.’ The original Golden Commandos "Goldfish" Barracuda, owned by Bruce Lindstrom, Sarasota, Florida will be one of many featured cars at the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the First Super/Stock Nationals held at York US30 Dragway on August 7, 1965. It will be presented at the York Expo Center, York Fairgrounds during the...

MUSCLE CAR BRAND LOYALTY: OBSOLETE IDEA?

Posted on April 7, 2014May 15, 2017 by MartynL

Stephen Cox blogs about being a Ford fan, racing a Chevy and not buying the popular concept of brand loyalty. I am a Ford fan. There, I said it. But I have little comprehension of brand loyalty; at least not the sort of fanatical allegiance so frequently seen among muscle car enthusiasts. I don’t even understand it. It is therefore eternally amusing to run across those typical chest-thumping car commandos who claim that every automobile that is not manufactured by their favorite company is...