’66 OLDS 4-4-2: TRI-POWER ROCKET!

Posted on July 12, 2025July 12, 2025 by MartynL

One of the early adopters of street performance (’49 Rocket V-8 coupe), Oldsmobile kicked butt with the ’66 OLDS 4-4-2: TRI-POWER ROCKET! When carmakers announced their 1966 models in September 1965, it was like the Musclecar/Supercar floodgates had opened. Ford had already proven that its 1964-1965 marketing mantra – “Win On Sunday, Sell On Monday” – worked. For 1966, Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors unleashed their all-time hottest models, and it was nirvana for car enthusiasts and ...

‘69 BOSS 302 ROAD & TRACK MUSTANG

Posted on July 2, 2025July 2, 2025 by MartynL

Ford’s new Boss, Bunkie Knudsen, fast-tracked the long-awaited ‘69 BOSS 302 ROAD & TRACK MUSTANG, Dearborn’s Z/28 Camaro challenger. Mustangs had been on two-year restyling cycles, and there were major changes in 1969. Overall length was increased by almost four inches and width by approximately one-quarter inch. Curb weight was up by 140 pounds. Leading the charge was a portfolio of Mustangs, ranging from the Boss 302, above, photo by Stuart Schorr, to the R-Code 428 Cobra Jet Ram...

CHRYSLER 300: LETTER SERIES SUPERCARS

Posted on June 19, 2025June 19, 2025 by MartynL

Chrysler jumped on the performance bandwagon in 1955 with its 300-horsepower C-300, kicking off a decade of CHRYSLER 300: LETTER SERIES SUPERCARS. Chrysler’s letter-series entry in the 1955 horsepower wars, weighing in at more than 4,500 pounds, could accelerate to 60 mph in the 9s and top out at 130 mph. In NASCAR competition, Kiekhaefer’s legendary Chrysler C-300s were the cars to beat. Chrysler’s Hemi, one of the most successful engines in American racing history, was unstoppable on ...

‘57 FORD Y-BLOCK SUPERCHARGED MUSCLECAR

Posted on June 6, 2025June 6, 2025 by MartynL

Ford offered OHV V-8s, dual quads & superchargers; yet it was the worst of times: the AMA racing ban. The ‘57 FORD Y-BLOCK SUPERCHARGED MUSCLECAR, however, represents the prelude to TOTAL PERFORMANCE. The 1950s ushered in an era of aggressive competition, both on the street and racetracks. Ford, Chrysler and General Motors did whatever it took to lure buyers into showrooms. Detroit’s competitive spirit during the mid-to-late-1950s set the stage for some of the most exciting years i...

’70 CHEVELLE SS454: BIG-BLOCK BRUISER!

Posted on June 1, 2025June 1, 2025 by MartynL

The new year ushered in magnum force from Motown: bigger, more powerful engines, a plethora of Ponycars, and the ’70 CHEVELLE SS454: BIG-BLOCK BRUISER! In many ways, 1970 was the storm before the calm. The war in Southeast Asia continued casting a pall over a much-divided country and thinning the ranks of young enthusiasts. Carmakers’ racing budgets were being drastically cut and engineering resources reassigned to prepare for restrictive emissions and safety legislation. And, Ponycar s...

’70 DODGE CHALLENGER T/A – SIX-PACK TO GO!

Posted on May 2, 2025 by MartynL

Created to battle Z/28 Camaros and Boss 302 Mustangs on the road and track, the 340-inch ’70 DODGE CHALLENGER T/A - SIX-PACK TO GO! proved that less could be more. Both Dodge and Plymouth had been involved in SCCA competitive events since the early to mid-1960s, before the Ponycar explosion and factory participation in Trans-Am racing. SCCA’s 1970 Trans-Am rules allowed carmakers to destroke production engines to meet the series’ 305-cube limit. Chrysler responded with the Challenger T/...

’72 OLDS W30 4-4-2 & W-45 HURST/OLDS

Posted on April 29, 2025April 29, 2025 by MartynL

The ’72 OLDS W30 4-4-2 & W-45 HURST/OLDS were the last of the great ones from Lansing! Like the GTO and LeMans, Oldsmobile’s venerable 4-4-2 was reduced to an option available on various Cutlass models. To get maximum 4-4-2 power and image, you had to opt for the W29 Sport/Handling 4-4-2 and the W30 Performance Packages. When you selected the W30, it included the L77 Force-Air 455 rated at 300 horsepower at 4,700 rpm and 410 pound-feet of torque at 3,200 rpm. The best part of the W2...

’65 DODGE CORONET DELIVERED MID-SIZE & MAX-PERF!

Posted on April 17, 2025April 17, 2025 by MartynL

Dodge’s entry in the Musclecar marketplace may have been short on sex appeal, but the ’65 DODGE CORONET DELIVERED MID-SIZE & MAX-PERF! Dodge covered all bases, catering to performance enthusiasts in 1965. New Dodge Coronets could be ordered with 365-horsepower 426 Street Wedge engines with four-speed or TorqueFlite. Unlike the GTO and 4-4-2, Mopar middleweights were void of eye-catching decor. But they were strong enough to get the job done. A total of 2,100 Coronets with 426 Street...

’70 PLYMOUTH SUPERBIRD: WINGED WARRIOR

Posted on April 10, 2025April 10, 2025 by MartynL

Not to be outdone by Dodge, the ’70 PLYMOUTH SUPERBIRD: WINGED WARRIOR continued Mopar’s assault on the Musclecar marketplace and NASCAR’s Super Speedways! Plymouth’s ’70 PLYMOUTH SUPERBIRD: WINGED WARRIOR was basically a midsize Road Runner with a wing and a nose job. Also produced by Creative Industries, the Charger-Daytona-influenced Superbird proved to be a more complex build than the Charger Daytona. It required Dodge Coronet front fenders and a hood to work with the steel “nose cone”. The...

’68 BIG-BLOCK, LOW-BUCK CHEVROLET

Posted on April 5, 2025April 5, 2025 by MartynL

For less than $3,000, you could buy a Baldwin-Motion ’68 BIG-BLOCK, LOW-BUCK CHEVROLET with dyno-tuned 427/425 power, four-speed, and F41 suspension! Overshadowed by the SS-427 Impala in the late-1960s, few enthusiasts were aware that Chevrolet was building a low-end, two-door “post” Biscayne that could be optioned with a 425 horsepower 427 big-block and four-on-the-floor. In 1968, Baldwin-Motion’s entry-level SS-427 Biscayne Street Racer’s Special, with a dyno-tuned 427/425 big-block,...