Top 5 Best Muscle Cars from the 60s and 70s

The long-running debate over the best Muscle Cars from the 60s and 70s finally ends in this article. 

If you’re looking for rock-solid results backed by data (not just my opinion like every other article on the internet) on the best Muscle Cars from the 60s and 70s, keep reading. 

Discover the definitive list of classic American Muscle Cars that dominated the 1/4 mile charts from 1964 to 1974, year after year. 

If you’re not familiar with what a Muscle Car technically is, let’s do a quick refresher on the definition of a muscle car first.

The golden age of muscle cars spanned from 1964 to 1974 and is the timeframe we’ll focus on in today’s article. 

What is a Muscle Car?

American Auto Manufacturers, including Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, and American Motors, produced V-8 powered 2-door intermediate-sized vehicles built for straight-line performance in the quarter-mile called Muscle Cars.

Many consider the 1964 Pontiac GTO the first muscle car capable of low 14-second quarter-mile times out of the box. The ultimate combination had a 389 CID V-8, Three 2-bbl carburetors (“Tri-Power”), and a 4-speed manual transmission.

Muscle Cars were advertised to younger buyers, having sticker prices in the $3,000 range and stripped of creature comforts. Other characteristics include having both front and rear seats, dual exhaust, rear-wheel drive (preferably where both wheels spin), and a minimum of a 4-barrel carburetor. 

What Are the Best Muscle Cars?

For purposes of this article, the best Muscle Cars are the models that frequently appeared on the top 10 fastest muscle cars lists over eleven model years from 1964 to 1974.

It doesn’t matter if a model appeared multiple times in one year or only once—it’s the total times one specific model appeared during this entire period. 

So we’re going to look at the top five results based on that data to select the winners, given these are the best of the best muscle car models. 

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s take a look at the best Muscle Cars from the 60s and 70s, shall we?

5th Place: The Plymouth Road Runner

The Plymouth Roadrunner is ranked fifth, appearing 45% of the time on the top 10 fastest Muscle Cars lists from 1968 to 1974.

The Plymouth Roadrunner was introduced in 1968 as a low-budget high-performance supercar, targeting young buyers with shallow pockets.

For less than $3,000, a guy could own a stripped-down big block Road Runner that could run low 14-second quarter-mile passes out of the box.

The Plymouth Roadrunner came with a 340 383, 440, 440 Six Pack, and 426 Hemi, depending on the year. The two top performers included the 440 with three 2v carburetors (called a “Six Pack”) and the 426 Hemi, fed by twin 4v carburetors.

However, it was the 440 Six Pack in a 1969 1/12 Plymouth Roadrunner that was the fastest of the two engine options.

Historical Performance Statistics

4th Place: The Buick Gran Sport

The Buick Gran Sport is ranked fourth, appearing 55% of the time on the top 10 fastest Muscle Cars lists.

Introduced in 1965, the Buick GS was a $200.53 option on the base Skylark platform and firmly put Buick on the map of top-performing American vehicles during the 60s and 70s.

With its 401 CID Wildcat 455 engine rated at 325 horsepower, the Gran Sport gallantly entered as the fifth fastest muscle car of 1965 in its debut year, with varying levels of quarter-mile success over the next nine years.

The Buick GS came equipped with a 350, 400, 401, and 455 CID V-8 over the years. The most potent high-performance option was the 455 Stage 1, available from 1970 until 1972.

Buick’s response to the Pontiac GTO Judge was the Buick GSX, which also included several appearance upgrades, including side stripes, cold air induction, hood tach, rear spoiler, and GSX emblems.

The GSX was available from 1970 until 1972 and was available with a 350, 455, or 455 Stage 1 depending on the year.

Historical Performance Statistics

3rd Place: The Ford Mustang

The Ford Mustang is ranked third, appearing 64% of the time on the top 10 fastest Muscle Cars lists.

Ford created a new sub-category of vehicles known as Pony Cars by introducing the V-8 powered lightweight and compact Mustang model halfway through the 1964 model year.

These sporty coupes ignited a revolution, surpassing the initially estimated 100,000 units by 300,000 units in its first year alone, passing one million units after just two years.

The Ford Mustang had several different performance models, including the 2+2, Mach 1, Cobra Jet, and the Boss, each having various high-performance engine options depending on the model year.

Performance options abounded, including a 289 Hi-Po, Boss 302, 351-Cleveland, 351 HO, Boss 351, 428 Cobra Jet, 429 Super Cobra Jet, and Boss 429.

Historical Performance Statistics

2nd Place: The Chevrolet Chevelle (3-Way Tie)

The Chevrolet Chevelle SS is ranked second in a three-way tie with the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac GTO, appearing 73% of the time on the top 10 fastest Muscle Cars lists.

The 327 CID V-8 powered Chevrolet Chevelle SS breathed to life in 1964. It was available in either Malibu hardtop or convertible forms and came standard with bucket seats, a four gauge cluster, center console, and SS wheel covers. Popular options included a 4-speed Muncie transmission, heavy-duty suspension, and a positraction rear differential.

The Chevelle SS had several different engine options over the years, including the 327, 396, 402, and 454. The most potent powerplant was the legendary LS6 454 CID V-8, rated at 450-hp and 500 ft-lb of torque.

Not only did the LS6 generate the most horsepower and torque of any Chevelle, but it also produced the fastest quarter-mile time of the bunch. The only year the LS6 454 appeared was in 1970 and was available as either a Chevelle SS or El Camino SS.

Historical Performance Statistics

2nd Place: The Chevrolet Camaro (3-Way Tie)

The Chevrolet Camaro is in a three-way tie for second place with the Chevrolet Chevelle SS and Pontiac GTO, appearing 73% of the time on the top 10 fastest Muscle Cars lists.

Chevrolet didn’t stop contributing to the muscle car movement after introducing the Malibu/Chevelle SS. In 1967, Chevy also introduced the lightweight, compact Camaro as its first entry into the pony car market to respond to Ford’s Mustang.

The Camaro was available from the factory in several models, including the Z/28, Super Sport (SS), Rally Sport (RS), and COPO. Depending on the year, the Z/28 was available with either a 302 or 350 CID V-8 engine. The Super Sport had a range of engine choices over the years, including a 327, 350, or 396 CID V-8.

Through the Central Order Production Order (COPO) program, a 427 CID V-8 was available from the factory. High-performance Chevy Dealers like Don Yenko took advantage of the loophole that allowed his Yenko Camaro to receive 427 CID V-8 with 425-hp.

The ZL-1 427 CID V-8 was a step up from the 427 CID V8 that included an aluminum block and heads, rated at 430-hp. Only 69 ZL-1 Camaros were made in 1969, adding $4,160 to the sticker price–pushing the total closer to $7,300.

Historical Performance Statistics

2nd Place: The Pontiac GTO (3-Way Tie)

The Pontiac GTO is regarded as the first muscle car, inspiring all others on this list. However, the GTO comes in second place in a three-way tie with the Chevelle SS and Camaro, appearing 73% of the time on the top 10 fastest Muscle Cars lists.

Without releasing the big block Tri-Power GTO in 1964, Pontiac would have never ignited the muscle car revolution, and I would probably be writing about classic Porsches, Ferraris, or Aston Martins.

The powerhouse engine option from 1964 to 1966 was the 389 with three two-barrel carburetors, known as “Tri-Power.” Then, beginning in 1967, Pontiac switched to the 400 CID V-8, introducing the 455 in 1970. In 1974, only a small block 350 CID V-8 was available in a GTO.

From 1969 to 1971, Pontiac offered “The Judge” package on the GTO, which automatically added several appearance upgrades, including multi-colored side stripes, “The Judge” decals, a rear decklid spoiler, and base engines ranging from the Ram Air III 400 to the 455 H/O, depending on the year.

Historical Performance Statistics

First Place: The Oldsmobile 4-4-2

Introduced in 1964, the Oldsmobile 4-4-2 came standard with a four-speed manual transmission, four-barrel carburetor, and dual exhaust, hence the nameplate “4-4-2.”

If you wanted to ensure you had one of the fastest Muscle Cars around, the Oldsmobile 4-4-2 was statistically the best, appearing 82% of the time on the top 10 fastest Muscle Cars lists.

While other vehicles were technically faster in the quarter-mile, no other Muscle Car model did it more often and consistently than the 4-4-2.

The top performance option was the W-30 package from 1966-1972, adding ram air induction, calibrated 4v carburetor, hotter cam, and better flowing dual-exhaust. From 1966-1969, the W-30 was available on a 400 CID V-8 and in 1970 switched to a 455 CID V-8 until 1972.

Historical Performance Statistics

Conclusion

Well, there you have the statistically best muscle cars from the 60s and 70s according to how many times they appeared on the eleven top 10 fastest muscle cars lists from 1964-1974.

Given these vehicles were purpose-built to perform in quarter-mile time trials, it only seemed fitting to use published ET data to resolve which models consistently came out on top during the Muscle Car era.

In doing so, I could not interject my own biases and opinions on the matter and purely shared the results based on sourced data.

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Ryan Wheaton

Ryan has owned muscle cars since 1986 and currently owns a 1972 Dodge Charger Rallye. He combines passion and experience to create engaging content for fellow muscle car enthusiasts. In 2018, he founded Muscle Cars Illustrated, authoring hundreds of articles on tips, history, and trends in the muscle car industry. He attends national car shows, auctions, and museums to stay current with the latest developments in the muscle car industry.

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