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10 Best Muscle Car Books

Apr 30, 2022 • Reviews • Comment icon Comment
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Today, let’s look at ten of the best muscle car books.

I picked these muscle car books based on the following criteria:

What Are The Best Muscle Car Books?

I’m often asked what muscle car books I recommend that have the best muscle cars, so I thought I would put together my favorites in one article to help spread the word.

Each muscle car book listed below has a brief overview, a list of muscle cars in the book, and my recommendation on where to buy a copy for yourself.

As a heads up, if you click through and buy anything, I will earn a small commission that comes at no additional cost to you. In no way does this influence my reviews.

BOOKS DETAILS BUY NOW
TOP PICK
Ryan Butts Muscle Car Barn Finds
Muscle Car Barn Finds
  • Pages: 159
  • Published: 2018
  • Photos: 258
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RUNNER UP
Duncan Brown Muscle Car Special Editions
Muscle Car Special Editions
  • Pages: 191
  • Published: 2021
  • Photos: 386
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2nd Runner Up
Jerry Heasley's Rare Finds
Jerry Heasley’s Rare Finds
  • Pages: 144
  • Published: 2011
  • Photos: 245
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Let’s take a look at the 10 best muscle car books, shall we?

Muscle Car Barn Finds

Muscle Car Barn Finds Book

Written by Ryan Brutt, Muscle Car Barn Finds has something for everyone especially if you love rusty Road Runners, Abandoned AMXs, and Crusty Camaros.

It contains 258 color photos that span over 159 pages covering barn finds from General Motors, Chrysler, Ford, and American Motors.

Muscle Cars in this Book:

I find myself picking up Muscle Car Barn Finds often and have given it as a gift several times now. Without fail, it is always well received!

Buy this book if you love seeing barn finds in their original habitats.

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Muscle Car Special Editions

Muscle Car Special Editions Book

Muscle car historian Duncan Brown writes Muscle Car Special Editions, a book showcasing the specialty muscle cars built by the factory, high-performance car dealers, and creative car dealers alike. 

This book features 191 pages with 386 plus photos—including six from yours truly (pages 171-172) of Mark Alletos’ 1971 Dodge Demon GSS. I also took a picture of the Demon GSS on the book’s first page. 

Muscle Cars in this Book:

Buy this book if you want to discover a slew of muscle cars you’ve never heard of before and dig deeper into the ones you have, like Baldwin, Yenko, and Shelby. 

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Jerry Heasley’s Rare Finds

Jerry Heasley's Rare Finds Book

Written by Jerry Heasley, Jerry Heasley’s Rare Finds book is 144 pages that cover the stories of 30 different rare find vehicles from 1955 to 1970. Each rare find includes engaging details, photos, and informative captions.

Muscle Cars in this Book:

Heasley is a true journalist by trade who also happens to love muscle cars. So, he knows how to tell a great story and weave in details that keep you reading from cover to cover.

Jerry Heasley’s Rare Finds is done so well that Heasley makes you feel like you’re present as he walks through each find. What he doesn’t capture in words, he does with photos.

There are dozens of noteworthy muscle car barn finds in this book like the first Dukes of Hazzard General Lee car and Shelby Mustang Race Car.

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Muscle Car Source Book

Muscle Car Source Book

Written by Mike Mueller, the Muscle Car Source Book is 240-page that includes all the facts, figures, statistics, and production numbers from the muscle car era. Covers old school muscle cars from 1965 to 1974 from all manufacturers including American Motors, Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors.

Muscle Cars in this Book:

The Muscle Car Source Book is one of the essential muscle car books to own. Includes information like engine specs, production numbers, quarter-mile times, and more. Of all the books, this one goes into the most nitty-gritty details of each muscle car.

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Lost Muscle Car Dealerships

Lost Muscle Car Dealerships Book

Written by muscle car historian Duncan Brown, Lost Muscle Cars Dealerships is 191-page book that features over 349 photos.

It goes deep into the history of the United States’ most prominent muscle car dealers during the 60s and 70s.

Packed full of new and historical photos, newspaper ads, window stickers, sales receipts, and more, you get to see everything from the owner to the showroom floor to the race track and everything in between. 

Lost Muscle Car Dealerships provides context for these high-performance dealerships popular among young buyers who wanted to go fast and what made them special. 

This book also answers why “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday” was more than just a catchy slogan and how dealerships built their reputation and sales strategy around it. 

High-Performance Car Dealerships

Buy this book if you want to be taken back in time, learn little-known details, and see rare old photos of America’s high-performance car dealerships and what they look like today. 

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Steve Magnante’s 1001 Muscle Car Facts

Steve Magnante's 1001 Muscle Car Facts Book

Written by Steve Magnante, Steve Magnante’s 1001 Muscle Car Facts book is 405-pages and details 1,001 facts about muscle cars from American muscle car manufacturers including American Motors, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, and Studebaker.

Includes facts and details about legend and lore, engines and drivelines, body and interior, suspension and brakes, number crunching and press commentary, and more.

Muscle Cars in this Book:

This book is hard to put down and sucks you in with all the trivia it covers. If you’re looking to step up your muscle car knowledge game, this book is for you.

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1970 Maximum Muscle — The Pinnacle of Muscle Car Power

1970 Maximum Muscle Book

Written by Mark Fletcher and Richard Truesdell, 1970 Maximum Muscle: The Pinnacle of Muscle Car Power highlights all of the most powerful muscle cars from AMC, Chevrolet, Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Ford, Mercury, Plymouth, and Dodge.

Over 253 photos and graphics document more than 34 different muscle cars from 1969 1/2 and 1970, spanning 175 colorful pages.

1969 1/2 Muscle Cars in this Book (Prelude to Mayhem)

1970 Muscle Cars in the this Book (Muscle Climax)

Buy this book if you want to learn about the muscle car era’s most powerful muscle cars. The layout, design, details, and writeups capture the spirit of 1970 and accentuate the eye-popping colors, rebellious names, and extreme performance available that year. 

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The Complete Book of Classic Dodge and Plymouth Muscle

The Complete Book of Classic Dodge and Plymouth Muscle Book

Written by Mike Mueller, The Complete Book of Classic Dodge and Plymouth Muscle book is 267-pages and includes every Mopar model from 1960 to 1974. Includes full-color photos, specs, and history.

Muscle Cars in this Book:

If you’re a fan of old-school Mopar Muscle Cars, you will enjoy this one. There is no fluff and reads like a dictionary with tons of great photos. 

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Rusted Muscle — A Collection of Derelict Dream Machines

Rusted Muscle Book

Steve Magnante is an automotive journalist, TV show host, book author, and YouTuber. You can also now add Photographer to his impressive list of accomplishments and credentials.

Rusted Muscle is a 176-page book packed full of 425 raw photos Steve took during his junkyard adventures, searching for rusty treasures from AMC, General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler.

Muscle Cars in this Book

Buy this book if you love seeing old muscle cars in junkyards, back alleys, and fields.

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American Muscle Cars: A Full-Throttle History

American Muscle Cars: A Full-Throttle History Book

Written by Darwin Holmstrom, American Muscle Cars: A Full-Throttle History book is 224-pages and chronicles the complete history of American muscle cars.

While it emphasizes vehicles from the muscle cars era, it also touches on select vehicles that both preceded the muscle car era and those that came after it.

Muscle Cars in this Book:

One downside of this book is that the photos don’t always correspond to the content on the page. It also includes the modern Chevy Camaro and Ford Mustang but not the Dodge Challenger or Charger. If you’re a Mopar fan of the modern muscle car, this book probably isn’t for you.

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Take Our Poll

Well, there you have the top 10 muscle car books every muscle car enthusiast should own. Be sure to subscribe if you enjoyed this article!

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Author Photo

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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