Today we’re going to take a look at eight underrated muscle cars from the Golden years of the muscle car era.
Specifically, we’re going to look at muscle cars from 1969 to 1973 from Dodge, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Ford, Mercury, and AMC.
It’s hard to imagine but there are far more than eight muscle cars that are often underrated, underestimated, and undervalued.
These muscle cars definitely deserve more respect and attention than they receive.
Let’s take a look at eight of the most underrated muscle cars ever produced, shall we?
Table of Contents
Underrated Muscle Cars That Deserve More Respect
1972 Dodge Charger Rallye
The 1972 Dodge Charger Rallye was introduced and—in one fell swoop—consolidated three car lines simultaneously including the Charger R/T, Super Bee, and 500.
Dodge produced 4,351 Charger Rallye’s in 1972 with 3,891 hardtops and 460 coupes. While not the peak year of production, the Charger Rallye still made its presence known.
Dodge included several distinctive items as part of the Rallye option package, including:
- Blacked-out grille, hood, and rear end
- Simulated door louvers
- Hooded circular gauges
- Simulated wood-grained instrument panel
- Wide tread whitewalls
- Front and rear sway bars
Gone were the days of 383’s, 440 Six-Packs, and 426 Hemi engines. In 1972, only four V8 engine options remained including a 318, 340, 400, and 440 CID V8.
While Dodge did originally include the 440 Six-Pack as an option in its 1972 Charger brochure, they quickly revoked it because it didn’t pass the newly mandated federal emission standards.
Lucky for one documented owner, Dodge produced at least one 1972 Dodge Charger Rallye 440 Six-Pack before removing it from their lineup. In doing so, it instantly became one of the rarest 1972 muscle cars available.
Because it replaced the R/T and Super Bee—and wasn’t available with a 440 Six Pack or Hemi engine option like in 1971—the 1972 Dodge Charger Rallye is one of the underrated muscle cars on this list.
However, that didn’t stop us from picking one as our project muscle car!
1973 Pontiac GTO
The third generation 1973 Pontiac GTO fought hard to maintain its status as a fierce and competitive muscle car contender when it came to high-performance 1973 muscle cars.
Sadly, the Pontiac GTO was only one year away from being discontinued and only 4,806 Pontiac GTO’s were built in 1973—a far cry from the 32,450 GTOs originally produced in 1964.
Thanks to new federal emission standards, unleaded gas, and rising insurance premiums, fuel-efficient cars took over and all but killed the performance-based muscle car.
While Pontiac GTO received an all-new “Colonnade” body style in 1973, it didn’t get the newly introduced Super Duty 455 with 315HP placed under its hood.
The SD 455 was exclusively reserved for the Firebirds and Trans Ams that year. A buyer had to choose between either a 400 CID V8 or a 455 CID V8 engine.
The 400 CID V8 had 230HP and was backed by a 3-speed manual, 4-speed manual or a 3-speed automatic.
The optional 455 CID V8 offered 250HP and was only available with the automatic transmission; which didn’t seem right.
It’s hard to pick whether 1973 or 1974 is more underrated. However, the 1973 GTO had lower production numbers versus 1974 plus it had more cubic inches with higher horsepower.
1970 Oldsmobile Rallye 350
The 1970 Oldsmobile Rallye 350 was an eye-catching junior muscle car that used a bold color combination coupled with a small block performance engine to stand out from the crowd.
You could buy a Rallye 350 in any color you wanted so long as it was Sebring Yellow. Everything from the bumpers to the wheels and everything in between was painted this color.
Unfortunately, 1970 was the first and final year of the Rallye 350 due to sluggish sales. Apparently, it stood out a little too much when compared to the W31 and 442 options.
3,547 rolled off the Lansing, MI assembly line. Of the total, 2,367 were Cutlass S Holiday Coupes, 1,020 were F-85 Club Coupes, and 160 were Cutlass Sport Coupes.
Perhaps a little too yellow, dealers were rumored to have replaced both painted bumpers with chromed versions. Some even added a vinyl top and trim rings to break up the overload of yellow.
Oldsmobile included several distinctive items as part of the W-45 Rallye 350 option package, including:
- 350 CID V8 / 310HP
- 390 lb-ft of torque
- Sebring yellow paint
- W-25 fiberglass hood
- Blackwall tires
- Blacked-out grille
- Color-keyed front and rear bumpers
- Custom Sport steering wheel
- Color-keyed sport mirrors
- Rallye suspension
- Color-keyed 14×7 Super Stock II rims
- Dual exhaust
- Color-keyed rear deck air spoiler
The 1970 Oldsmobile Rallye 350 was an interesting concept in the sea of 1970 muscle cars to counter other lower CID contenders including the Dodge Dart, Plymouth Cuda, and Pontiac T-37s to name a few.
Just like it was when it was introduced, the 1970 Oldsmobile 350 continues to be one of the most underrated muscle cars today and continues to stand in the shadow of the 442.
1969 Ford Cobra 428
The 1969 Ford Cobra was technically a one-year wonder and was renamed the Torino Cobra in 1970.
Built on the Fairlane platform, the 1969 Ford Cobra was offered in two body styles including the formal roof and fastback designs. Roughly 14,000 were produced that year with no official breakdown available between the two body styles.
The fastback body style was definitely the favorite of the two given its styling cues were taken from NASCAR aero warriors and why it isn’t one of the underrated muscle cars on this list.
The 1969 Ford Cobra came standard with a 428 Cobra Jet engine and a 4-speed Toploader manual but a 3-speed automatic transmission could be ordered in its place.
An R-Code 428 Super Cobra Jet option was also available that advertised the same horsepower and torque figures, but required a choice of either a 3.91 or a 4.30 rear axle ratio.
Cobra Option Package
The 1969 Ford Cobra option package offered many distinctive items, including:
- 428 CID V8 Cobra Jet Engine
- Cobra badging (front fenders and rear decklid)
- Blacked-out grille
- Locking hood pins
- 14×6 steel wheels
- Corporate center caps
- F70-14 bias ply tires
While the formal roof version had all the same exact performance as the fastback, it is the unsung hero of the two body styles.
1971 AMC Hornet SC/360
The 1971 AMC Hornet SC/360—and really every muscle car produced by American Motors Corporation for that matter—have long since been underrated in the world of muscle cars.
AMC was known for the Javelin and AMX models. While valiant attempts were made with the Rebel Machine and S/C Rambler—AMC muscle cars, have always been the underdog compared to the big three.
AMC has always been underrated compared to other 1971 muscle cars and remains one of AMC’s most underrated muscle cars today. The 1971 AMC Hornet SC/360 is no exception.
Car Craft recorded a 13.78-second quarter mile at 101.92 MPH with little more than upgraded tires, headers, and traction bars on a “Go Package” equipped model.
Built as a budget performance insurance beater, the SC/360 replaced the Rebel Machine and SC/Rambler, discontinued in 1970.
The base price for a 1971 Hornet SC/360 was an affordable $2,663, weighing 3,300 lbs at the curb. It could be turned into a competitive street machine without much effort.
Out of the box, the Hornet SC/360 was available with two 360 CID V8 engines, including a 2-barrel and 4-barrel option.
The 2-barrel version produced 245HP and 365 lb-ft of torque. The 4-barrel version produced 285Hp with 390 lb-ft of torque. Of the 784 produced, 206 opted for the 2-barrel while the remaining 578 had the 4-barrel.
SC/360 Option Package
- 360 CID V8
- 2v or 4v Options
- SC/360 decals and emblems
- Fiberglass hood with a hood scoop
- Stripe package
1971 Dodge Demon 340
The 1971 Dodge Demon was a compact sports coupe propelled by a 340 CID V8 with 340 lb-ft of torque. It was Dodge’s counterpart to the popular Plymouth Duster.
Weighing in at 3,165 lbs with 275HP, it ripped the quarter-mile in 14.80 seconds at 95 MPH.
In total there were 10,089 Dodge Demons produced in 1971, with 7,981 distributed within the United States. The base for the 1971 Dodge Demon was $2,721.
Contrast that with 12,886 Plymouth Duster 340s being built that same year. It’s easy to see the Dodge Demon 340 wasn’t as popular of a choice back in 1971.
The 1971 Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Cuda are arguably more popular today than the Demon because they could be ordered with a 383, 440 Six Pack, or a Hemi—not just the 340.
Compound that with more 1971 Plymouth Duster 340s being produced and you have a perfect recipe for one of the most underrated muscle cars on this list.
1971 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler
The 1971 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler wasn’t something you see too often given Mercury only made 353 of them that year.
The Mercury Cyclone Spoiler is underrated because it hides in the Mercury Cougars’ shadow.
Built on the luxury-oriented Mercury Montego line, the Cyclone Spoiler weighed in at 3,737 lbs, impacting its ability to catapult down the quarter-mile in less than 15 seconds.
The 1971 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler could be ordered with either a small block 351 Cleveland V8 or a mighty big block 429 Cobra Jet V8. Both came exclusively with 4-barrel carburetors.
In terms of horsepower, the 429 Cobra Jet had 370HP while the 351 Clevland had 285HP. Both were backed by either a 3-speed automatic or a 4-speed Toploader transmission.
1971 Pontiac T-37
The 1971 Pontiac T-37 wasn’t as well known as its big brother GTO. There is a good chance you probably haven’t even heard of one before, let alone seen one in person.
Starting in 1970 and ending in 1971, the Pontiac T-37—built on the low-end Tempest line—was an economy-based insurance buster that could still deliver whiplash under a different name.
It was a clever way for Pontiac to deliver a stripped-down street warrior to the masses without sending red flags to the insurance companies because it didn’t have a GTO nameplate.
The T-37 was a bare-bones option that didn’t offer many amenities or styling upgrades.
Mid-year Pontiac released a sportier version called the GT-37 that included hood pins, side stripes, and Rallye wheels without chrome trim rings, among other upgrades.
In fact, it didn’t come with any sound deadener, second coat hook, or Pontiac logo on the grille to make them lighter.
While it wasn’t as stylish as the GTO or GT-37, it could be ordered with every performance upgrade available in the GTO, including the 455HO, M22 Muncie Rock Crusher, and 3.73 gears.
The T-37 targeted entry-level buyers who wanted acceleration without heavy insurance premiums. They were available as either a sedan or a hardtop.
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Well, there you have 8 of the most underrated muscle cars ever produced. Be sure to subscribe to see more content like this!
Ryan
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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