Classic cars get even better when you realize they are also American classics from the muscle car era. Here are some forgotten gems from that time.
If you have the chance to own a classic American car from the 1960s and 1970s, you should jump at the chance and grab that car. This era automatically brings up images of the famous classics, such as the Ford Mustang Fastback, Dodge Challenger and Charger, and Chevrolet Camaro, but what if there were some other forgotten models that could give you similar thrills?
Here are a few of the most underrated American classic cars that could be great to own and drive.
1962 Pontiac Grand Prix
The original model of the Grand Prix was meant as an entry point into the luxury car market and wasn’t meant to be a performance machine. Still, this car came with several V8 engines and plenty of power to give you the exciting drive desired. In models with the largest engine, the power was sent to the rear wheels via a three or four-speed manual transmission, giving you the engaging driving feeling of a classic car that was meant to be more comfortable than most.
1964 Buick Wildcat
The 1964 Buick Wildcat is certainly one of the most underrated American classic cars and was introduced as a subseries of the Invicta. This was a full-size hardtop coupe, but the Wildcat came with a more powerful engine and different designs to make it stand out from the Invicta. This car came in four body configurations, including a convertible model, and had various V8 engines under the hood, giving drivers up to 360 horsepower for some serious unaltered fun.
1967 Buick Grand Sport
The GS was the top version of the legendary Skylark and was first introduced in 1965. It featured the largest engine allowed by GM, a 7.0-liter V8. The 1967 Buick Grand Sport had a range of new engines under the hood, including a new 7.5-liter V8 that delivered 360 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque to the drive. This was a relatively conservative official output, and some versions of the Grand Sport were capable of producing much more power for the drive.
1962 Ford Galaxie 500
This car saw several changes when compared to the model from the previous year. The biggest change to the 1962 Ford Galaxie 500 was the lack of tailfins on the rear fenders. This new model also added a 7.0-liter V8 engine and additional chrome trim. The 500XL models received even more chrome, and at the time, Ford insisted the XL part of the name meant “Xtra Lively,” but that was mostly because this car was developed in direct competition with the Chevrolet Impala SS, which had come out the year before.
1970 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser
Station wagons aren’t generally considered cool, but this was one of the most underrated American classic cars and a pretty cool wagon. The 1970 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser could be had with the same engine that was in the Oldsmobile 4-4-2 which was a 6.6-liter V8 engine. There was also the option of the 7.5-lier V8 that produced 300 horsepower and 416 lb-ft of torque. This was pretty incredible for the early 1970s, and this engine could be had with four different transmissions.
1969 Mercury Cougar
If you wanted a more luxurious version of the Mustang in 1969, you would look to the Mercury Cougar to give you the drive desired. The Cougar had most of the same engines as the Mustang, except the base inline-6. This 1969 model underwent a mid-cycle refresh, which gave it the traditional Coke bottle design instead of the clean, straight lines of the original model. Still, this is certainly one of the most underrated American classic cars of the time and is a car you would love to own and drive.
1966 Dodge Coronet
Despite being a car that was first introduced in 1949, the most famous version of this car was the 1970 model. The 1966 Dodge Coronet fell somewhere between the two and is a car that could be great to show off and enjoy on sunny days. This version of the Coronet was available with a few engines, including the 7.0-liter Hemi V8. This car could have either a four-speed manual or a venerable three-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission.
These underrated American classic cars could be a lot of fun to drive, maintain, and enjoy for anyone looking for a great car to experience on the roads during warm sunny days. Which of these cars is your favorite?
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