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To many purists, the 1970s began the last few years of so-called true hot rods. The muscle car era has plenty of options to consider in any best-of list. But what counts as the criteria? Is it all about rugged looks? Big engine blocks? Fastest quarter-mile? Some combination of any or all? What are your thoughts about our choices from the 1970s? What would you have added or left off the list? Let us know in the comments.
This article is the second in a series highlighting the best muscle cars from each decade. Click here to see our picks from the '60s.
1970 Dodge Challenger R/T =========================
The Challenger began as a bit of a sleeper since it wasn’t as hyped as its Mopar brother the Charger. The ‘Road and Track’ badges on the Challenger certainly looked cool, but didn’t have the wow-power of Chevy’s SS badges. A big draw was that it was more affordable than the Charger or a Mustang.
The Challenger has a high-powered, big-block Magnum four-barrel V-8 (383 cubic-inch); its chassis is beefed up to better handle the R/T’s extra muscle, which can reach 375 horsepower at 4,600 rpm. The suspension has independent A-arms with torsion bars in front and a live axle with leaf springs in the back.
Striping is standard on the 1970 Challenger R/T, as is the Rallye instrument cluster, which included a simulated woodgrain panel, a 150-mph speedometer, a tachometer, a trip odometer, clock, and gauges for fuel, oil, and temperature. The R/T’s exterior could be lined with either Dodge’s bumblebee stripe around the tail or a longitudinal stripe, or have styling options like the era-specific vinyl roof and front and rear spoilers.
Dodge picked out a handful of professional race drivers to promote its 1970 model line, and drag racer Don “Big Daddy” Garlits was assigned the Challenger R/T.
See Dodge Challengers for sale here.
1970 Buick GS455 stage 1 ========================
General Motors removed its own big engine restriction in 1970, which allowed engines to be larger than 400-cubic inches for intermediate platforms. Enter the Buick GS455 Stage 1, with its attendant 455-cubic inches engine (510-lb. ft. of torque). Don’t forget, this came, no less, from the family-friendly, no frills Buick. In fact, since some muscle car fans didn’t take Buick performance very seriously, Stage 1 would occasionally be overlooked until it left unsuspecting racers in the dust (it could hit 100 mph in 13.95 seconds in the quarter mile).
Buick altered the front end of the GS by means of a recessed, blacked-out grille separated into two sections. Rocker panels were covered with bright metal trim featuring a pair of narrow horizontal red stripes. The GS 455 Stage 1 is available in two-door hardtop (Sport Coupe) and convertible guises.
See Buicks for sale here.
1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda ========================
When the 1970s arrived, Mopar notoriously became popular for their Hemi engines. The ‘Cuda was much more desirable than Dodge’s Challenger (both were E-body ponycars). The engine on the ‘Cuda roared with 425 horsepower, though it was thought to actually get an output of 500 horsepower with its 426 cubic-inch Hemi V-8. It sounded like a jet taking off, even when going a mere 10 miles an hour.
The Hemi had an attractive Shaker hood scoop, but it also allowed the twin Carter carbs below the hood to draw in cooler and denser outer air to improve performance. The rear suspension had two extra half-leaves in the right rear spring to prevent torque steer off the line. As for the body style, the front end was more stylistic and there was a longer, heavy frame, which could make for somewhat difficult handling whether attempting the quarter mile or heading down a windy mountain road.
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1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am ==============================
By the time the film Smokey and the Bandit popularized the 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am, the model (the second generation) was already 8-years-old. The first generation Firebird’s Coke-bottle style was ditched for a swooping style, and the 1977 version offered a slant-nose variation with four square headlamps, not to mention its eye-catching 15x7 snowflake wheels. Pontiac used the big-block 455 through 1976 until regulatory measures on vehicle emissions forced manufacturers to use smaller engines. The result was a slight loss of muscle car credibility, since it could only get 200 horsepower from its 400-cubic inch V-8. But, looks can be both deceiving and convincing--the film cemented the status of the car as a memorable beast.
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1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS ==========================
Perhaps a frontrunner in the muscle car era, the popularity of the Chevelle SS was a force to be reckoned with. It started as a sleeper, but overtook the Pontiac GTO as America’s best-selling muscle car in 1969. Considered sort of poor man’s muscle car, they were the perfect hot rod to customize. Adding slicks made the car nearly impossible to beat on the street. It certainly helped that it had a massive 780-cfm Holley four-barrel carburetor—the Chevelle was rated at 450 horsepower, which might have actually been a low estimate. Chevy’s Cowl Induction ram-air system was optional on both the SS 396 and the SS 454. Hood pins with tie-down cables were standard for the Chevelle SS.
The car was in the 1993 cult classic, Dazed and Confused, as well as being featured prominently and used by Vin Diesel in 2009’s Fast & Furious.
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1973 De Tomaso Pantera ======================
A reasonably affordable award-winning Italian import car could be found at many local dealers in 1973. It was the De Tomaso Pantera, which was 1973’s Road Test Magazine’s Import Car of the Year--which beat the likes of Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, and Porsche. A major upside to the Pantera is that you can get most of the mechanical and engine parts through Ford restoration specialists. The downside to the US versions, though, was an unseemly rear bumper; a plastic-covered steel pipe mounted on shock absorbers which would add 100 pounds to the car and lag performance just enough for enthusiasts to notice. The overhead-valve V-8 engine would only hit 266 horsepower, but it sure looked stylish, taking design cues from the Lamborghini Countach. During 1973, the dashboard was altered from two separate pods for the gauges to a unified unit with the dials angled towards the driver.
A yellow 1973 DeTomaso Pantera was used in the 1976 film Cannonball.
1970 Ford Torino Cobra 429 ==========================
In 1970, Ford elevated Carroll Shelby’s “Cobra” into the upscale Torino ranks. Its “SportsRoof” body style had a sleek, sloping shape referred to as fastback in prior years. Motor Trend named the new Torino SportsRoof model its Car of the Year for 1970 and NASCAR designated the 1970 Torino its new official pace car.
The Torino was built using unibody, and the chassis used an independent front suspension with upper and lower A-arms, anti-roll bar and coil springs. Underneath the hood was a 360-horsepower 429 Thunder Jet. The comparatively smaller big-block engine was a result of the government’s increasingly demanded mandates to reduce emissions with hopes for cleaner air. The Cobras were fitted with a Competition Suspension package, which typically added higher-rated springs. An optional ram-air hood scoop fit the Cobra image, and would distract an onlooker from the seemingly endless length of the front hood.
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1971 Ford Boss 351 Mustang ==========================
Many Ford ponycar fans were dismayed after the big-block 429 Boss Mustangs were cancelled in 1970. But, they rejoiced as the new Boss 351 was rolled out with a restyled SportsRoof body like the Torino. Under the hood was a 351 High Output Cleveland V-8, a mid-range small block that acted like a big-block, rated at 330 horsepower with free-flowing heads and revised cooling passages. The engine also had screw-in rocker studs, hardened pushrods, and guide plates. Standard was a ram-induction hood, a cooling package with a flex fan, and a Hurst-shifted wide-ratio four-speed. They had dual racing mirrors and fancy ‘Boss 351 Mustang’ decals on the fenders and tail, while the rear deck spoiler was optional.
A 1971 Mustang played the role of a 1973 Mustang in the original version of Gone in 60 Seconds in 1974. The car was called “Eleanor” and was considered a star of the film.
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1971 Dodge Super Bee ====================
The 1971 Dodge Super Bee used the same platform of the Dodge Charger. A ‘Road and Track’ version of the Charger already existed, so the Super Bee was touted for its low price (among other gimmicks and decals as a sort of pretension that it was a true hot rod). It was a fun, high-performance car, especially popular with Mopar fans. The 1971 Super Bee, unlike the prior Coronet years, had a small block engine option—340 cubic inch small-block Magnum V-8, rated at 275 horsepower.
The Super Bee had a three-speed floor shift, power bulge hood (black finished), tape stripes, and a Charger 500 interior with a standard bench seat. The Super Bee also came with a heavy-duty suspension, F70-14 tires, plenty of optional equipment, and of course some fanciful Super Bee decals.
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