UDMan's Offbeat and Obscure Performance Muscle Cars: Part 2; The 1960's

The 1960's is regarded as the peak of the performance and muscle car era. It is often referred as the time in which the horsepower wars were raging between General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. It was a time in which GM introduced the formula that defined the modern Muscle Car, to take the lightest car available, and stuff as much engine into it as possible. General Motors Pontiac Division is often given the credit for making the "first" muscle car, the G-T-O. However, performance was available even before this iconic car ever came into being. And, performance was still available in the full sized cars of the day. So take a look at these often misunderstood performance cars from the 1960's.

The 1963 - 1965 Buick RivieraBuick has been known as the car that many people bought if they wanted the luxury of a Cadillac without the ostentation. It was the consummate “Doctor’s Car,” if you will. Something happened to Buick during the late 50’s and early 60’s though–it took on a car that Cadillac rejected as being too radical for the brand, and created a new category, with some healthy performance. Take a look at the 1963-65 Buick Riviera.

The 1966 - 1967 Ford Galaxie 7 LitreIt was the Autumn of 1965, and at that time Pontiac’s hot-selling G-T-O heavily influenced the performance car market. Intermediate-sized cars with big-block power were the hot ticket. Ford was about to introduce the 390 powered Fairlane GT and GTA, which was thoroughly re-designed, to satisfy that slice of the market. However, Ford was also about to introduce a new full-sized bruiser for the 1966 model year. Let’s take a look at the Ford’s Galaxie 500 7 Litre.

The 1968 - 1970 Oldsmobile Toronado W-34Can a Front Wheel Drive Car ever be considered a Muscle Car? The overwhelming majority of enthusiasts said no, then I thought I’d reach back to the 1968 time period. This was the true peak of the classic muscle car era, rife with fire-breathing HEMIs, Ford Cobra Jets, and at least four different GM big blocks. Let me introduce you to a true full-size coupe, but one with over 400 hp driving the front wheels. Say hello to the Oldsmobile Toronado W-34.

The 1965 - 1967 Rambler MarlinAMC was created in 1954 after merging two independent car companies, Nash and Hudson. The company was struggling right after the merger, until they did away will all traces of the old companies, and created the Rambler compact line of cars. They were dependable, but not really exciting cars. That was about to change with the introduction of the 1965 Marlin.

The 1969 - 1970 Mercury Marauder X-100Almost all of the obvious performance Fords are accepted as true muscle cars, so finding obscure ones proved to be challenging. While this car isn’t a Ford badged product, it was produced by the Ford Motor Company. Let me introduce you to the Mercury Marauder X-100.

The 1963 Studebaker R-2 Super Hawk, and Super LarkThis is one of the last gasps of greatness from that great South Bend, Indiana carmaker, Studebaker. These cars are powered by the same engine, and could be ordered directly from the factory, including the new Avanti. Studebaker President Sherwood Egbert was having trouble getting his stunning new Avanti into full-scale production. So in order to capitalize on the high-performance components that had been developed for the Avanti under the supervision of Andy Granatelli, Egbert decided in early 1963 that some of this equipment should be made available to buyers of both the Gran Turismo Hawk and the Lark. They were called the Super Hawk, and the Super Lark.

The 1962 - 1963 Oldsmobile F-85 JetfireThis car is a pioneer of sorts. It is the first production turbocharged V-8 built in America, and it predated the Pontiac G-T-O by two years. It was a truly phenomenal car in the fact that it used an all aluminum V-8, and had a greater that 10:1 compression ratio, which necessitated the use of a water/alcohol mixture to help keep detonation at bay. Introducing the 1962 Oldsmobile F-85 Jetfire.

And there you have it, some rather interesting performance cars, that are not at all obvious. Yes there are the 4-4-2's, Plymouth & Doge Hemi's, and the Ford Cobra Jet's. But all of these cars are all flying "under the radar", and you will never see another one at your local car show. Hope you appreciate these rare and wonderful cars.

Future Featured Car!