Mean muscle cars go to auction

Find your next classic V8 in the City of Angels

Like your V8 power through the rear wheels? You’ll love Mecum’s upcoming auction in Los Angeles.

Besides a clutch of supercars (including a Bugatti Chiron) and classic wagons, the expansive list of lots is dominated by meaty muscle cars (and the odd pony car too) from lesser-spotted Dodges to late-'60s fastbacks.

In fact, you’ll find more muscle in the halls of The Fairplex on February 16th and 17th than at Santa Monica beach down the road.

We’ve picked out 15 of the meanest, rarest and coolest for your viewing pleasure – starting with The Demented Dart...

1. 1968 DODGE HEMI DART LO23 SUPER STOCK

Employing the small car, big engine formula to extreme effect, Dodge’s iconic Hemi Dart remains one of the most powerful muscle cars ever made.

Just 80 were produced, and any similarities to the standard Dart were skin deep: sent as shells to a performance facility in Michigan, LO23 Darts were stripped of all creature comforts in the name of weight saving, before being fitted with a 426 cubic inch V8. Suffice it to say, this was enough to achieve absurd, not-really-road-legal performance levels.

The model up for auction is known as ‘The Demented Dart’ and has a rich racing history across the USA and Canada.

2. 1978 PONTIAC FIREBIRD TRANS AM

A major rival to the mighty Mustang, Pontiac’s feisty Firebird arrived in 1967 – and it was soon followed by the Trans Am upgrade package.

Delivering more power, better handling and more aggressive styling, the Trans Am iteration rapidly found fame through, among other things, several TV appearances – with roles in everything from Smokey and the Bandit to, of course, Knight Rider.

This Solar Gold example from 1978 carries several desirable options, including the rarer 403 cubic inch V8 engine – though its 3-speed automatic transmission won’t appeal to pony car purists.

3. 1970 OLDSMOBILE 442 W-30

Built between 1964 and 1980, Oldsmobile’s 442 machine had nothing to do with football and everything to do with high performance.

Born as an option for the Cutlass (built, like most other Oldsmobile machines, by GM), this example is one of just 262 442s to have been fitted with the W-30 upgrade package in 1970, which took power output to 370bhp and refined many of the internal components.

Recently restored and carrying a matching-numbers 455 CI engine, this 442 is a pristine example of ‘70s American muscle, made rarer by dint of being one of just 120 automatic models.

4. 1970 BUICK GSX STAGE 1

Fitted with a hefty 455 cubic inch V8, Buick’s GSX was developed to bolster floundering Skylark sales in the late ‘70s, but soon took on a life of its own.

A $1,100 option, the GSX package could be further tweaked with Stage 1 upgrades – as with the example here. So effective was this combination that the 455 could deliver 510 pounds per foot of torque, which put it squarely in rubber-destroying territory.

One of 400 so optioned in 1970, the car up for auction carries a matching-numbers motor and is in excellent condition – so expect a price tag to match. 

5. 1966 FORD MUSTANG

A model so synonymous with the muscle car that it spawned its own class, Ford’s Mustang was the original pony car when it arrived in the mid-'60s.

Continually developed until the present day, the Mustang’s original low-cost, high-power approach saw it attain and maintain iconic status – even if later versions besmirched its purebred reputation.

This 1966 example wields a 4.9-litre 302 cubic inch V8 which was presumably fitted during a restoration, given that 302 engines only became available for the Mustang in 1968.

6. 1971 DODGE SUPER BEE

Originally based on the Coronet, in 1971 Dodge’s Super Bee became the low-end, mid-size version of the Charger – of which some 5,054 were produced.

Equipped with Chrysler’s celebrated 383 cubic inch big-block V8, while this example might not carry the rare 7-litre Hemi V8 (fitted to just 120 Super Bees), at 300bhp its power is hardly lacking.

Recently subject to a comprehensive restoration, this 1971 Super Bee is fitted with Rallye option suspension and wheels, as well as an all-important pistol grip gear shifter.

7. 1978 PONTIAC TRANS AM SE

As Trans Ams go, this one’s up there: besides the black-and-gold colour scheme, its combination of a W72 6.6-litre V8 engine and a 4-speed transmission make it one of just 489 such machines built in 1978.

That special-edition moniker meant, among other things, that the 400 cubic inch motor enjoyed a 10% power gain (thanks to increased compression) over the standard edition.

With a factory replacement engine under the hood and a modern 5-speed transmission fitted (with the original 4-speed also supplied), this is a sublime example of Trans Am power.

8. 1968 SHELBY GT350 FASTBACK

Shelby’s original reworking of the Ford Mustang remains revered to this day, due largely to its uncompromising pursuit of performance – complete with modified 4.7L Ford V8 engine.

While the 1968 model gained a few pounds courtesy of an aggressive redesign, it was also more distinct from the stock Mustang, as this stunning Sunlite Gold example illustrates.

Powered by a 302 cubic inch V8 capable of delivering 250bhp, this matching-numbers GT350 carries many original parts – including a rebuilt 4-speed manual transmission. It even ships with a certificate of authenticity signed by the man himself, Carroll Shelby.

9. 1970 CHEVROLET CHEVELLE SS

Chevvy’s Chevelle name covered a whole host of body styles during its 14-year production run, but the SS version was every bit the muscle car.

In its second generation, the SS option originally offered a 396 cubic inch V8 as well as several styling upgrades; come late-1969, though, a whopping 454 cubic inch 7.4-litre big block V8 was available – like the one fitted to this car.

Capable of producing 450bhp, this thoroughly restored vehicle carries a matching-numbers 454 engine, as well as many original parts, including the bodywork.

10. 1968 CHEVROLET CORVETTE L88 CONVERTIBLE

Kitted out with a race-spec package, the L88 Corvette was a track-bred beast among muscle cars. Its 427 CI V8 was every bit the tuned racing engine, and has been known to produce in excess of 550bhp (much more than the on-paper figure of 430bhp).

Intentionally under-advertised to discourage people from purchasing what was essentially a track car, only 20 of the L88 convertibles were made in 1968, of which this fine example is one.

Recently restored and refinished in its original, dashing British Green paint job, this one’s as rare as they come.

11. 1970 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO SS

Marketed as luxury rather than muscle, Chevrolet’s Monte Carlo SS was nevertheless a performance machine – as demonstrated by the 454 big-block V8 under the hood (capable of delivering 360bhp).

The Monte Carlo SS 454 option pack also included better suspension – but even with strong on-paper specs, sales were slow: only 3,800 or so of the top-end versions shifted in 1970.

This particular example has undergone a frame-off restoration, and includes many period and original elements – including a factory tachometer.

12. 1969 AMC AMX

Built by AMC between 1968 and 1970, the AMX was a short-wheelbase muscle car designed to deliver power without breaking the bank. And, despite its short lifespan and low sales, it wasn’t short of performance.

Equipped with a 6.4-litre 390 cubic inch V8 as part of AMC’s Go Package – which also included improved brakes and suspension – the AMX could produce 315bhp.

This example was restored in the ‘90s, and benefits from a re-bored and rebuilt engine.

13. 1971 PLYMOUTH GTX

Produced between 1966 and 1971, Plymouth’s redesigned 1971 GTX was the last to carry the name as a standalone machine.

Besides a reworked, plane-inspired front end, the GTX carried a 7.2-litre 440 cubic inch big-block V8 – which has been professionally rebuilt in this example.

The car up for auction is equally interesting for the fact that it’s had just a single owner since purchase and comes with all of its original documentation.

14. 1969 CHEVROLET CAMARO Z28

A certified, factory-original Camaro with a matching-numbers 302 engine, this thoroughly restored Z28 is as beautiful as they come.

Its revered high-revving 4.9-litre engine was built to meet Trans-Am race regulations, and saw it defeat the mighty Mustang in both the 1968 and 1969 championships.

Proudly clad in Le Mans blue, this pony left the stable in the last year of the first generation Camaro’s production and remains in outstanding condition to this day.

15. 1969 MERCURY COUGAR XR-7 CONVERTIBLE

Launched in 1966, the Cougar gave Mercury its muscle car – and the XR-7 was its luxury brother.

More refined in finish than a Mustang, just 4,024 XR-7s were made in Convertible guise at Ford’s Michigan plant in 1969, making this 351 Windsor V8-equipped example rarer than the average Cougar.

Throw in a recent restoration and several options – including, strangely, air-conditioning – and you’ve got a green machine to watch.