Top 10 quickest musclecars of 1969

[moparedtn]

If that's the case, then you have to include 68 Hemi Darts & Cudas.

Precisely.

 

[Hey-O]

On and on we go!!!

 

[HawkRod]

First of all, a fun video. @Richard Cranium thanks for sharing.

To the "muscle car" debate: The video talks about the fastest cars in the 1/4 mile. These old cars were all about street credibility. People didn't debate the minutia of what a muscle car is or is not back then. If two willing participants pulled up along side one another on the street, the race was on! That included pony cars, midsize cars, and yes, even Corvettes. So I think getting into a detailed debate on which cars should be included misses the point. It seems to me the video is targeting fast cars. I am fine with that.

Just my $0.02 for what it is worth.

 

[Hey-O]

First of all, a fun video. @Richard Cranium thanks for sharing.

To the "muscle car" debate: The video talks about the fastest cars in the 1/4 mile. These old cars were all about street credibility. People didn't debate the minutia of what a muscle car is or is not back then. If two willing participants pulled up along side one another on the street, the race was on! That included pony cars, midsize cars, and yes, even Corvettes. So I think getting into a detailed debate on which cars should be included misses the point. It seems to me the video is targeting fast cars. I am fine with that.

Just my $0.02 for what it is worth.

X2, my feelings exactly, another 2 cents added!!

 

[Ron H]

Some believe it goes back farther than that. Some believing the '49 Olds Rocket 88? Again, it's really one interpretation and opinion. I personally believe the 1964 GTO was the first muscle car. Purposely built as "Working man's sports car." But most importantly? There were no lower optioned GTO. Just as with RoadRunner/GTX. Superbee, Old 442. There were no 6cyl or 4-door options. It was "Muscle" or Bust with these mid-size cars. (Yes, there are always some discrepancies in any rule in general.)

Agree. Have heard this too and have had GTO's (thin line for me btw mopars and GTO's) though in my travels, the '64 goat pops up as the 1st more often than the others. I go back to how this was coined as a muscle car - big motor in a mid-size car. The GTO was a badge with some features added on the Lemans/Tempest body. Could be the handle is supposed to make the difference? Could order the SS Dodge in '62 and then the 426 came out in '63 - in mid-size bodies. When the writers and such like to make a lofty identification of the '1st muscle car' as the '64 goat, I beg to differ. These mopars were ruling the drag strips two years before the GTO and were quicker anyway...and were after it came out..

 

[Dipstick]

[QUOTE="Budnicks, post: 912224681, member: 5712"
a muscle car is
a 'midsize' front-engine BB 2 dr sedan/coupe/HT
[/QUOTE]

And, according to some self-proclaimed experts, the car must consist of a "package" and must be "badged".

The first recorded use of the word "muscle" to describe a car was in an article on the road test of a 1955 Chrysler C300.

 

[Budnicks]

just being honest! gotta give credit where it's due! mopar should have made an alu. hemi if they wanted the glory, but they didn't!

the BO29 & LO23 would do...
smaller & a much much lighter car, 'like the Camaro' is too

purpose-built lightweights, from a bunch of the Detroit-ers
GM 'full-size' Impala, Ford 'full-size' Galaxie
& Chrysler Corp 'midsize' Savoy/Belvedere/Coronet etc.
they all had smaller/shorts or AWB 'factory backed' cars too

11.22 1/4 @ 123

years before the COPO ZL1 1 or 69 special ordered Camaro was even in play

Chevy II/Camaro much later, Falcon/Mustang/Mercs Calientes/Cyclones,
Valiants/Baracuda/Dart
it forced the hands of the others, factory-backed & built cars
hell Pontiac was a huge player/dominated in the full-size Catlinias/SD's
depends on what era

Hell the 427sc Cobra went 0-100 & back to 0, in 10 seconds

If you can't run with the big dogs stay on the porch

hell NHRA had to make a special class
because they/1968 Hemi's dominated the rest

I'm no hater of the brand X-ers either, raced them for years/decades
I give credit where it's do

 

[Photon440]

That would do it. It's about 1/2 sec ET weight advantage in 13 sec cars. Maybe a tick more. That weight reduction was basically the theme for Superbee/RoadRunner option.

I think Mike67 was saying that the Corvette was lighter than the SU-bee. A 427 'vette was 3450 pounds, a couple hundred heavier than the base 350 model.

 

[64BEL]

hell NHRA had to make a special class
because they/1968 Hemi's dominated the rest

A class that lives on today, 54 years later.

 

[Hey-O]

 

[BB BELLA]

my only criteria is "fast for what it's going to be used for" "street legal"and available to the general public! the altered wheel base mopars,acid dipped fords and the likes were certainly fast,but not for sale to you and me!
the ZL1 was available if you had the cabbage to buy it and road legal!$4000 motor option,ouch!
i drove mopar from the time I got my license until I was 21 and never considered anything else.I needed a car that would take me 100 miles up north on the weekend and be respected a bit light to light in the city!I got my 69 383/4sp. RR doors blown off by big block camaros but never wanted to own one! but after the camaro incident I added a faster dog, 66 bel11 426/4sp/3.91 and then nobody wanted to race!The 3.91 would get me up north but it wasn't happy about it, each car had it's purpose!
forgot the other criteria was "big back seat" for lady guests!Really should have owned a van!

 

[Cojohnso1]

I think Mike67 was saying that the Corvette was lighter than the SU-bee. A 427 'vette was 3450 pounds, a couple hundred heavier than the base 350 model.

I knew there was no way 700# difference either way. I do know Vettes weigh more than one would think.

I watched a show in the mid 70s shot in the late 60s. A off the show room drag race competition by Car Craft. The cars all had to have factory tires. You couldn't do anything. Not even remove air cleaner. A 1969 Nova SS with L78 396 auto T350 with drag pack rear 4:10 gears won race with a 13.06 time. I believe a '69 hemi RoadRunner came in 4th at 13.3x.

Tires was the first problem. All making that god awful high pitch squeal of the rock hard bias ply tire. And of course tuning was 2nd. All teams said they could improve if given a few min under the hood. Lol. That is the Muscle car way. In the Chevy world. Nova with a 396 was a naturally well balanced match. Light weight. And CHEAP. it's why I recommend a Duster for those looking for a budget Mopar build. Duster is Mopar's Nova. Light and fast with a SB 350/360 base build. Scary fast with a BB build. (A Gen II hemi will require front end mods to get to fit.)