A breed unlike any seen before or since, the powerful, stylish American muscle car defined an era in automotive history. This history traces the rise and fall of these great performance cars from their precursors in the 1950s through the seminal appearance of the Pontiac GTO in 1964 and then year by year to the end in the 1970s. Approachable and nontechnical yet deeply informative, it puts the bygone muscle car in its cultural and aesthetic contexts, describes developments in styling, performance and marketing, and revels in the joys of muscle car ownership in the 21st century.

"Muscle Car Source Book is a muscle car buff's encyclopedia that chronicles the how's why's, and when's of American muscle car manufacturers like Dodge, Plymouth, Ford, and more"--

In the world of archeology nothing compares to the discovery. Whether it’s related to King Tut’s tomb, the Titanic, or Amelia Earhart, the uncovering of an artifact outdoes all the research; work; and blood, sweat, and tears into a singular rush of adrenaline. In the world of the muscle car, some of the greatest creations are still waiting to be discovered. This book is a collection of stories written by enthusiasts about their quest to find these extremely rare and valuable muscle cars. You find four categories (Celebrity, Rare, Race Cars, and Concept/Prototype/Show Cars) within three genres (Missing, Lost History, Recently Discovered) that take you through the search for some of the most sought after muscle cars with names such as Shelby, Yenko, Hurst, and Hemi. Along the way, success stories including finding the first Z/28 Camaro, the 1971 Boss 302, and the 1971 Hemi 'Cuda convertible will make you wonder if you could uncover the next great muscle car find. Lost Muscle Cars includes 45 intriguing stories involving some of the most significant American iron ever created during the celebrated muscle car era. Readers will be armed with the tools to begin the quest to make the next great discovery in automotive archaeology!

"The Complete Book of Classic Chevy Muscle Cars covers the primary muscle and performance cars produced by Chevrolet in the 60s and 70s, such as the Camaro and Malibu"--

Today, a 1970 Hemi Cuda can change hands for as much as a quarter of a million dollars. But when it was introduced, the Barracuda was just a car, and it was Joe Oldhams job to beat the daylights out of it. A tell-all from the man who tested the best, this book delves into the notes Oldham made on the cars he vetted for some of the top car magazines. Here are the photos (including outtakes) and the hard cold facts on muscle cars from the 1964 GTO to the 1976 Trans Am 455 HO--twenty-four in all. The 1970 Buick Gran Sport GSX, Oldham notes, was "the best handling muscle car we ever tested." The 1968 Plymouth Road Runner, on the other hand, was "just a car that didnt run very well"--despite its 426 Hemi. Today, people might know the articles Oldham wrote, and they might know the performance numbers he got. But how he did those things was an untold story. This behind-the-scenes book is a close-up look at what it was like to live in the muscle car era and to help create the myth that still lives on today. The list of reviewed cars includes: 1962 421 Super Duty Pontiac Catalina 1963 409 Chevrolet Biscayne 1968 Pontiac Firebird Sprint Turismo 1969 Baldwin-Motion SS-427 Camaro 1969 440 Plymouth Barracuda 1969 Firebird 400 Ram Air IV 1969 426 Hemi Road Runner 1969 440 Plymouth GTX 1969 440 6-BBL Plymouth Road Runner 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge 1969 428 Cobra Jet Mustang Mach 1 1970 426 Hemi Barracuda Convertible 1970 Buick GSX 455 Stage 1 1970 Pontiac GTO Ram Air IV 1971 429SCJ Ford Torino Cobra 1971 American Motors 401 AMX 1972 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 W-30 1973 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 1976 455 Pontiac Trans Am

“Get one before one gets you!” Motion Performance’s catchy sales pitch for builder Joel Rosen’s Phase III Specialty Muscle Cars sums up the escalating performance scene in the late 1960s. Special edition muscle cars were essential to keep pace. Joel and other independent car builders (such as Carroll Shelby, George Hurst, Dick Harrell, Mr. Norm, and Jim Wangers) did what the factories couldn’t do: take the muscle car and turn it into a tire-burning monster. Although the Pontiac GTO established the muscle car category in 1964, a host of corporate safety restrictions restrained factories from offering turn-key race cars off the showroom floor. Independent car builders enhanced appearance and amplified performance in an attempt to do what the manufacturers wouldn’t. Motion Performance issued a written guarantee: Phase III cars would run 11.5 at 120 mph down the quarter-mile! Some of the most iconic nameplates in automotive history were applied in this era with names that included Cheetah, Black Panther, Royal Bobcat, Super Hugger, Manta Ray, Super Snake, Deuce, Fast Track, and The Machine. How did manufacturers stealthily promote these special edition muscle cars as “halo cars” while pretending not to endorse them? What happened to these innovators when factories assimilated their ideas? It’s all covered inside. Muscle car historian Duncan Brown takes us through these special edition muscle cars, their creators, and the behind-the-scenes forces that shaped these wild beasts into legends that left a lasting legacy.