Hemmings Muscle Machines April 2021

A few years before the muscle car era officially kicked off, the Big Three auto manufacturers in Detroit were already competing in the horsepower wars. The full-size cars of the late 1950’s and early 1960’s brought along large-displacement engines that rocked the automotive world with stout compression ratios, solid-lift camshafts and multiple carburetors. The example shown here is a 1962 Chevrolet Bel Air, which is actually one of Chevy’s lower trim models, compared to the highly-optioned Impala. These stripped-down cars were often equipped with six-cylinder engines, but a select few left the factory with Chevrolet’s top-performing engine, the illustrious 409. This beautifully restored 1962 Bel Air bubbletop features a set of 14-inch OE steel wheels, which are painted body color and equipped with original dog dish caps. The tires come…

“Recall that Chevrolet began as a brand that embraced technology and performance…” I’ve long appreciated the way Chevrolet stepped out of its slot in the General Motors hierarchy to become an aspirational marque all its own. Through the years, the brand has produced so many models that were hugely popular in their time and have become prized collectibles today. That’s not what you’d expect from a nameplate that was supposed to be designated to offer basic, affordable transportation. Recall that Chevrolet began as a brand that embraced technology and performance, using overhead-valve engines, both four- and six-cylinders, to yield stronger powerplants than much of the competition. But later, once the marque became part of General Motors, it was slated as the entry-level line, part of Alfred Sloan’s “a car for…

There will be no America’s Most Beautiful Roadster or Al Slonaker Memorial Award winner for 2021, as the storied Grand National Roadster Show, along with the later-in-the-year Sacramento Autorama, has been pushed back to 2022. Normally held in January at the Pomona Fairplex, the GNRS — the longest-running indoor car show in the world — was initially rescheduled for May 2021 before being shifted into 2022. Organizers cited the “lack of clear guidelines from the state on how and when events can resume” as the reason for dropping both shows from the 2021 calendar. As of this writing, California remains one of the states most severely impacted by COVID-19, and it’s yet uncertain when indoor gatherings will again be permitted. John Buck, producer of the GNRS and Autorama, said of…

By the time you read this, Rick Treworgy’s Muscle Car City Museum in Punta Gorda, Florida, will be but a memory, another victim of the pandemic and its impact on global travel. Once among the largest collections of GM muscle cars and Corvettes in the world, roughly three-quarters of its inventory was sold by Mecum Auctions at no reserve on January 22-23. Located on Florida’s Gulf Coast, Punta Gorda normally enjoys a steady stream of seasonal visitors, many from foreign countries. In announcing the January 17 closure and subsequent auction of the 14-year-old museum’s contents, Treworgy, who amassed his fortune in commercial real estate, cited that in 2020 business was“going backward because of COVID and the lack of international tourists.”His intent was to keep around 50 of the cars for…

Spinal Tap’s lead guitarist, Nigel Tufnel, had an amp that famously went to 11. The volume knob in this Charger’s 19-speaker stereo goes to 38. It’s a metaphor for the rest of the car. Everything about the 2021 Dodge Charger Hellcat Redeye is over-the-top, are-you-kidding-me gonzo. It’s got 797 horsepower on tap. It does 10-second quarter-miles and hits 200 mph flat out. It goes around a road course quicker than Sam Posey’s 1970 Trans-Am Challenger. The orange paint on the brake calipers alone adds $600, and it’s $80,000 out the door as you see it here. And it’s purple! We all know that the Charger Hellcat Redeye is a big, fast, capable sedan. But what’s it like to live with? Beyond every Challenger owner blipping his throttle next to you…

Letter of the Month: Chevy II Memories It was November 1965 and I was age 19, working at a GM parts warehouse in Oakland, California, making a whopping $3.18 an hour. But, I was eligible for the GM employee discount, so I went into a dealer in Oakland to order my 1966 Corvette. I quickly found out that insurance would be three times my car payment! On the showroom floor was an Aztec Bronze 1966 Chevy II Nova SS. It had the L-79 350-hp 327, M21 four-speed, and 3.73 Posi rear. It was love at first sight. I drove it home on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and on the first of December, I took it to Fremont Drag Strip with the original 13-inch tires. That day, it turned a best…