Hemmings Muscle Machines April 2024

"Driving the car in stock form was enjoyable, but the ‘after’ version really tickled the recall." It probably goes without saying that appreciation for muscle cars, particularly the original offerings of the ’60s and early ’70s, stems from the performance those machines offered. But the style and attitude of those cars was also a major part of what kept fans interested enough to start seeking out and restoring the original muscle cars at a time when those models were not yet even 20 years old. By then, time had moved on and the automotive landscape had changed significantly, along with many elements of popular culture, making muscle cars somewhat emblematic of a fondly recalled era gone by. The nostalgic sense that those cars can trigger in enthusiasts seems to be…

PRODUCTION LINE In the beginning, there was only the Ford Mustang. Sure, Plymouth’s Barracuda was first to market by 16 days, but it was Mustang that led the pony car segment. It took Detroit years to build competitors; even Ford itself couldn’t spit out an upscale version for Mercury until the fall of ’66. Competitors flared up—Firebird, Javelin, Cougar—and were snuffed out one by one. In the more recent past, Camaro, Challenger, and Mustang did battle for a dozen years or more, but as you read this, the fight is over. At the end of the 2024 run, Camaro will die quietly in its sleep after years of neglect, while Challenger is about to go out with the glory of a thousand horsepower before things get quiet at Dodge. What’s…

Letter of the Month: Surviving the Street Machine Era My father, Paul Sonday Sr., purchased his 1974 Plymouth ’Cuda in November of 1973 at the age of 19 for $4,500 cash. He would spend the next 8-10 years customizing it to the ’70s “Street Machine” era. The exterior paint work was completed in September of 1981 by legendary metalflake master Hank Z. The interior, which consists of Naugahyde seats with diamond tufts and black piping, blue velour headliner, blue fuzz on the rear deck, and diamond-dust white pearl doors panels (also painted by Hank Z) were all completed very shortly after the extraordinary exterior paintwork. The drivetrain consists of a 340 Six Barrel setup using the block and heads out of a parted-out ’70 AAR ’Cuda; my father paid $50…

MODIFIED SPOTLIGHT: Corvettes EVER BUY A CAR FROM A FRIEND?Or sell your car to a friend? We’re talking about a real friend — someone you’ve known a long time, with whom you’ve broken bread, whose family members know your family members. Under those circumstances, if the transfer of ownership of a machine that is likely packed with memories enters the picture, things can get sticky. A car deal between pals can test even the best friendships. Custom builds are particularly fraught. Are further changes going to be made to the car, and if so, do all parties need to consent? Is it wrong to feel proprietorial about a car that you no longer own? Does the seller need to just let it go already? If you’ve been on either end…

STOCK TAKE A LONGhard look at this ’70 340 Challenger and it’s hard not to be impressed. It’s also hard not to have a smile break out when you see it, because the car is almost everything we love in a vintage muscle car. It’s the stance that comes from the “Day 2” rolling stock, the “out there” Plum Crazy paint that is the car’s original hue, and a “born with” drivetrain that has to be one of Mother Mopar’s best. No, it’s not a big-block with a four-speed, but the 340 was a potent little stormer and has an interesting story when teamed with the ’70 Dodge E-body. Of course, the story of this specific E-body is interesting as well. It wasn’t a surprise that the 340 was available…

TECH IN THE MARCH ISSUE, we revealed a new project vehicle that we’d acquired last summer to serve as the subject of our next Hemmings Garage video series. We’d done a prior series on an ’87 Camaro IROC in 2022, and it just seemed right that we’d do something with the IROC’s period archrival, the Fox-era 5.0 Mustang. We also discussed how it seems to be getting increasingly difficult to find a Fox 5.0 for short money these days — thanks to their resurgence in popularity. But our persistence paid off and we landed a very clean and mostly original ’91 LX hatchback. As we explained last month, our intention for the Mustang was to roll with some of those nostalgic feelings and build the new project car in the…