Visitors to the 2022 Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals were greeted by a 1970 Hemi ’Cuda convertible (right) and one of the three 1960 Corvettes raced at Le Mans that year, plus another 560-some other muscle cars and Corvettes. (Al Rogers photo)
The 2022 Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN) was the lucky 13th edition and filled the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill., with 566 incredible muscle cars and Corvettes, all displayed indoors. Event organizer Bob Ashton and his crew do an incredible job of bringing the best of the best and the rarest of the rare to Chicagoland each November the event is held, and this year was as incredible as ever.
Cars of the same model and/or model year, or of a theme, are generally organized together in classes, making the hunting easy for fans of specific types of muscle cars. Also sprinkled throughout the display are stand-alone cars that are noteworthy on their own, or are there to “day view” a fresh restoration. (“Jenny,” the 1967 Camaro featured in the Dec. 15 issue of Old Cars, was one such 2022 MCACN “day view” car.)
The selection of muscle cars at MCACN was so incredible, we assembled this time line of cars at the Nov. 19-20, 2022, event to show the varied hi-po machines on display and the evolution of the muscle car.
Plan a trip to next year’s 2023 event, to be held Nov. 18-19, by going to mcacn.com.
1963
Studebaker had a jump-start on the muscle car era with its little R2-supercharged Lark in 1963. Advertised as an innocent-looking “Q Car,” the supercharged-V-8 Lark offered muscle car fun with a 0-to-60-mph time in “8 or less” and, with heavy-duty parts “for beef,” “tenacious cornering” using adjustable shocks and heavy-duty springs with a heavy-duty clutch. This supercharged ’63 Lark was shown by Ben Janusey.
1964
Hailing from the dawn of the official start of the muscle car era is Nick Smith’s 1964 Ford Fairlane 427 Thunderbolt. The Thunderbolt marked the first time Ford stuffed a big-block from its full-size car line into the midsize Fairlane. In the case of the big-block Fairlane, the combination was intended from the drag strip, not the street. The Thunderbolt was displayed in MCACN’s Legends of Super Stock invitational display.
1965
Among Carroll Shelby’s finest in MCACN’s Shelby Pre-Production class was this storied 1965 Shelby GT350, serial number SRM5006 (the sixth Shelby GT350 by serial number). The car was among Shelby’s first group of “advanced prototype” models and as such, it was a part of the model’s historic introduction. The car was considered a factory show car and displayed at the GT350’s public introduction at Riverside Raceway in January 1965; the Philadelphia Auto Show; Sports Car Club of America national convention; and Baltimore World of Wheels in March 1965. The first, second and now present owner all share the last name Collins, and although the second Collins “raised hell with it,” the car remains unrestored and intact as Shelby built it.
1966
Downright exotic 1966 Ford GT40 Essex Wire Corp. race car was displayed at MCACN. This car raced at the 1966 12 Hours of Sebring where it placed third.
1967
The famous “Silver Bullet” 1967 Plymouth GTX made a rare appearance at MCACN. The car was originally a 440-equipped factory test car and then became a legendary Woodward Avenue street racer in the hands of Jimmy Addison, who built a Hemi for it that was stroked to 487 cubic inches. He also added fiberglass body panels that lightened the car, and with the built Hemi, it was capable of 10.30-second quarter-mile times — in a street car! The car is said to have never been beat in a street race.
From north of the border came this green 1967 Beaumont Sport Deluxe (SD). The Canadian model was based upon the U.S. Chevelle SS, but this Beaumont was further altered into a Cheetah by Conroy Pontiac of West Vancouver, B.C. Conroy Pontiac was one of a handful of dealerships that built supercars from production cars. In the case of the Cheetah, the Canadian dealer took Beaumont SD models and offered its basic Cheetah package with a 350-hp 396, or a street/strip versions with either a 375-hp 396 or 450-hp 427, with this car being fitted with the latter. This 427 Cheetah, owned by George Pappas, also had headers, a Hurst shifter, M-20 four-speed manual, 4.10 12-bolt Posi and American Racing wheels. Conroy Pontiac offered the Cheetah from 1965-1969 and built approximately 50 during that time, 20 of which were built in 1967. This is one of only four known today.
Compare the Cheetah with the “standard” white Beaumont SD 396 at right, both of which were part of a Maple Leaf Muscle display of Canadian muscle cars.
With a 428 and a four-speed manual transmission between its bucket seats, this vinyl-topped 1967 Pontiac Grand Prix straddles the line between luxury and muscle car.
1968
Calvin and Doris Badgley’s 1968 Hurst/Olds Holiday coupe doesn’t just look good, it runs good, too, having posted a 13.57 seconds at 101.43 mph time at the recent Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race. It is one of 459 Hurst/Olds Holiday hardtops from the inaugural year that Hurst and Olds teamed up to build the famous silver-and-black muscle cars. Another 56 Hurst/Olds were built as Sport Coupes (two-door sedans).
Dick Harrell is well-known for selling 1969 Chevys built with 427s through Chevrolet’s COPO program, but his exploits into shoving 427s into smaller, lightweight Chevrolets began earlier through the Dick Harrell Performance Center. This 1968 Dick Harrell Super Chevelle is one of five he built in 1968. The car was ordered by Fred Gibb Chevrolet as an SS 396 with a four-speed and 4.10 Posi rear end, which Harrell converted to a 450-hp, 427-powered super car with many heavy-duty parts and a fiberglass hood. The historic Chevelle is now owned by Wes Eisenschenk.
Hurst was at full charge during the muscle car era by building performance cars for a variety of manufacturers. In addition to its work with Oldsmobile during 1968, Hurst modified Dodge and Plymouth A-bodies for drag racing, which included stuffing Hemi 426 engines in Dart hardtops and Barracuda fastbacks. Just 82 or 83 Hemi Darts were built by Hurst for drag racing, including this car built for and raced by Jack Thomas. It’s a notable survivor, as these cars tended to pass from race car driver to driver, yet this one still wears its livery from 1969 or 1970, around the time it was sold to the second race car driver.
1969
In 1968, Dodge introduced the Coronet-based Super Bee two-door sedan to compete with the base-priced Pontiac GTO. With the Super Bee muscle car, Dodge had a graphic-clad youth car that looked fun and drove even more fun, and with a base price just a tick above the $3,000 mark (when equipped with the standard 335-hp 383 — a Hemi was optional). For 1969, Dodge added a 440 V-8 and the hardtop body style, the latter represented at MCACN by Dennis Herdeman’s black ’Bee featuring a red stripe. The car featured the optional four-speed manual transmission, N96 fresh-air hood, radio, B51 power brakes and A62 Rallye instrument cluster with the N85 tach.
With MCACN featured just outside Chicago, it’s natural to include a class for the cars of Chicago-based Mr. Norm’s Grand Spaulding Dodge. This 426 Hemi-powered 1969 Dodge Charger R/T, currently owned by Ted Wolff, is one of those originally sold by Grand Spaulding.
Among the nearly two dozen 1969 Dodge Daytonas on display was the first prototype example, one of 11 SE-based examples. The 440 V-8 and four-speed Daytona has just 11,400 miles and was used by Dodge as a show car. It is owned by John and Aliz Rizek.
MCACN 2022 was an amazing playground of swingset-tailed, slide-nosed MoPars. In total, there were 46 winged MoPars scattered throughout the Donald E. Stephenson Convention Center, almost equally split between 1969 Dodge Daytonas and 1970 Plymouth Superbirds in a “Wings Over America” display. Just 503 1969 Daytonas and 1,935 1970 Superbirds were originally built to give MoPars an aerodynamic advantage on NASCAR race tracks. The winged street MoPars at MCACN were displayed in all conditions — restored showpieces, restored drivers, beautiful unrestored survivors, needing-restoration originals and period-modified street cars.
Mercury muscle cars were few and far between, but nonetheless present at MCACN. This rare 1969 Cougar convertible in the “Maple Leaf Muscle” display of cars originating in Canada not only packed 428 power, it was painted Rocky Mountain Purple with a contrasting white interior. Cougars made available to successful Rocky Mountain Life Insurance Co. sales people in the late 1960s and early 1970s were painted the special Rocky Mountain Purple color while selling insurance for the Calgary, Alberta-based company. Most of the few Cougars painted Rocky Mountain Purple were coupes, making Phil Silver’s convertible survivor extremely rare. The Cougar Club of America has well-researched these unique Cougars (cougarclub2.org).
1970
A sample of the two dozen or so 1970 Plymouth Superbirds on display at this year’s MCACN event in Rosemont, Ill.
ne of the roughest but most popular Superbirds to be displayed at MCACN was the internet-famous, Hurricane Ian-damaged 1970 Plymouth Superbird (left and above). Images of this beached Superbird pictured upside down near a likewise sea-ravaged 1969 Dodge Charger set social media ablaze after the Gulf of Mexico waters receded from Bonita Springs, Fla., in early October.
The orange Superbird was displayed at MCACN to show the effects of the hurricane and its pre-restoration state before Magnum Auto Restoration, Inc., of Chicago, digs into making the winged MoPar a warrior again. Follow the restoration progress at www.magnumautoresto.com.
American Motors Corp. was represented well by the beautiful lines of the 1970 Javelin SST owned by Tom Guarr. The Javelin SST featured the Mark Donohue treatment. Just 2,501 Mark Donohue Edition Javelin SSTs were built, and only for 1970, to honor AMC’s entry into Trans Am racing with Donohue at the wheel for Roger Penske’s race team.
Dodge may have been late to the pony car party, but it made a grand entrance when it finally arrived with the Challenger for the 1970 model year. John Scalfani’s 1970 Challenger R/T is very well-optioned with the 390-hp 440 Six Pack option, TorqueFlite automatic, Rim Blow steering wheel, Road Wheels, Super Track Pak, disc power brakes, console and High Impact Hemi Orange paint. When new, it sold for $4,527.15 — nearly 50 percent above the base price of a 383-powered base Challenger R/T!
A pair of Grabber Blue 1970 and 1971 Boss Mustangs greeted visitors with their hoods up. The 1970 Boss 429 (left) with a factory-rated 375 hp is one of just 499 built for the model year, while the 1971 Boss 351 with 330 hp is one of 1,806 built for that model year. The side-by-side display offered a chance to see how the Mustang grew in size from 1970 to ’71.
1971
MCACN corrals some pretty rare and unique muscle cars. This isn’t just “any old” 1971 Pontiac GTO Ram Air The Judge, but the pilot model and the first Judge built for the model year (and overall the 19th Pontiac built for 1971). This Judge was largely unrestored and accompanied by many period GM photos, including several showing it with the new-for-1971 honeycomb wheels — perhaps making it the first GTO with the beloved wheels. Its High Output 455 V-8 made 335 hp and was backed by a Muncie four-speed. The car was shown by owner Phil Mitchell.
1972
Buick muscle was well-represented by nearly a dozen Gran Sports in MCACN’s Class of ’72 display. The rarest was likely this 1972 GSX, one of just 44 GSX models built for the model year. Of those, just 24 had the 455 Stage 1 engine good for 270 hp. This automatic-equipped GSX Stage 1 also had a limited slip differential and had traveled just 33,000 miles, yet had a repaint in its past. The car was owned by Gordon and Sandy Martin.
The Class of ’72 Buick Grand Sport display included a Stage 1 455, the source of Buick’s “Fast with Class” catchphrase. The Stage 1 engine was good for a factory rating of 360 hp and 510 lb.-ft. of torque at its 1970 introduction, and its peak. By 1972, it was down to 270 hp and 390 lb.-ft. of torque.
Serious performance wasn’t completely dead by 1972, but you had to go looking to one of the few dealers with shops willing to do a little hi-po magic. Baldwin-Motion was among them. Baldwin-Motion was Baldwin Chevrolet in Baldwin, N.Y., Joel Rosen and Motion Performance. In 1972, Motion Performance built this Phase III Camaro based upon a Z28, but with a 575-hp 454 backed by an automatic transmission. The total price of this Phase III Camaro was just over $7,400 — almost twice the $3,800 base price of a Z/28 — but it was seconds faster in the quarter-mile.
1973
Why, yes, you could get a Super Sport station wagon, but only in 1973. This incredibly rare 1973 Chevelle Malibu SS station wagon is a rare survivor that also packs the optional 454-cid V-8. (Somebody’s dad wasn’t ready to turn in his “cool card.”) Included in the SS equipment package for the wagon was a black-finished grille with SS emblem; left-hand remote-control mirror; SS emblems on the fenders, door trim, steering wheel and tailgate; bright roof drip molding; lower body and wheel opening striping; special instrument cluster; special rear stabilizer; and 14x7-in. Turbine I wheels. Look for a feature story on this car in an upcoming Old Cars!
1975
Muscle mass was shrinking through the 1970s, but there were a few bright spots. While the SS was dropped from the Chevelle Malibu line after 1973, the Laguna — originally designed to be the top-line Chevrolet Malibu model for all body types at its 1973 introduction — became the “sportiest Chevelle of them all” when it returned in 1974 as only a coupe. The Laguna Type S-3 coupe carried over from 1974 to 1975 with a combination front header/bumper that was more slanted than in 1974. A 454 V-8 was available in any Chevelle, but most — including Lagunas — had a 350 V-8. Gary Dinges owns this excellent 1975 Laguna Type S-3 example in MCACN’s Malaise Era Muscle class.
1977
Dodge still offered Chargers after the heyday of the muscle car, but they became less muscle car and more luxury car, especially with the third generation of Charger that debuted in 1975. Ma MoPar hadn’t forgotten her storied muscle car history and in 1976, brought back a Daytona version of the Charger, although the wing and pointed nose were gone; graphics were the nature of the Daytona by this time. The Charger Daytona returned for 1977 with the 400 V-8 as the largest engine available. Horsepower was of such little consequence by this time that no figures for any engine were mentioned in the 1977 Charger brochure. This stellar example of “malaise muscle” is owned by Sandra Samolinski.
Three low-mileage 1977 Camaro Z28s were displayed together in the Malaise Era Muscle class. The brown Z in the foreground had 4,420 miles, the silver Z in the center had 457 miles and the red Z in the rear had 163 miles. Chevrolet had killed the Z/28 for 1975, so when it returned in mid 1977, Camaro lovers squirreled a few away lest GM kill it off again. When it returned in mid 1977, the Z28 (now without the forward slash) packed a 185-hp 350 V-8.
1978
When the Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volare small cars came out for 1976, each manufacturer tried to make a version for everyone, including the muscle car crowd. At Dodge, there were stripper Aspens, luxury Aspens and even an R/T “muscle” Aspen. However, the Aspen R/T was essentially a muscle car in cosmetics only. In 1978, Dodge applied more makeup and accessories to the Aspen R/T to create the one-year-only Aspen Super Coupe, which added spoilers, fender flares, stripes and more to the Aspen R/T. Power came from a 175-hp 360 V-8 — a pretty big engine and decent horsepower rating for the car’s size and model year. Only about 500 Aspen Super Coupes were built for 1978; this survivor, owned by James Bohrer, is one of just 37 Super Coupes with T-tops.
1979
In retrospect, the 1979 Buick Century Turbo Coupe was really a sign of horsepower to come — more efficient power from fewer cylinders and displacement. Buick’s now-legendary Grand Nationals began with the 3.8-liter turbocharged V-6 first offered to the public in 1979 with such models as the Century Turbo Coupe, which was built just two years. In 1979, the turbo Buick V-6 offered 175 hp and 275 lb.-ft. of torque. That year, Buick also offered the turbo V-6 in the Regal, Le Sabre and Riviera, but the “cut butt” Century Turbo Coupe, such as this example, would have been the lightest and therefore best at maximizing the power of the turbo mill. This excellent survivor is owned by Starc Traxler.
1985
One of the newest cars in MCACN’s Malaise Era Muscle class was the 1985 Oldsmobile FE3-X concept car, built under Oldsmobile engineer Bill Porterfield as an affordable performance car with improved function. The car was based upon a Hurst/Olds and came to be called the “Darth Vader car” by Olds General Manager William. W. Lane. The car is now owned by Angelo Valenti.
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