{"id":54218,"date":"2018-08-13T07:58:51","date_gmt":"2018-08-13T14:58:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/?p=54218"},"modified":"2018-08-13T11:43:54","modified_gmt":"2018-08-13T18:43:54","slug":"ten-terrific-modern-muscle-classics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/ten-terrific-modern-muscle-classics\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten Terrific Modern Muscle Classics"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"jetpack-slideshow-noscript robots-nocontent\">This slideshow requires JavaScript.<\/p><div id=\"gallery-54218-1-slideshow\" class=\"jetpack-slideshow-window jetpack-slideshow jetpack-slideshow-black\" data-trans=\"fade\" data-autostart=\"1\" data-gallery=\"[{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/08\\\/Buick-Skylark-Modern-Muscle-min.jpeg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;54258&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;1) Buick Grand National&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Ten Terrific Modern Muscle Classics&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Click Here to Begin Slideshow\\n\\nI\\u2019m trying to get my 1954 Chevy finished in time for the NSRA Northeast Street Rod Nationals in Burlington, VT next month, and it got me thinking that if my \\u201854 isn\\u2019t ready I could\\u2019ve brought my 1988 Ford Mustang GT \\u0026#8211; if I didn\\u2019t just sell it in June. \\nSince NSRA allows 1988 and older vehicles into their events, and Good-Guys Rod \\u0026#038; Custom have opened up the door from the old cutoff of 1972 to the current cut of 1987, I started daydreaming about what other more modern rides would work for these shows. And once those wheels started spinning, I thought it would be fun to share my personal favorite 1973-1988 rides with our audience and see what rides everyone else likes.\\nNote that I\\u2019m leaving out the last few years of popular \\u201860s body-styles such as the 1968-74 Chevrolet Nova, 1967-76 Dodge Dart, etc. There are plenty of the early years of those at the shows already. \\n\\n1) Buick Grand National\\n\\nMuch like Henry Ford said about the Model T, you could have the Grand National in any color you wanted as long as it was black. With underrated horsepower and torque specs from the factory (so as not to steal corporate-cousin Corvette\\u2019s thunder), this V6 turbo monster is probably going to be my forever \\u201cif I hit the lottery\\u201d nostalgia buy. Prices have climbed so high on these you get a nosebleed looking at them, and while you can still score little brother T-types for a reasonable price and make a clone, it\\u2019s just not the same as the real deal.&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/08\\\/foxbody-mustang-min.jpeg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;54225&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;2) Fox Body Mustang&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Ten Terrific Modern Muscle Classics&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Ford may have saved the muscle car when it introduced this foxy pony in 1979. GM\\u2019s offerings had become sad, underpowered shells of themselves by this time (with one notable exception, which you\\u2019ll find on the list); there was nary an offering to be found from Chrysler, and they needed a home run to help enthusiasts forget the Mustang II ever existed. I may be biased because I really loved my \\u201888 GT, but we all remember Vanilla Ice cruising in his 5.0 and wanted one too.&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/08\\\/chevy-iroc-z-camaro-min-1024x576.jpeg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;54223&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;3) Chevrolet IROC-Z Camaro&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Ten Terrific Modern Muscle Classics&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;The fox body made GM stand up and notice that the pony car wasn\\u2019t dead, and the general came roaring back with the fuel-injected small block IROC-Z. With aggressive, edgy styling and a revised suspension setup that was a huge upgrade from the leaf-sprung F-body of prior years, the IROC really carved the corners for a pony car in its day. My personal IROC was a red, 305ci\\\/5 speed car with t-tops and it didn\\u2019t make me at all look like I was having an early mid-life crisis when I had one in my 30s\\u2026 The only thing missing was the mullet I had in high school.&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/08\\\/chevy-monte-carlo-min-1024x768.jpeg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;54224&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;4) Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Ten Terrific Modern Muscle Classics&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;This was literally the car got away \\u0026#8211; my \\u201886 Monte SS was stolen from a hotel parking lot in Boston while I was in the city for a convention. Having just gotten her out of the body shop the week before, my freshly painted white SS was wrapped around an unsuspecting homeowner\\u2019s front porch when the thief lost control during the ensuing police chase (really, you can\\u2019t make this stuff up). I think I still have the SS horn button somewhere as a souvenir\\u2026&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/08\\\/pontiac-firebird-min-1024x476.jpg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;54227&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;5) Pontiac Trans Am\\\/Firebird Formula&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Ten Terrific Modern Muscle Classics&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;I\\u2019ve pretty much always been a second-gen Firebird fan. In addition to having one as my first car, I\\u2019ve owned more of these than any single model out there (five and counting). Who hasn\\u2019t dreamed of ripping down a back road, t-tops off, while Eastbound and Down plays on the 8 track? With real Pontiac big block power available, the Bandit-era cars were the last great holdovers from the muscle car heyday of the late \\u201860s and should be on every collector\\u2019s list.&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/08\\\/73_Pontiac_Grand_Am-min-1024x572.jpg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;54272&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;6) Pontiac Grand Am&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Ten Terrific Modern Muscle Classics&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;While we\\u2019re talking about Pontiacs, let\\u2019s not forget they made some pretty sweet bigger cars, including the \\u201873-\\u201875 Grand Am, which was available with the 400ci motor as the base and the 455ci motor at the top end! With sport-tuned suspension, radial tires (rare as standard equipment in those days), louvered windows and a beak-like Endura urethane nose, the Grand Am\\u2019s styling really stood out from the other cars on the road.&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/08\\\/Lincoln-Mark-VII-LSC-Image-from-Flickr-min-1024x576.jpg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;54226&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;7) Lincoln Mark VII&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Ten Terrific Modern Muscle Classics&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;H.O. 5.0 LSC option? Check. 16\\u201d wheels? Check. C.B. radio? WHAT? Yes, really. Luxury means every option including the kitchen sink, so Lincoln gave you a C.B. to go with your fancy new digital dash in the early Mark VIIs. Based on the Thunderbird and Cougar platform, this \\u00be-sized new Continental was a comfortable cruiser that had performance to back up its looks and has become a great option for the Ford fan who doesn\\u2019t want to crash a Mustang leaving Cars \\u0026#038; Coffee.&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/08\\\/51435599-632-1979-AMC-Pacer-Wagon-min.jpg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;54220&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;8) AMC Pacer&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Ten Terrific Modern Muscle Classics&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Fun cars aren\\u2019t always about going fast. If the Pacer was good enough for Wayne \\u0026#038; Garth, it\\u2019s good enough for me. And just in case you change your mind about the going fast thing, they came with the AMC 304 V8 as an option, so there\\u2019s room to swap a good MOPAR mill into one of these little rear wheel drive bubble cars \\u0026#8211; and then you can really party on!&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/08\\\/50535832-438-1972-Chevrolet-C10-Pickup-min.jpg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;54219&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;9) Chevrolet C\\\/K Series Pickup&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Ten Terrific Modern Muscle Classics&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;I\\u2019m going to toss a couple of curveballs on these last two. Hot rods don\\u2019t always have to be cars or even domestic models, right?\\n\\nIn 2wd short-bed form, the square-body truck looks awesome dropped to the ground on airbags. With tons of room under the hood, you can do pretty much anything you want, but my choice would be a 6.0LS, six speed, with a proper vinyl bench seat for nostalgia\\u2019s sake. I\\u2019d like mine in midnight blue with a black interior and the original GM rally wheels for a real sleeper look, please.&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/08\\\/VW-Scirocco-Image-from-Flickr-min.jpg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;54228&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;10) Volkswagen Scirocco&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Ten Terrific Modern Muscle Classics&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;If pushrod V8s aren\\u2019t your thing and you like European cars, the late second-gen Sciroccos could be had with body skirts, a rear spoiler on the hatch and the same 16V motor as the original hot hatch GTI. I didn\\u2019t want to be another BMW 3-series, 90210-looking kid in the 90s, so grabbing a white 5 speed Scirocco was a cheaper, unique way to go when I needed to combine fun and economy to get me back and forth to school.&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;}]\" itemscope itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageGallery\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Since NSRA allows 1988 and older vehicles into their events, and Good-Guys Rod &#038; Custom have opened up the door from the old cutoff of 1972 to the current cut of 1987, here are ten awesome modern rides which would work for these shows.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":54222,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3711,3697,3470,4879],"tags":[2962,4719,39,43,4892,6145,4178,2820,41,1468,4888,5724,1741,471],"class_list":["post-54218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-classifieds","category-galleries","category-news","category-slideshow","tag-amc","tag-buick","tag-chevrolet","tag-ford","tag-galleries","tag-jim-sweener","tag-lincoln","tag-muscle-cars","tag-news","tag-pontiac","tag-slideshow","tag-top-10","tag-top-10-lists","tag-volkswagen"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/buick-gn-min.jpeg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p42YSK-e6u","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54218","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54218"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54218\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54293,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54218\/revisions\/54293"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54222"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54218"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}