Tag Archives: muscle cars

Hemi Charger Daytona

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1969 Dodge Charger Daytona Hemi

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 16-25, 2015

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Chrysler was serious about NASCAR at the end of the 1960s. They were designing purpose-built specials to compete in NASCAR and win on the big ovals of Daytona and Talladega. The Plymouth Superbird would come in 1970, but for ’69 there was the Charger Daytona, which was a modified Dodge Charger (specifically, the Charger 500 model).

The changes were mostly aerodynamic: a pointed nose cone that was attached at the front to cut through the air and a 23-inch mega-spoiler out back. There were smaller trim bits as well and the standard engine was the 440 V-8. But this example has the Hemi option – a 425 horsepower 7.0-liter V-8.

Only 503 Charger Daytonas were built and only 70 have a Hemi. This is the lowest-mileage Hemi Daytona known to exist, having only 6,435 original miles and was once part of the Otis Chandler Collection. It is an easy six-figure car. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum in Kissimmee next January.

Update: Sold $900,000.

Mercury Comet 202

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1967 Mercury Comet 202 R-Code Sedan

Offered by Mecum | Austin, Texas | December 13, 2014

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

The Mercury Comet began in 1960 as Mercury’s compact model. It was originally going to be an Edsel model, but the Edsel marque was killed off before it ever had the chance to exist. In fact, for the first two years, they weren’t even branded as Mercurys… just “Comet”s.

The third generation Comet was built in 1966 and 1967 and was actually bumped up to Ford’s mid-size Fairlane chassis. Actually, for 1967, the Comet sub-models became their own models (the Capri, Cyclone, Caliente, etc.) and the only Comet-badged cars were the base Comet 202, which was available as a two (as seen here) or four-door sedan.

This car is actually one of only 22 Comets to receive the R-Code 7.0-liter V-8 making 425 horsepower. Only six are known to still exist. This thing is a true sleeper. It is also in excellent, unrestored condition having covered only 2,004 miles in its lifetime. It can be yours now. Check out Mecum’s site for more info and click here for more from Mecum in Austin.

Update: Sold $169,000.

Mustang Boss 302

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1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Fastback

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Las Vegas, Nevada | September 25-27, 2014

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Everybody loves the first generation Mustang. GM and MOPAR guys, even if they don’t love them, have to at least respect them. Ford offered some serious muscle in the Mustang line alone in the late-60s. Like this Boss 302.

There were two 302 cubic inch engines available on the 1969 Mustang. The 4.9-liter Windsor V-8 and the Boss V-8. Those who bought the Windsor must’ve felt shortchanged with only 220 horsepower. The Boss 302 was built for 1969 and 1970 only and was underrated at 290 horsepower.

It was sort of a homologation model so Ford could run this engine in the Trans Am series. They had flat black graphics that clearly screamed “Boss 302” on the fender. Only 1,628 Boss 302s were built for 1969 and over 7,000 for 1970, making the ’69 much rarer. There was also a badder Boss – the 429 that was also offered. This car is correct in every way and should top the $100,000 mark. Click here for more info and here for the rest of this auction’s lineup.

Update: Sold $88,000.

Here are some videos of a similar car:


1970 Corvette ZR1 Convertible

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1970 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Convertible

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 25, 2014

1970 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Convertible

We featured an ultra-rare ZR2 Corvette a few weeks ago and here we have its cousin, the ZR1. The ZR1 name is common today as two more ZR1 models have been produced since (in the early 90s and late 2000s). The original ZR1 is the most valuable as very few were made.

The ZR1 option package was available for 1970, 1971, and 1972 only. It was essentially a small block version of the L88. The engine is a 5.7-liter V-8 rated at 370 horsepower (the most powerful small block Corvette you could buy in those years). It also came with heavy duty brakes, transmission, and suspension. Because the car was sold as “race ready,” you could not get air conditioning, power windows, power steering or a radio (among other things).

Restored in 2011, this ZR1 is one of those very rare muscle cars that bring so much money. Only 53 ZR1s were built in total, 25 of them in 1970. And only a mere handful were drop-tops. This is an easy $100,000-$125,000 car. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Mecum’s Kissimmee lineup.

Update: Sold $130,000.

Corvette ZR2

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1971 Chevrolet Corvette ZR2

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 18, 2013

1971 Chevrolet Corvette ZR2

The third generation (C3) Corvette was all new for 1968. The Stingray, as it was called, dawned at the height of the muscle car era. Chevy and GM had their feet firmly planted in pony car territory. But all-out muscle cars?

In 1970, Chevy offered a special package on the Corvette called the ZR1. It was a high-performance package with an upgraded engine, brakes, suspension and more. For an extra $500 or so on top of that, you could’ve ordered a ZR2.

The ZR2 package was supposed to be for 1970 only, but it got delayed a bit too long and is only found on 1971 Corvettes. It uses the big 7.0-liter 454 V-8 underrated by the factory at 425 horsepower. It also got power disc brakes, heavy-duty suspension, and posi-traction. The package was an additional $1,747 on top of a base Corvette and only 12 were built.

A high-performance Corvette that is one of only 12 built + a Barrett-Jackson auction in January? Yeah, that’s going to make for one expensive car. Check out more here and see the rest of Barrett-Jackson’s auction lineup here.

Update: Sold $495,000.

L88 Corvette

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1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Coupe

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 18, 2013

1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Coupe

The L88 Corvette is one of the most sought after Corvettes. It was only offered for three years (1967-1969) and 1967 was the only year for the second-generation bodystyle to receive this monstrous engine.

The L88 was a 427 cubic inch (7.0-liter) V-8 that was all aluminium. You could get other 427 Corvettes, but this package had lightweight everything and a really high compression ratio which required 103 octane (!) fuel. Chevrolet tacked on some additional required goodies like Positraction, heavy-duty suspension and brakes, and they graciously deleted the radio and air conditioner (so people would be less tempted to drive it on the road – it was supposed to be a street-legal race car).

All of these extras (or deletions) tacked on about an extra 35% to the purchase price. Which might explain why only 20 were sold in 1967. That makes this one of 20 C2 Corvettes with this outrageous engine and option package. Horsepower was rated at 430 but dyno’d at 560. 1968 and 1969 L88 models trade for about $500,000. 1967 models are significantly more expensive and this one should bring around $1 million. Click here for more info and here for more from Barrett-Jackson in Arizona.

Update: Sold $3,850,000.

Hemi Charger Fastback

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1966 Dodge Hemi Charger

Offered by Mecum | Anaheim, California | November 23, 2013

1966 Dodge Hemi Charger

Of the six generations of Dodge Chargers, I think this one might be my favorite. It was the first gen model and it was only sold for 1966 and 1967. It was essentially a fastback version of the B-body Coronet.

The base engine was a 5.2-liter V-8. But you could definitely up your car’s power if you wanted. And the owner of this car did. This particular Charger carries a 426 cubic inch (7.0-liter) Hemi V-8 under the hood. Horsepower was listed at 425 – which is a lot for a car that I would essentially qualify as a sleeper (it looks pretty mundane. I mean, check out those wheels and luxury-barge-esque grille).

What makes this car even better is that it is almost entirely original – even the paint is as it was from the factory. The engine was rebuilt in the late-90s after sitting for over 10 years. It has some rare equipment too: it is one of 257 launch-year Hemi Chargers with a four-speed manual transmission. This is about a $100,000 car. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Mecum’s Anaheim lineup.

Update: Failed to sell (high bid of $40,000).

Chevelle Z16

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1965 Chevrolet Chevelle Z16

Offered by Mecum | Dallas, Texas | September 7, 2013

1965 Chevrolet Chevelle Z16

The Chevrolet Chevelle was introduced in 1964 to go head-to-head with Ford’s Fairlane. But the muscle car era inadvertently got in the way and the Chevelle became on of the most sought-after muscle cars of the era and the Fairlane disappeared into history.

While Pontiac and Oldsmobile had muscle car offerings in 1964, Chevrolet was sort of left behind. But they changed that in 1965 when they took the Chevelle and added $1,501 worth of goodies to it and called it the “Z16” (it was an optional performance package). What did that package include? How about the Corvette’s 396/425 V-8 (that’s 6.5 liters for those of you playing at home). But because the Corvette was the revered “top dog” – they had to under rate the Chevelle’s horsepower to 375.

They also gave it bigger brakes, an upgraded suspension, and better steering. It was basically an SS 396 on steroids. Chevy only built 201 of them and this is one of three factory black/black cars. The value of these cars has definitely been on the rise – you’re looking at about $150,000 for this car. Check out more info here and more from Mecum here.

Update: Sold $200,000.

ZL1 Camaro

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1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 18, 2013

1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

You’re looking at a very rare, very desirable car. In fact, this is about as desirable as Chevy Camaros come. The lot description here even describes it as having the “most exotic American-built production powerplant of the 1960s.”

What sets the ZL1 apart from any other Camaro – and any other COPO Camaro – is its all-aluminium 427 (7.0-liter) V8 rated at 430 horsepower, but in fact delivering far, far more (some estimates push that number to about 550). Let’s back up a little: COPO is GM-speak for Central Office Production Order. At the time, GM was not allowing themselves to use engines larger than 6.6 liters. To get around that, customers could use a special order process – usually reserved for fleet sales – to spec out their cars with options not available to the general public.

The ZL1 engine was developed in part with the Chaparral Can-Am race team. It was developed for drag racing but ended up being a terror on the streets. The engine reportedly cost $4,000 alone – about twice the cost of a base V8 Camaro.

Only 69 ZL1 Camaros were built (this is #23), making it exceedingly rare. Prices have come down from their ridiculous levels back in the 2006/2007 era where these were pushing a million bucks. A more realistic estimate would be about $400,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Mecum’s Indianapolis lineup.

Update: Failed to sell.

Torino King Cobra

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1970 Ford Torino King Cobra

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 18, 2013

1970 Ford Torino King Cobra

The Ford Torino Talladega was Ford’s 1969 NASCAR ringer car. It had a highly sloped fastback and a 428 Cobra Jet engine. For 1970, Chrysler seriously upped the game with the Plymouth Superbird, which would dominate NASCAR.

So Ford designer Larry Shinoda designed this aerodynamic coupe based on the Torino. Everything from the firewall back is standard Torino, but that sleek, downforce-creating front end was all new. The grille was relocated to below the bumper and the hood was blacked out. And there were headlight covers planned for the NASCAR teams (this car has them).

NASCAR upped their homologation requirements for 1970, mandating that 3,000 copies of a car must be built in order to compete. This led Ford to abandon the project after only three prototypes had been built. It was never raced. Each car had a different engine: one had the Boss 429, one a 429 SCJ and the other a 429 CJ. So this car has either an engine rated at 370 or 375 horsepower (the lot description is currently blank for this car). It is one of only three and should bring a pretty penny, even though Torino’s are not (for whatever reason) highly collectible. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Failed to sell.

Update: Sold, Mecum Kissimmee 2019, $192,500.