Chevy Nova History 1962-1972 Introduction: The Chevrolet Nova SS represented Chevrolet’s entry into the compact budget muscle car battle. The Nova SS began life in 1962 as the meek Chevy II but was soon made into a legitimate giant killer in 1964 with the availability of its first V8. It would soon adopt all the…
Monte Carlo History 1970-1972 Introduction: The Chevrolet Monte Carlo was introduced in 1970 at the height of GM muscle car power. Positioned as a personal luxury car, the Monte Carlo competed against the Pontiac Grand Prix and Buick Riviera for the gentlemen’s performance market. However, right after its introduction, performance fell out of favor in…
Impala SS History 1958-1969 Introduction: The Chevrolet Impala is often credited with starting the muscle car era. Born as Chevrolet’s top of the line model, the Impala quickly became the symbol for performance in the early sixties and introduced Chevrolet’s signature “SS” brand of performance. Although it would later be eclipsed by smaller, lighter automobiles,…
Riviera History 1963-1975 Introduction: The Buick Riviera was not a muscle car, per se, but it had a tremendous impact on the American automotive scene. The Riviera represented one of the most successful American attempts at capturing European styling and performance in a large automobile. Positioned at the top of Buick’s coupe line up, the…
There is an unquestionable short list of unique American cars. That list would start with the Corvette and end with the Ford Raptor. Tucked somewhere near the top is the Chevrolet El Camino. The funny thing is that the Chevy El Camino wasn’t an American idea, despite it becoming a cultural icon. In fact, the…
Camaro HistoryFirst Generation1967-1969 Introduction: After two years of watching the Ford Mustang enjoy tremendous success, General Motors finally launched its entry into the pony car segment, the Chevrolet Camaro. Although available with a mediocre six cylinder for volume sales, the Camaro could be equipped with several V8s and a myriad of performance options. Then, of…
1964-1973 Chevrolet Chevelle SS History Introduction: The Chevrolet Chevelle SS represented Chevrolet’s entry into the hot midsize muscle car battle. The Chevelle SS was the high performance version of Chevrolet’s Chevelle, and had its own line of engines and performance equipment. At first caught napping with just a 327 V8, the Chevelle SS would soon…
The Buick Wildcat started production in an interesting way. Like many other muscle cars of the time, it wasn’t originally its own model. Instead, it was a subseries of the full-size Buick Invicta which was in itself a conglomeration of the Buick Century and Buick LeSabre. Not even its name was unique to the model,…
1953-1954 & 1961-1972 Buick Skylark History Introduction: The Buick Skylark first appeared as a limited production model in 1953 and 1954, when it disappeared. It would reappear in 1961 and serve as the basis for the mighty Buick GS line. 1953 Buick Skylark Comments: The first Skylark helped commemorate Buick’s 50th anniversary. Built as a…
When the Buick Gran Sport was released, it represented an attitude that was unheard of in the American car market and hardly ever seen anywhere else. As the premier brand in the General Motors lineup, luxury was of paramount importance. As one of the oldest car makers in history, the Buick name came to represent…
1978-1987 Grand National / Regal T-Type History The Grand National/Regal story is one of triumph and evolution for Buick. In the mid-1970s, Buick was falling behind the times in keeping up with the mid-size luxury offerings of Chevy and Pontiac with the Monte Carlo and Grand Prix respectively. A few years down the line, Buick…
