Introduced in 1953, the Chevrolet Corvette was America's first sports car, and while it was definitely cool-looking, it wasn't much of a performer, at least at first. In 1962, the 'Vette finally got oomph under the hood with a 360-horsepower 327ci V-8, and then it was lights out with a 427ci V-8 that produced up to 450 ponies in 1967. The Corvette was the premier American performance vehicle, even after the 1964 Pontiac GTO ushered in the muscle car era and models were suddenly sporting high-output engines. No matter what the other automakers did, the Corvette was always faster, but then, in 1970, something weird happened.1971 was effectively the last good year for the Golden Age of American Muscle, before the malaise of the Dead Horsepower Era set in, but 1970 was the crowning jewel of the classic era, with the baddest of the bad street rides. This was the year muscle cars finally overtook the Corvette as the reigning champ, and while it was a short-lived victory, a win is a win. 1970 is also probably the craziest year for muscle car performance overall.The 1970 Corvette, with a 390-horsepower 454ci LS5 V-8, ran a quarter-mile in 15 seconds flat and 14.2 seconds when tested for the 1971 model year, which was okay but nothing compared to what was happening in Mustle Town. Here are the iconic '70 classic muscle cars that could totally smoke a C3 Corvette with the 454 LS5. 1970 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Ram Air IV Quarter-mile: 13.9 Seconds Mecum Auctions GM imposed a silly big engine ban on its division's intermediate cars just before the muscle car explosion of 1964 that disallowed V-8s over 400 cubic inches. Pontiac made the best of this and got some amazing performance from their 400ci V-8, which was almost like a middle finger to GM's silly edict. In 1970, the ban was lifted, and most divisions went big-block crazy, but the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am was doing fine with the 400 Ram Air IV that was shockingly underrated at 345 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque. The reason why we know this engine produced more than advertised is because the '70 Trans Am could rip a 13.9-second quarter-mile, and that's something that takes quite a few more ponies. 1970 Oldsmobile 442 W-30 Quarter-mile: 13.7 Seconds Mecum The Oldsmobile 442 is kind of the forgotten GM muscle car, being overshadowed by the GTO and Chevelle, but it was the same basic ride with just as much street cred. A standard 442 with a 454ci V-8 was already awesome with 365-horepower and a stump-pulling 500 pound-feet of torque, capable of 14-seond quarter-mile. While the W-30 performance package only added five horsepower, it got the '70 442 going to a 5.3-second 0-60 time and a blistering 13.7-second ET. In the Golden age, you either had a 13-second car or a grocery-getter and the W-30 package guaranteed your coolness. At $263 ($2,197 adjusted for inflation), the W-30 wasn't cheap, but it was a small price to pay for street glory. 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge Ram Air IV Quarter-mile: 13.6 Seconds Mecum The Trans Am ended up being Pontiac's signature ride, but in the Golden Age, the GTO was its Halo car, and as such, got special treatment. While the 1970 400ci Ram Air IV GTO Judge was officially rated at 370 hp, its rating was quite conservative. The '70 Judge was admittedly faster than the numbers suggested, ripping 13.6-second ETs all day long. The Trans Am Ram Air IV has the advantage in rarity, with just 88 units produced, versus 168 GTO Judges. When it comes to drop-tops, however, the GTO Judge Ram Air IV wins with 17 units because there were no convertibles for the Trans Am, plus the Pontiac rarity is a bona fide million-dollar ride. 1970 Dodge Hemi Super Bee Quarter-mile: 13.5 Seconds Mecum 1970 was the last year for the Dodge Super Bee, before it became a budget speed trim on the third-gen Charger in 1971. It was also when the Super Bee got that wicked front fascia, which Dodge described as "bumblebee wings" but look more like an evil grimace. When equipped with the 425-horsepower, 490 pound-feet of torque 426ci Hemi V-8, the '70 Bee was as terrifying on the streets as its looks would convey. With a 5.3-second 0-60 time and a 13.5-second quarter-mile, the '70 Super Bee was hard to beat with anything that wasn't a Hemi. There are some unsubstantiated rumors that a little tuning and prep could make this a 12-second car, which is a literal nightmare for anything that lined up against it. 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 LS6 Quarter-mile: 13.44 Seconds Mecum The Chevrolet Chevelle SS is the most popular Golden Age muscle car with production from 1964-1971 exceeding all Mopars (Dodge and Plymouth) combined. The issue was that because of GM's big engine ban, the Chevelle, which was limited to the 396ci V-8, could never beat a 426 Hemi, or even a 440, Mopar in a street race. In 1970, with the ban mercifully lifted, the Chevelle SS got a 450 horsepower, 500 pound-feet of torque 454 LS6 V-8 and was finally ready to rock. While its 13.44-second quarter-mile wasn't a Mopar exterminator, it was good enough to beat some and hang with others. Also, on any given day, this was a car that could pull off a miracle and shock a Charger or Road Runner owner. 1970 Dodge Charger Hemi R/T Quarter-mile: 13.4 Seconds Mecum The second-gen Dodge Charger was the defining muscle car of the Golden Age with a savage beauty and violent tendencies. When paired with the era's best 426ci Hemi V-8, the Charger was the apex predator on the streets, striking fear in the hearts of Blue Ovals and Bowties alike. In 1970, it's last year before a major overhaul, the Charger Hemi R/T could get from a dead stop to 60 MPH in 5.4 seconds and shred a quarter-mile in 13.4 seconds. There is a reason why they picked a '70 Charger Hemi R/T to be Dominick Toretto's ride of choice in the Fast & Furious franchise and that's because it was the baddest set of wheels Detroit ever produced. 1970 Buick GS 455 Stage 1 Quarter-mile: 13.38 Seconds Mecum The Buick Gran Sport is another GM muscle car that has kind of flown under the radar, lacking the name-recognition of its higher-profile division mates. In the 1970 post-big engine ban, Buick developed a unique 455ci V-8 with thin-wall construction that was much lighter than other similar displacement big blocks. With the Stage 1 performance package, this amazing engine produced 360 horsepower and an earth-shattering 510 pound-feet of torque, the most in an American car until the 2003 Dodge Viper. A 1970 Buick GS 455 Stage 1 accelerated to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds and had a 13.38-second quarter-mile ET, meaning it could blow the doors off of GTO Judges, Trans Ams, and Chevelle SS 454s. 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Quarter-mile: 13.34 Seconds Mecum The Plymouth Road Runner was built with the promise of delivering a no-frills street machine at an affordable price, with a bad attitude thrown in at no extra cost. The base was so cheap that there was money left over for a pricey Hemi upgrade and, in fact, more 426ci V-8s were optioned on the first-gen Road Runner than any other Mopar muscle car. With a 5.3-second 0-60 time and 13.34-second quarter-mile, the '70 Road Runner Hemi was quicker than its fancier Charger R/T and Coronet R/T cousins. Heck, even when equipped with the cheaper 440ci 6BBL V-8, the Road Runner was a 13.5-second car which is still good enough to smoke just about every car on this list. 1970 Dodge Challenger Hemi R/T Quarter-mile: 13.3 Seconds Mecum Introduced in 1970, the Challenger was Dodge's final contribution to the Golden Age of American Muscle. While the timing wasn't ideal as the classic era would come to a close in 1972, the Challenger managed to leave its mark with a stunning design and blistering speed. A '70 Challenger Hemi R/T used all of its 425 horsepower and 490 pound-feet of torque to hit 0-60 in 5.3 seconds and embarrass the car in the other lane with a 13.3 quarter-mile ET. For a car that realistically only had two great years, the Challenger is one of the most memorable rides of the classic muscle age, and while some of that is from starring in the Barry Newman action flick Vanishing Point, it's mostly because of what it did with a Hemi under the hood. 1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda Quarter-mile: 13.1 Seconds Mecum The third-gen Plymouth Barracuda was another late entry into the Horsepower Wars of the 1960s/early-1970s, and decidedly won things for Mother Mopar. The 426ci Hemi V-8 was so important to the success of this car that Plymouth gave its own nameplate in the 1970 Hemi 'Cuda. For reasons that defy logic, the 426 was more beastly in the Hemi 'Cuda, which could jump 0-60 in 5.3 seconds and rocket down a quarter-mile in just 13.1 seconds, logging the fastest time of any factory classic-era muscle car. People who got scorched by this ride probably felt like there was something demonic about it, and there maybe something to that. In 1970, and this is no lie, 666 Hemi 'Cudas were built, which is probably a coincidence, but given the car's overall wickedness, makes you think.Sources: Chrysler, Ford, GM, Car and Driver, Hemmings.