With some of the insane prices muscle cars have been going for lately, it's tempting to think that Golden Age rides are skyrocketing in value. While the prices are certainly high, values for most collectible big-block cars are actually on the decline, including coveted Hemi-equipped Mopars. The 1971 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda convertible, the most expensive classic-era muscle car ever sold at auction, has actually lost $400,000 in value over the last year, says Hagerty. It's still a $2.45 million set of wheels, but that is a significant decline.It's not just Mopar that's dropping, but all the street titans of yesteryear, with rides like the '69 Ford Mustang Mach 1 SCJ, and 70 Buick GSX Stage 1 slipping in value. There's no need to panic, as this isn't the beginning of the Great Muscle Car Depression. It's probably just a bit of a market correction, or maybe there simply haven't been too many amazing classics hitting the auction block lately. Regardless, there are a few classic big-block muscle cars that are bucking the trend by increasing in value, proving Golden Age street machines are still a solid investment. 1970 Dodge Charger Six-Pack R/T Market Change: Up 1.94% Mecum When the Chrysler 440 Six-Pack V8 with 3x2 carb set-up hit the scene in 1969, it offered a cheaper alternative to the 426 Street Hemi, but with similar performance. The second-generation Dodge Charger didn't gain access to this budget big-block until 1970, and even then, very few were optioned with it, making for a very rare Mopar. The '70 Charger Six-Pack R/T did offer a more affordable ride than the Hemis, but their prices are going up just the same. Sure, a 1.9% value increase over the past year is modest, but it is an increase nonetheless. Meanwhile, the '70 Hemi R/T is down 10.5%, which is a sharp drop. The most a Six-Pack car has sold for recently is $106,700, which is far below its $158,000 Concours condition value, but still a decent chunk of change. 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS 396 Market Change: Up 2.3% Via: Mecum Auctions First-gen and second-gen Chevy Camaro fans get into physical altercations over which is the best, the same way Led Zeppelin Heads used to clash with the Kiss Army in the school courtyard. We're not here to settle this dispute, but just to point out that a 1969 Camaro SS 396 was a seriously badass ride. It's also a money-maker, adding $3,000 to the price tag over the last year, increasing by 2.3%. With a current top value of $132,000, it is worth more than any second-gen car but, again, we're not here to judge. The most recent auction sale for Camaro SS 396 saw this awesome ride drop the gavel atMecumKissimmee 2025 for $159,500 and shows this is a classic on an upward trajectory. 1973 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Super Duty Market Change: Up 3.37% Mecum 1971 was the last great year for American Muscle before engines got detuned into submission, but the Pontiac Firebird didn't get the memo. The 1973 Trans Am Super Duty with its 455 H.O. big-block V8 was the only 13-second car left on the street, and somehow this already attractive ride got even more gorgeous with a bigger "Screaming Chicken" and honeycomb wheels. With a perfect condition value of $215,000, the Trans Am SD has risen $7,000 in price, representing a 3.37% increase. Again, this isn't an astonishing rise, but it's headed in a positive direction for owners. There haven't been any auction busters with the '73 Trans Am Super Duty in the past 365 days, with a $156,000 sale on Bring a Trailer being the tops, but that's about what an excellent condition car goes for. 1971 Plymouth GTX 440+6 Market Change: Up 3.8% Mecum The Plymouth GTX was the upscale version of the bare-bones Road Runner that, ironically, has become less valuable than its budget sibling in the collector's market. The second-gen 1971 GTX 440+6, however, gets the last laugh because it's on the rise, while the '71 Hemi Road Runner with the 440 Six-Barrel big-block is slowing down. With a Concours condition value of $164,000, the '71 is still very much an upscale ride with an upside, increasing 3.8% in the past 12 months. It's also a fairly rare Mopar muscle car, with only 135 cars being blessed with the 390-horsepower 440 3x2 Six-Barrel V8. As such, there has been zero auction activity on this one recently, with no sales or even listings. 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge Ram Air IV Convertible Market Change: Up 4.84% Mecum When a 1970 GTO Judge Ram Air IV convertible sold for $1.1 million at Mecum Kissimmee 2023, it put the Pontiac muscle car among the elite collectibles. With only 17 drop-tops equipped with the 400 Ram Air IV V8, this is one of the rarest GM muscle cars and, so far, the only one in the Million-Dollar Club. The '70 Judge Ram Air IV has seen a 4.84% increase in value over the previous year, while the hardtop version is tanking, down a whopping 18.9%. That million-dollar 2023 sale hasn't been duplicated since, with the closest being a '70 GTO Judge Ram Air IV getting bid up to $650,000, failing to hit the reserve, but exceeding its $607,000 Concours condition value. 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Market Change: Up 7.27% Mecum With a mere 1,359 units produced between 1969 and 1970, the Ford Mustang Boss 429 is one of the most collectible Golden Age muscle cars out there. Here's the weird thing though; the '69 is more valuable and is increasing in price, while the '70 is slipping in value. The '69's Concours value is $428,000 and is up 7.27%, while the '70 is worth $414,000 in top shape and down by as much as 6.8% in lower conditions. They are literally the exact same car, and the '70 is rarer, with 499 units versus 859 for the '69. On the auction block, a '69 has sold for $517,000 recently, while a '70 maxed out at $627,000, so this is a classic that ain't easy to figure out, other than it will continue to increase in value. 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 LS6 Convertible Market Change: Up 10.46% Mecum While it is known that 4,475 cars were equipped with the massive 450-hp 454 LS6 big-block V8, Chevy didn't bother to keep track of how many went into a Chevelle SS hardtop, Chevelle SS convertible, and even an El Camino SS. This mystery, combined with the sheer awesomeness of the ride has made the 1970 Chevelle SS 454 LS6 convertible a serious collector car, because there may be only a handful of them in existence. With an appropriate $454,000 Concours condition value, the '70 SS 454 LS6 is up 10.46% since this time last year. That, however, is not what they are actually selling for, as one hit $600,000 a few years ago and another just blew up Mecum Kissimmee 2026 for $770,000. 1968 Plymouth Hemi Road Runner Market Change: Up 14.29% Mecum The Plymouth Road Runner, introduced in 1968, was a stripped-down speed machine that offered tremendous power and not much else. It started at just $2,870 for a 383 V8 car or $3,584 ($34,008 adjusted for inflation) for a Hemi-powered street assassin, which was dirt cheap, but now they are anything but affordable. The Concours condition value for a '68 Road Runner Hemi is $168,000, which is a lot cheaper than most numbers-matching 426 Mopars, but the budget Plymouth has jumped in value over the past year by 14.29%, outpacing most of its contemporaries. That high value, it would seem, isn't quite high enough as a '70 Hemi Road Runner sold for $275,000 not long ago, making for a car that even Wile E. Coyote in an Acme Rocket Sled couldn't catch. 1969 Dodge Super Bee A12 Market Change: Up 20% Mecum The Plymouth Road Runner was such a hit that Dodge demanded their own version of it, which was launched mid-model year in 1968 as the Super Bee. Carrying the same ethos of giving speed freaks a hard ride at an easy price, the Super Bee became an instant street legend in 1969 with the addition of the A12 440 Six-Pack big-block option. This was an affordable ride that could challenge more expensive Hemi cars, and obliterate anything Ford or GM had to offer. The once inexpensive '69 Super Bee A12 Six-Pack is now a $168,000 ride in top condition, and it has skyrocketed in value by 20% over the past year. The top auction sale for a '69 A12 in recent times went for $247,500, shattering the record books the same way this car used to destroy Chevelles back in the day. 1970 Dodge Coronet Hemi R/T Market Change: Up 20.66% Mecum Savvy investors will notice that the Mopar B-Body big-blocks have shown the most growth over the past 12 months, and the 1970 Dodge Coronet Hemi R/T is leading the pack with an impressive 20.66% increase in value. The '70 Coronet is often overlooked by enthusiasts, but it's one of the coolest-looking classic Mopar muscle cars, only second to the second-gen Charger. The Hemi cars are among the rarest, with a scant 14 units ever produced, making for legit unicorns. The '70 Coronet Hemi R/T is severely undervalued at $146,000 in Concours condition, so this is something with massive potential on which investors should jump. Because of its rarity, there have been no listings in the past year, and realistically, there have only ever been two sold at auction, with a top gavel drop of $305,000, or more than double its posted value.Sources: Bring a Trailer, Hagerty, Mecum