For Sale On Hemmings Marketplace: Five of the Torquiest American Muscle Cars From the ‘60s and ‘70s

The golden era of muscle cars was so packed full of power that it continues to captivate car enthusiasts to this day. The 1960s and 1970s left an unforgettable mark in automotive history by bringing forth some of the most high-performance, torquiest American muscle cars that the world had ever seen, such as the following five factory-produced ground-pounding monsters.

1970 Buick GS 455 Stage 1 Convertible

Buick’s torquey 455 cubic-inch V8 is the king of this list, having offered the highest level of torque during its time and beating out the likes of Pontiac and Oldsmobile by at least 10 foot-pounds. Not only was it the torquiest production V8 out of the muscle car era, but it held that status for two decades until the Dodge Viper struck the market.

Developed by Buick for the Gran Sport and GSX muscle cars, the Buick GS 455 V8 packed 350 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque under the Ram Air hood. This 455-equipped 1970 Buick GS listed for sale on Hemmings Marketplace is a very special one-of-46 Stage 1 Convertible. The Stage 1 option upped the horsepower from 350 to 360 while keeping the same tire-flexing torque rating.

1970 Chevrolet Chevelle 454

Big things began happening at GM when the automaker reversed its ban on production V8s larger than 400 cubic inches on intermediate models in 1970. Chevrolet came out with its range-topping 454 cubic-inch V8 that year, offering it in two different configurations. The first was an LS5 rated at 360 horsepower, available on the Chevelle SS, El Camino SS, Monte Carlo, or the full-size Caprice. The Chevrolet Corvette sports car also received an LS5 option which offered 390 horsepower and the same 500 pound-feet of torque.

The second torquey engine offering was the LS6, available as an option on the Chevelle and El Camino SS. The LS6 V8 was built to produce 450 horsepower and 500 foot-pounds of torque. The 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle pictured above is powered by the iconic 1970 GM LS6 454 cubic-inch V8 and can be viewed here on Hemmings Marketplace.

1968-‘69 Oldsmobile 442

1968-‘69 Oldsmobile 4-4-2

While GM was fighting with itself after issuing its self-introduced ban on engines larger than 400 cubic-inches, Oldsmobile was sneaking by with a 455 cubic-inch V8, originally produced to offer in its full-size model as an intermediate high-performance vehicle. Cue the 1968-1969 Oldsmobile 442, the first factory muscle car that received the 7.5-liter Olds Rocket V8 installed by Hurst Performance, a play that gave the automaker a loophole to offering its customers big power. The big-block engine was rated at 390 horsepower and 500 foot-pounds of torque. In 1970 when the ban was lifted, the engine was offered and installed by Oldsmobile in the 1970 442 W-30 model. The horsepower dropped slightly to 365, but the torque remained the same.

1971 Pontiac LeMans Custom Coupe

Torquiest American Muscle Cars: 1971 Pontiac LeMans Custom Coupe

After the GM ban was lifted, Pontiac had to work hard to keep up with its customer’s demands for power. That year, the legendary GTO received its largest V8 yet, the 455 cubic-inch D-port High-Output engine rated at 360 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque. Also known as the Pontiac 455, the big-block engine was offered in High-Output or Super-Duty form until 1975 when emission regulations and fuel efficiency issues officially forced it out of the lineup completely.

The 1971 Pontiac LeMans Custom Coupe pictured above sports an upgraded 455 cubic-inch D-Port V8 engine. Not original to the car, this 1981 Pontiac Firebird on Hemmings Marketplace has another one of the aforementioned torque monsters under its hood.

1966 Dodge Hemi Coronet 500 R/T

Torquiest American Muscle Cars: 1966 Dodge Hemi Coronet 500 R/T

Introduced with crazy power considering the year, Chrysler dished out the 7-liter 426 Hemi V8 to help Plymouth dominate the 1964 NASCAR season, but since the automaker didn’t offer the engine in a production vehicle, it was banned from competing in the 1965 season. In response, Chrysler developed a street version and offered it for sale to the public beginning in 1966. It was equipped with dual inline four-barrel Carter AFB carburetors and rated at 425 horsepower and 490 pound-feet of torque. Chrysler produced the 426 Hemi engine until 1971, making it available in Plymouth and Dodge’s intermediate performance muscle cars and in its most powerful E-body pony cars.

Featured in the above photo is a matching-numbers 426 Hemi-equipped 1966 Dodge Coronet 500 with only 9,900 miles. Find out more about this muscle car here on Hemmings Marketplace. Also featuring the 426 Hemi is this fully restored 1969 Plymouth Road Runner featuring two four-barrel carburetors.

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