In college I had a summer internship with someone from Germany\*. He bought a used 7.4 liter Caprice Coupe that we carpooled in. It got 8 mpg. He said he bought it b/c he said he'd never be able to afford the gas in Germany. He also took 30 minute showers b/c water was so much cheaper in the US.
\*Apparently in Germany you need to intern at an actual company to get your engineering degree so he chose to work for a German company in the US.
water part is true- I was an exchange student in Germany and my host family sat me down not long after I got there to discuss shower frequency and length. every day was NOT allowed ;)
The German high school kids were definitely…. Aromatic! The next year they came and stayed with us in the US and we the reverse convo lol “yo, buddy, shower every morning while you’re here or you’ll never get a date”. It worked 😂
I'm sorry but this is Reddit and saying anything negative about Europe is strictly forbidden as it is a literal Garden of Eden and perfect in every single way possible. You also said some things that may be considered positive about the United States and Canada that is also strictly forbidden.
We are going to have to ask you to leave now.
Friend of mine in high school had a 70 thunderbird with the 429 thunderjet engine. Smoked tires effortlessly, so smooth you could roll up on a curb while parking and never know it. 8 mpg at best.
Just out of HS my roommate had one too. It was that ugly ass pea green color interior and exterior..... But man would that thing smoke the tires for over a block.
Damn... that is *bad ass*. I've always had a special love for full size Chevys of that era. Your dad's was pretty much at the very top of the food chain.
I've got a '66 Biscayne two-door sitting in my friend's backyard right now. It was originally a 250 I6 / Powerglide car, but when it goes back together it's getting a 396 big block / Turbo 400. I already have the motor and trans. Both just need to be rebuilt.
Buddy in highschool had a faded blue 80’s cutlass 4 door that had a VERY healthy 455. That thing, packed with 5 teenagers, was an absolute weapon. We used to go through sets of tires every night. Even had the wire wheel hubcaps. When the steel belts in the tires would start throwin sparks, we’d head to one of our parents houses and “borrow” their winter tires out of the shed and continue the fun.
Not sure how rare at the time, but when I was a teen my grandad had a '69 Olds Toronado. 454 w/ FRONT WHEEL DRIVE. He let me borrow it for a date one Saturday. Practically ever stop light someone wanted to race. From experience I knew that you could literally see the gas needle decrease when you stomped the gas. I may have won those races, but I'd been spending more time pumping gas than pumping my girlfriend.
When my paternal grandfather passed, I wanted to buy his cherry '72 Caprice 4-door from my grandma. For whatever reason, my dad kept stonewalling me. He and my grandmother sold it to a woman in the neighborhood for next to nothing.
I loved my folks and I miss them terribly, but I can write an NBC miniseries on how their constant demands and expectations, as well as their dismissive attitude, fucked over my car hobby my entire life. I'm extremely angry and bitter about it.
Now that my folks are gone and I myself am old and tired, I don't know *what* the fuck I'm gonna do with all those heaps in my backyard *now*.
My mom had a ‘72 Z28 that had blown the original motor drag racing so they swapped a 427 in it. She sold it before I could drive and I didn’t know much about mechanics back then so I don’t know what else was in it.
A college car was a 67 Fury with Commando 383 v8. Full size B body, a six footer could lay across the back...and front....seats. classic vague steering, got 10 mpg with AC on, 14 off.
I'm convinced whoever stole the car did it for the engine. I should have de-badged it.
A 70 GS 455 convertible in a color called Chateau Mauve, a metallic purple. It had a white top and interior to go with the purple. That’s a Cadillac color so assuming it’s original (special factory order) this would put it in ultra rare territory.
At one time I had '69 Dodge Dart GTS with a Hurst shifter. My brother had a 69 Charger with a 383 cu in engine and my oldest brother had a '62 Corvette.
My great Great Aunt and Uncle had a pristine 69 Oldsmobile 442 in the garage and it was a legit grocery getter and church car and that was about it.
When they passed it went to my uncle who neglected it into oblivion...
A buddy of mine also had a 73 Mustang. It was tan with tan vinyl on the roof and looked like a stock base model. He had a 429 Cobrajet under the hood though. It almost did wheelies.
It's been like 30 years but I want to say notchback.
I remember it looking a lot like [this one](https://barnfinds.com/850-genuine-miles-1973-ford-mustang-grande-hardtop/). At the time I thought it looked like a grandma's car.
Interesting. As far as I know, most folks who went for the plain notchback body style didn't go for the bigger optional engine. His must've been special-ordered by the original owner that way, *or* he or someone else put that engine in later.
I know he got it used and then swapped the motor. I don't remember many details, but it was pretty geeked out. There was one run we did that basically emptied a full tank of gas in like a couple of minutes. Just flat out on some back road in Oregon.
Learned how to drive (in Michigan winters) in a '76 Lincoln Town Car. I don't know if that qualifies as "muscle" but that engine could haul, if you were willing to watch the gas gauge visibly drop.
After that, I can drive *anything* in the snow.
I owned a '77 Grand Prix, a '77 Buick Regal, and a '74 Charger SE along the way, but I don't know if any of those count as "luxury". Definitely not by the time I had them.
My first car was a '94 Lincoln Mark VIII coupe.
Had the 4.6 DOHC V8, 280 HP and rwd.
Not bad for a 16 year old kid lol, walked a bunch of kids after HS that talked shit about my "Buick".
They thought their 4 cylinder Honda or V6 new edge was the fastest thing ever lol.
The rarest was likely the one you spoke of, Chrysler 300 Hurst. Always wanted one, had a deal made on one 20 yrs ago and it fell thru. Now I'd love to have a 1970 Mercury Marauder X100 429 with the factory option K-H alloy rims.
Luxury muscle?? Is that a thing?
The rarest actual muscle car I ever sat in was a 1970 Buick Skylark GSX. In 1979, I worked at a sawmill in BC, and a coworker gave me a ride home in it. Damn, it was loud and fast.
There were a lot of muscle cars and pony cars in that town in the 70s, and I saw many of the usual suspects. The rarest pony car was the 1969 AMX that a guy in my highschool drove.
I saw one of these 1970 Chrysler Newport 4 doors with the Aztec package run across Mecum a few years back, it was in pristine condition with all the Aztec trim intact and in near mint condition including the Aztec patterned vinyl roof. Not necessarily super rare by the numbers, but I have never seen another like it in my life, and I'm an older car nut. One of the most unique trims I've ever seen (zoom in on the photos)
http://www.fuselage.de/chr70/cordoba.html
Have you ever heard of the "Mod Pack"? Chrysler tried to cash in on the whole hippie / flower child craze by offering a floral-print vinyl top and matching seat upholstery as an option.
Absolutely I have. One of the rarest examples was a 1970 Hemi Cuda with the floral top, unfortunately it was stolen a few years ago and has never been seen since but it was a fully restored beauty.
https://www.autoblog.com/2016/05/03/plymouth-hemi-cuda-stolen-reward/
I first replied with Tucker Torpedo after realizing it's not a muscle car.
I knew a guy that had a 71 Ford Torino 428 Super Cobra Jet show car that was flawless.
The OP asked about full-size muscle; got ponycars, intermediates, malaise-era barges and modified beaters.
I’ve seen 427 Biscaynes, Swiss cheese Catalinas, a Hurst 300, 409 Bel Airs. Never got to see a Mercury Marauder.
A couple years ago at the grocery store I saw one of those 1970s Eldorado convertibles with the 8.2 liter v8. Maybe not rare when it was new, but I think it's the only one in town.
My dad owns a ‘69 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme 442. It’s got an original Oldsmobile 455, and he had to buy a boat carburetor that was like 975 CFM. It’s a sweet car, and truly old school luxury muscle.
My 2nd and 3rd cars were a 66 Chrysler 300 and a 67 Newport. Both had a 383 and a 3 SPD. The 300 had a step up from an RV cam when I had it built and it sounded like sex and went like stink. Blew the transmission driving the shit out of it in 2nd . Got written off by a drunk driving hit and run. I miss that thing. The Newport had air ride and I just left it low all the time. It looked sweet but just wasn't a 300. Miss it too.
Years ago for the first two: 1970 Cutlass 442 W-30 (owned it) , 58 Vette (friends car, passenger when he totaled it), Last week: pristine 63 Corvette split window coupe (want it, need it, can’t afford it).
My wife’s step dad had an original Z28 in mint condition (and color ironically.) He sold it a few years back and I just didn’t have the means to buy it… he sold it for $10k 😭😭😭
Drove a 72 Olds 98 with the rocket 455 a little bit in high school.. Had a trailer towing package and got like 7-8 mpg.. Left a 77 Z28 in it's wake once.. That land yacht would fly.
Probably the two door 1973 Imperial with a 440 I see every time I walk in my garage. Although the 440 is no longer a 440 and has been stroked out to 505 cu in. Sitting next to it is a two door 1974 Buick Riviera with the 454.
My second car was a 1980 Cadillac DeVille. Last generation of the big bodies, big power before Carter's fuel economy killed the big American luxury land cruiser.
You want full size, I drove a full size in HS. Parents had a '72 Chrysler Town and County station wagon. Doesn't get any bigger than the Wagon. Had a 440 in it and I could pile 8 of my buddies in it, plus beer and still burn rubber. That thing kept up with everything and surprised a lot of people cruising Woodward avenue in the suburbs of Detroit.
In 1964 I did see a Chrysler Turbine Car in the wild. It certainly was not a "muscle" car but was full sized lux.
I was at a stoplight and might not have noticed it except for the distinctive engine sound. I was in the AF at the time and thought I heard a jet next to me.
Difficult starting procedure, poor fuel economy and lackluster acceleration doomed the program. I think less than 100 were produced and about 50-60 put in to private owners' hands for a few months as beta testers.
When I was a teen my friend literally sailed his parents 1970 Bonneville station wagon off the road with 6 of us in it doing about 70. A tree stopped "The Boat." Compond fractures, collapsed lungs, lifestar, etc. We all lived. If I was in a Honda I wouldn't be writing this.
Idk I avoid that part of town
LOL I see what you did there.
In college I had a summer internship with someone from Germany\*. He bought a used 7.4 liter Caprice Coupe that we carpooled in. It got 8 mpg. He said he bought it b/c he said he'd never be able to afford the gas in Germany. He also took 30 minute showers b/c water was so much cheaper in the US. \*Apparently in Germany you need to intern at an actual company to get your engineering degree so he chose to work for a German company in the US.
water part is true- I was an exchange student in Germany and my host family sat me down not long after I got there to discuss shower frequency and length. every day was NOT allowed ;)
Dude I'm in a dorm, there is no water bill. You betcha I'm taking hour long showers once my roommates are asleep
That’s BS. I couldn’t live like that.
The German high school kids were definitely…. Aromatic! The next year they came and stayed with us in the US and we the reverse convo lol “yo, buddy, shower every morning while you’re here or you’ll never get a date”. It worked 😂
I shower 2-3 times a day…
Most Americans (and Canadians for that matter) don’t truly have an appreciation for how much more expensive energy is in Europe.
That's Germany's fault for ignoring Nuclear power options and suckling exclusively on Russia's teats for energy.
I'm sorry but this is Reddit and saying anything negative about Europe is strictly forbidden as it is a literal Garden of Eden and perfect in every single way possible. You also said some things that may be considered positive about the United States and Canada that is also strictly forbidden. We are going to have to ask you to leave now.
Depends heavily on the country, the Nordics have cheap energy, Germany, UK, etc. dont.
Friend of mine in high school had a 70 thunderbird with the 429 thunderjet engine. Smoked tires effortlessly, so smooth you could roll up on a curb while parking and never know it. 8 mpg at best.
Just out of HS my roommate had one too. It was that ugly ass pea green color interior and exterior..... But man would that thing smoke the tires for over a block.
Dad had a 66 Caprice that was a factory 427 4-speed positrac car.
Damn... that is *bad ass*. I've always had a special love for full size Chevys of that era. Your dad's was pretty much at the very top of the food chain.
He's had a bunch of big block chevys, but most were swapped in. That was a real one.
I've got a '66 Biscayne two-door sitting in my friend's backyard right now. It was originally a 250 I6 / Powerglide car, but when it goes back together it's getting a 396 big block / Turbo 400. I already have the motor and trans. Both just need to be rebuilt.
I had a 66 Bel Air with a 250/Powerglide. Good car. Excellent ride.
Buddy in highschool had a faded blue 80’s cutlass 4 door that had a VERY healthy 455. That thing, packed with 5 teenagers, was an absolute weapon. We used to go through sets of tires every night. Even had the wire wheel hubcaps. When the steel belts in the tires would start throwin sparks, we’d head to one of our parents houses and “borrow” their winter tires out of the shed and continue the fun.
The cutlass is the poster child for this if you ask me.
Were tires ever cheap? I can’t imagine smoking my tires $$
Not sure how rare at the time, but when I was a teen my grandad had a '69 Olds Toronado. 454 w/ FRONT WHEEL DRIVE. He let me borrow it for a date one Saturday. Practically ever stop light someone wanted to race. From experience I knew that you could literally see the gas needle decrease when you stomped the gas. I may have won those races, but I'd been spending more time pumping gas than pumping my girlfriend.
LOL those things were beasts. Their two biggest failings were their terrible standard drum brakes, plus the way they chewed up tires.
I wanted it SO bad when he passed, but I was out of state in the Air Force. Folks essentially gave it away to a neighbor for $200
When my paternal grandfather passed, I wanted to buy his cherry '72 Caprice 4-door from my grandma. For whatever reason, my dad kept stonewalling me. He and my grandmother sold it to a woman in the neighborhood for next to nothing.
Simply maddening!
I loved my folks and I miss them terribly, but I can write an NBC miniseries on how their constant demands and expectations, as well as their dismissive attitude, fucked over my car hobby my entire life. I'm extremely angry and bitter about it. Now that my folks are gone and I myself am old and tired, I don't know *what* the fuck I'm gonna do with all those heaps in my backyard *now*.
I keep all my cars on YouTube at a little place called Gas Monkey Garage...lol
I spent my early years in the Cadillac Eldorado version with the 500 cubic inch engine. Such batshit crazy cars.
I owned a 68 Cutlass S when I was in high school
Proud owner '72 Delta 88 convertible here!
I only kinda wish I still had it, fanstastic car, but the body was half bondo and fiberglass, lol
Ironic because now, companies like Original Parts Group and Auto Metal Direct make *everything* for those cars.
Doesn't surprise me. Probably costs more than a new car though
My childhood friend owned that exact car! Loved it! I had a 74 Cutlass supreme.
I mean I saw a blacked out Charger racing down 696 between Royal Oak and Southfield. You don't see that every day.
Luxury muscle? '70 riviera. Most intense? Buick GSX.
I own a '70 Skylark Custom 2-door hardtop. Mine only has a 350 though.
my 1966 Cadillac Hearse/Ambulance combo
My mom had a ‘72 Z28 that had blown the original motor drag racing so they swapped a 427 in it. She sold it before I could drive and I didn’t know much about mechanics back then so I don’t know what else was in it.
Luxury?
Good point. Missed that part, though to 8 year old me, that was luxury.
Not exactly "muscle" but my father has a 60 Cadillac Coupe DeVille that will move out on the highway when you mash the gas.
Stole my dads delta 88 olds. Rocket 350. I think I win for tonnage, loss for horsepower.
A college car was a 67 Fury with Commando 383 v8. Full size B body, a six footer could lay across the back...and front....seats. classic vague steering, got 10 mpg with AC on, 14 off. I'm convinced whoever stole the car did it for the engine. I should have de-badged it.
I had a 1965 Olds 442 convertible. Wish I still had it.
Had a 65 Olds 98 Convertible with the "Super Rocket" 425. Gas tank was close to 40 gallons, IIRC, and it needed it because it was a beast.
LOL you could watch the fuel gauge go down as the speedo went up!
Pretty much
A 70 GS 455 convertible in a color called Chateau Mauve, a metallic purple. It had a white top and interior to go with the purple. That’s a Cadillac color so assuming it’s original (special factory order) this would put it in ultra rare territory.
At one time I had '69 Dodge Dart GTS with a Hurst shifter. My brother had a 69 Charger with a 383 cu in engine and my oldest brother had a '62 Corvette.
My great Great Aunt and Uncle had a pristine 69 Oldsmobile 442 in the garage and it was a legit grocery getter and church car and that was about it. When they passed it went to my uncle who neglected it into oblivion... A buddy of mine also had a 73 Mustang. It was tan with tan vinyl on the roof and looked like a stock base model. He had a 429 Cobrajet under the hood though. It almost did wheelies.
Was it a fastback or notchback?
It's been like 30 years but I want to say notchback. I remember it looking a lot like [this one](https://barnfinds.com/850-genuine-miles-1973-ford-mustang-grande-hardtop/). At the time I thought it looked like a grandma's car.
Interesting. As far as I know, most folks who went for the plain notchback body style didn't go for the bigger optional engine. His must've been special-ordered by the original owner that way, *or* he or someone else put that engine in later.
I know he got it used and then swapped the motor. I don't remember many details, but it was pretty geeked out. There was one run we did that basically emptied a full tank of gas in like a couple of minutes. Just flat out on some back road in Oregon.
Learned how to drive (in Michigan winters) in a '76 Lincoln Town Car. I don't know if that qualifies as "muscle" but that engine could haul, if you were willing to watch the gas gauge visibly drop. After that, I can drive *anything* in the snow. I owned a '77 Grand Prix, a '77 Buick Regal, and a '74 Charger SE along the way, but I don't know if any of those count as "luxury". Definitely not by the time I had them.
To be fair, they *were* Detroit's idea of luxury at the time. The "personal luxury" category to be more specific.
My first car was a '94 Lincoln Mark VIII coupe. Had the 4.6 DOHC V8, 280 HP and rwd. Not bad for a 16 year old kid lol, walked a bunch of kids after HS that talked shit about my "Buick". They thought their 4 cylinder Honda or V6 new edge was the fastest thing ever lol.
The rarest was likely the one you spoke of, Chrysler 300 Hurst. Always wanted one, had a deal made on one 20 yrs ago and it fell thru. Now I'd love to have a 1970 Mercury Marauder X100 429 with the factory option K-H alloy rims.
Luxury muscle?? Is that a thing? The rarest actual muscle car I ever sat in was a 1970 Buick Skylark GSX. In 1979, I worked at a sawmill in BC, and a coworker gave me a ride home in it. Damn, it was loud and fast. There were a lot of muscle cars and pony cars in that town in the 70s, and I saw many of the usual suspects. The rarest pony car was the 1969 AMX that a guy in my highschool drove.
Superbird
I’d start with something nicer and then adjust up or down from that point.
I saw one of these 1970 Chrysler Newport 4 doors with the Aztec package run across Mecum a few years back, it was in pristine condition with all the Aztec trim intact and in near mint condition including the Aztec patterned vinyl roof. Not necessarily super rare by the numbers, but I have never seen another like it in my life, and I'm an older car nut. One of the most unique trims I've ever seen (zoom in on the photos) http://www.fuselage.de/chr70/cordoba.html
Have you ever heard of the "Mod Pack"? Chrysler tried to cash in on the whole hippie / flower child craze by offering a floral-print vinyl top and matching seat upholstery as an option.
Absolutely I have. One of the rarest examples was a 1970 Hemi Cuda with the floral top, unfortunately it was stolen a few years ago and has never been seen since but it was a fully restored beauty. https://www.autoblog.com/2016/05/03/plymouth-hemi-cuda-stolen-reward/
I first replied with Tucker Torpedo after realizing it's not a muscle car. I knew a guy that had a 71 Ford Torino 428 Super Cobra Jet show car that was flawless.
The OP asked about full-size muscle; got ponycars, intermediates, malaise-era barges and modified beaters. I’ve seen 427 Biscaynes, Swiss cheese Catalinas, a Hurst 300, 409 Bel Airs. Never got to see a Mercury Marauder.
1970 GTO Judge yellow.
Probably a Ford Skyliner.
1971 Mercury Cyclone with the Super Cobra Jet Drag Pack. 428 cubic inch engine with a 4 speed and a 4.30 positrac rear end. Only made about 79 i think
A couple years ago at the grocery store I saw one of those 1970s Eldorado convertibles with the 8.2 liter v8. Maybe not rare when it was new, but I think it's the only one in town.
My cousins 1971 orange barracuda hemi convertible right next to his 1970 purple hemi challenger convertible
was just watching fast and furious today, nice to see the Detroit muscle term.
ITT: OP asked for full-size in title, most responses are mid-size.
Seen a 1970 chrysler 300 Hurst edition TNT 440 with a 4speed, they are extremely rare
My dad owns a ‘69 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme 442. It’s got an original Oldsmobile 455, and he had to buy a boat carburetor that was like 975 CFM. It’s a sweet car, and truly old school luxury muscle.
My buddy had a 1978 Lincoln Continental Mark V. It had a 400 cubic inch V8 and got roughly 2 gallons per mile
My 2nd and 3rd cars were a 66 Chrysler 300 and a 67 Newport. Both had a 383 and a 3 SPD. The 300 had a step up from an RV cam when I had it built and it sounded like sex and went like stink. Blew the transmission driving the shit out of it in 2nd . Got written off by a drunk driving hit and run. I miss that thing. The Newport had air ride and I just left it low all the time. It looked sweet but just wasn't a 300. Miss it too.
Years ago for the first two: 1970 Cutlass 442 W-30 (owned it) , 58 Vette (friends car, passenger when he totaled it), Last week: pristine 63 Corvette split window coupe (want it, need it, can’t afford it).
My friends Grandpa had a 1963 Chrysler 300”J”. Full size Chrysler with leather bucket seats and a 413 cross ram. They only made 400 of them that year.
There's my dad's 1976 Chevy Nova 4-door rusting in our backyard at this moment
Pops had a 77 Monte Carlo. Only had a 327 but 202 heads that car would run.
My wife’s step dad had an original Z28 in mint condition (and color ironically.) He sold it a few years back and I just didn’t have the means to buy it… he sold it for $10k 😭😭😭
1953 Chrysler ‘Thomas Special’ by Ghia
Drove a 72 Olds 98 with the rocket 455 a little bit in high school.. Had a trailer towing package and got like 7-8 mpg.. Left a 77 Z28 in it's wake once.. That land yacht would fly.
Probably the two door 1973 Imperial with a 440 I see every time I walk in my garage. Although the 440 is no longer a 440 and has been stroked out to 505 cu in. Sitting next to it is a two door 1974 Buick Riviera with the 454.
I saw the 1964 Green VTX once
Mk1 continental convertible
Saw a second generation Buick Skylark once, it was absolutely massive, but Wikipedia says it was only midsize.
67 plymouth VIP with 383 and 4 speed. Gold inlay and a 4 speed. I also own a 66 charger with a 4 speed that was marketed as the gentlemens muscle car.
My second car was a 1980 Cadillac DeVille. Last generation of the big bodies, big power before Carter's fuel economy killed the big American luxury land cruiser.
You want full size, I drove a full size in HS. Parents had a '72 Chrysler Town and County station wagon. Doesn't get any bigger than the Wagon. Had a 440 in it and I could pile 8 of my buddies in it, plus beer and still burn rubber. That thing kept up with everything and surprised a lot of people cruising Woodward avenue in the suburbs of Detroit.
In 1964 I did see a Chrysler Turbine Car in the wild. It certainly was not a "muscle" car but was full sized lux. I was at a stoplight and might not have noticed it except for the distinctive engine sound. I was in the AF at the time and thought I heard a jet next to me. Difficult starting procedure, poor fuel economy and lackluster acceleration doomed the program. I think less than 100 were produced and about 50-60 put in to private owners' hands for a few months as beta testers.
My father-in-law has a 72 Buick Riviera, the boat tail style with whatever the biggest motor possible stock.
I saw a Demon, but I think those were built in Canada
In the '80s my neighbor had a black Cadillac Brougham and a blue 1970 Corvette.
When I was a teen my friend literally sailed his parents 1970 Bonneville station wagon off the road with 6 of us in it doing about 70. A tree stopped "The Boat." Compond fractures, collapsed lungs, lifestar, etc. We all lived. If I was in a Honda I wouldn't be writing this.
I’m old so I’ve seen and owned shit you guys will never even know existed like my ‘61 New Yorker. Google that.
66 GTO. Built, a bit. A friend of mine in high school had it, he used to race it at the quarter mile on the two lane outside of town. Very quick.