If anyone got the latest Musclecar Enthusiast,you'll see on the front cover entitled,"America's Best Musclecar". C'mon guys! I mean, don't get me wrong,a 1970 Chevelle SS 454 is a nice car,but.......there were approximately 100,000 of these cars that Chevy made. Compare this car to a GS-Buick made roughly 8,000 big block GS's in 1970,and only 2,465 Stage 1 cars were part of that. If you notice,not one Buick was featured in this issue-only one letter was about the Buick vs.the Hemi.They featured a Chevelle,an Olds W-30,a Chevy Biscayne,a Mach 1 Mustang,a Dodge Ram Pickup,a Super Bee,a GTX,a Pontiac 2+2, and a Shelby 500E. Maybe one of us can get our cars into that magazine? o No:
I saw it. Based on numbers more people had an experience with a 454. This is in my opinion a reason why they bring more money.There are more of these people looking to relive their youth and by their numbers have created a larger reputation for that car. Look at the BJ auction results. The unintended consequences of the Buick's oncoming recognition is an increase in car prices. I hate to see that. As Jay Leno said "If you are making money in this business, you are doing something wrong." Finding one you feel is a deal and bringing it back to life is important and where the the action is at least for me.
ss 454 a knowledgible chevy man once said "there are more ss454 chevelles on the road now than gm ever produced !" the ss 454 is so popular because it was well promoted/marketted by chevrolet . it was fast & it looked great too .
Rubbish. Chevy was bottom end, as was Plymouth and Ford. Lightest and cheapest. Fewer people bought Olds, Buicks, Dodges, or Mercurys. That doesn't mean the lighter ones are better cars. A 70 Corvette is better than a Chevelle in a straight line and around curves too, so the Chevelle is not even the best Chevy.
I have gotten to the point that I don't even look at books that mention muscle cars any longer. I'm totally sick and tired of all the others being put on a pedestal just because of what brand they are based on their popularity. It's no different at a car show, the same BS goes on at those. I remember it being that way ever since the word 'go' back in the early 60's when the musclecar thing all got started. And back then any good running GS could cream a GTO or chevelle even on a bad day. Magazines want to sell more copies, and they say what the vast majority of readers want to hear who take it as fact because they just like to believe it.:rant:
Chevelles are all over the place. Red ones, black ones, green ones, white ones, blue ones, but none in pink. Ever noticed that at any given car show there is always at least one there? Around here anyways, it's the GS that is rarely, if ever, at a car show. I think only once or twice I saw one present in one last summer. I don't even look at the things anymore, there's just so many around. They will always be popular, just like the '55-'57 chevy. Everyone's got one, and everyone had one. Show me something rare.:moonu:
your right,whenever i go to any shows i always see the same ol chevelles,camaros,im sick of them myself,i love when i see Buicks cause you just dont see them much at shows,i love buicks more than any muscle car,the only thing i wished about them was more parts availability especially 65-67,thats the only thing that i dont like about them is you cannot find parts that easy,meanwhile for chevelles they make every single panel,you can practically build a brand new one with all the panels they make for them now. Thanks
Doesn't AMC stand for America's Muscle Car??? :spank: I don't worry about national recognition. I just want to be feared when someone pulls up next to me at the tree.:3gears:
America's Best Musclecar-1970 SS 454????? Yeah..right!!:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: I haven't encountered one 454, SS or otherwise, that hasn't gotten a good view of my tail lights marching away at a good clip....Bye, Bye Mr. BBShivvie lover!:TU: America's best?? I guess that's kind of like Dale Earnhardt's worshippers :moonu: preaching he was the "best" Nascar driver ever. Like I always tell them...if he was supposedly the best race driver ever, then he shouldn't have died doing it should he!?!?! He didn't have half the wins that Richard Petty accumulated and his tieing Petty for seven Championship wins. So what...it's possible to win a Nascar championship without even winning one single race during a season.ou: WHATEVER!!! :laugh: :laugh: Let the flames begin....
"Best"?!?! How do you define best? With what the car didn't do? The Chevelle was not innovative- Pontiac had to invent the muscle car as we know it The Chevelle was not a styling leader- looks like a Skylark, Cutlass, or Le Mans The Chevelle was not the most powerful- they hyped the 450 hp bit. Plymouth made engines with more actual horsepower The Chevelle was not the best handling- the 442 commonly gets that acolade The Chevelle was not best appointed or most comfortable- the GS did it better The Chevelle was not cultural- The GTO Judge did it better The Chevelle was not a special edition like a Dan Gurney Special or a GT 500 The Chevelle wasn't the best drag car- the Camaro could be made lighter The Chevelle SS454 didn't win NASCAR The Chevelle wasn't even technically advanced like a '57 Ford with factory supercharging The Chevelle didn't get exotic engines like the COPO Camaros All the Chevelle did was cost less...and actually, the Road Runner started that budget-supercar deal in the first place! So I guess they crown the car that was a follower rather than the leader the "Best". Funny, I thought the "best" had to be best at something....
Yeah, it's like car shows....years ago I took my 72 GS455 conv, sunbust yellow, white int, N25, 70K miles, new paint, only 126 made. Of course a 70 Chevelle Malibu 350 conv wins the class. Dude had Armor All on everything. Chevelle's were a cheaper car (just look at the dash and wimpy bumpers, etc) BUT many more were sold giving the impression the the general public that since lots of people bought them they are better. Most people are like sheep.....they go and buy Camrys. Does that mean a Camry is a better car than a Regal GS? Not necessarily. Bruce
Don't worry Bruce. In the line up of muscle cars, the GTO, Chevelle or Camaro will take it every time. Unless there's something with a Hemi in it then that'll get it, regardless of originality or condition. I've actually had people lean against my Riv to take a picture of the "true musclecar" parked next to me.:af: Personally, I try to avoid shows that are peer judged because the Judged shows usually put the Buicks on a level platform with the others, depending who is judging. I wonder how many less trophies I would have if I just had a 430 with a black air cleaner in mine?
That's long gone. I do still have a scale model of the enterprise though! Will that make it go any faster?:grin:
Fine with me if they want to make a Chevy the top muscle car.............they have to sell magazines somehow. No matter what, there will always be a conflict of interest with the publications. Facts are always going to be distorted to fiction because there are more Chevy boys out there. Think about it............the day they say the 1970 GS Stage 1 is the best muscle car ever produced..............that will be the day I buy stock in a company that makes crying towels for all the winy Chevy and Mopar boys. Unfortunately publishers don't sell crying towels. They have to sell magazines. Now I have to get back to finding a TR or GS so I can go back to dealing out some serious smack down on the Beaver County Chevy population.
Re: America's Best Musclecar-1970 SS 454????? That has to be one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. Does anyone chose when they die? Petty was good BUT IF he raced at the same time as Earnhardt would he have won as many races? Probably not. Back when Petty drove he only had a few real competitors. Earnhardt had a few more when he drove. Its really hard to say who was the best.
