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So today has been an odd one and no doubt everyone will be wondering WHAT THE HELL AMERICA? We certainly are at Walton Bridge Garage.

But we’re an optimistic bunch so whilst the rest of the world loses its shoes over Trump making it to the White House, we thought we would hark back to a time where plenty of good things came out of the USA.

Five great things in fact, all muscle car classics that are still as beautiful today as they were when they first hit the road.

1969: Ford Mustang

Probably one of the most iconic and well known is the Ford Mustang and largely because it is still around today in various modern guises. But we’ve gone a bit niche and chosen the Mustang Boss 429. It does what it says on the tin really and although it wasn’t the fastest of the bunch back in its day with just 375 horses, less than 1,400 were made making it a rare site altogether. It was manufactured with NASCAR in mind and Ford had to build it by hand as the engine wouldn’t fit in a standard Mustang.

That hood scoop and spoiler are much more appealing than Trump’s toupee!

1967: Pontiac GTO

Pontiac is one of the biggest names in American car manufacturer but not everybody knows that, despite a few discrepancies’ over the 1049 Oldsmobile, the 1964 Ponitac GTO was where it all started for American Muscle.

Pontiac are probably better recognised for the iconic Trans Am, the go to motor for Bert Reynolds in Smokey and the Bandit.

But it was the Pontiac that flaunted General Motors rules and whacked a V8 into its Tempest and so the GTO was created. The Americans’ loved it so much that it changed the minds of the GM fat cats and led to all the major muscle players we know today joining in. The 1967 model was the first official model produced and pushed out 360 horses.

1966: Dodge Charger

Another iconic American muscle car and arguably as recognised as the Mustang is the Dodge Charger. It has hit the big screen in Fast and the Furious amongst others and is one of the coolest cars on earth!

Despite its iconic status today, the initial Dodge Charger suffered from low sales and it wasn’t until the second generation models that this started to change. It was first released in 1966 with a fastback body and a 5.2 litre V8 engine.

This is one of our favourites and the first and second generation models are certainly where it’s at as far as we’re concerned.

1970: Plymouth Hemi “Cuda”

Based on the Valiant, the Barracuda was another late bloomer not hitting its prime until the redesign in 1970 when it actually became the Barracuda. Like the Mustang Boss, not many of these were made and as a result it commands a very high price today.

The top spec was one of the big dawgs of its generation and could match almost anything for speed, smashing out 425 horsepower with tailored suspension to accommodate the ridiculous acceleration!

1969: Chevrolet Camaro

When it comes to Chevrolet there is a lot to be said about the Chevelle. In the 70s it was considered one of the best and this was an era where American muscle really lays its hat in terms of the glory days.

However, for us personally, our all-time favourite is the Camaro SS.

When you’re talking Camaros, the SS is the model to get. The additional performance package included a naughty V8 upgrade as well as a strengthened chassis to better deal with the additional power on the bends. It also comes with the mandatory striping on the paint work and SS badge. Although for the full badass look the RS hidden headlights on the front grill are also a must.

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