I continue to work through the scores of photos I took at the Mecum Auto Auction in Houston a couple of weeks ago. This "episode" () continues my series with some classic Detroit muscle.

Looking back, I've always had something of a fascination with the classic muscle car period, in part because I transitioned from adolescence to adulthood during the years these vehicles flourished. Also, it was a time when the era of institutionalized discrimination and inequality began to crack; the first boomers were coming out of college in record numbers and often challenging what their parents had wrought; and pop culture became (for a time) more exploratory and less formulaic than in the '50s. And all of this was against a backdrop of the booming guns and butter economy the late '60s - a set of conditions that provided fertile ground for the success of the egregious muscle cars and their less powerful but similar siblings.

In the main, muscle cars were far less about technical innovation than about absolutely brilliant packaging and marketing. DeLorean provided the basic formula in 1964: drop a mass-produced but powerful engine (used in huge full size vehicles) in a (relatively) light, compact/midsize chassis, tweak the suspension and brakes a bit, pop on a scoop or two here or there, lavish on some stripes or decals and anoint the result with designations or snappy names like GT, GTO, GTX, XR-7, Roadrunner and Demon. Voila! - the muscle car, most of which provided a happy combination that allowed you to squall through the stoplight grand prix on Friday nights, yet permit you to drive placidly to the A&P on Saturday morning, often in air-conditioned comfort and with an automatic transmission sparing you the labor of shifting gears. Thus, Detroit generated a string of exciting "new" products from mom and pop mainstream production with little lead time and minor development costs and delighted almost everyone in North America who cared about cars.

Mecum's stock in trade is classic muscle cars, and the number of 396 Chevelles, 390 Mustangs, and 440 MOPARS seemed to stretch to the horizon. I didn't try to photograph all of these (many of which are still pretty common), but tried to focus (NPI) on more specialized vehicles or those that simply tickled my fancy.

Jer

My friend, John (in the blue shirt), thoughtfully examines a genuine COPO Camaro equipped with a 427CI/425HP mill and - would you believe it? - a "developmental" Turbo 400 Auto:



An original, 1968 Z28 - what a beauty!





A 1970 GTO Judge equipped with a 400 Ram Air III and - you guessed it - automatic:



A 1970 Trans Am with 400CI/345HP and - I'm getting weary - an automatic:



A very nice 1968 GTO with 400CI/360HP and - hallelujah! - a 4-speed manual:



A quite rare 1963 Ford Galaxy with a 427CI/425HP engine and a 4-speed:





Original 1969 Boss 302:





Produced at the end of the classic muscle era, a huge Boss 351 Mustang with a 4-speed:



A highly unusual 1970 428 CJ Cougar Convertible with automatic:



A 1967 Plymouth GTX with a 426 Hemi and (yawn) automatic:

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A 1970 Superbird optioned with a 440CI/375HP engine and a 4-speed:

[dcmsox2004]

superlative series jer... these heavy metal classics are truly a part of americana history..
hoping one day to see a mecum auction site.... thanks for sharing ! dave m

[Bob Harris]

Really enjoyed the series Jer, especially with your great narrative it helped jog my memory a bit on these factory hotrods.

[Michael Piziak]

Very nice photos of very nice muscle cars !

[monochrome]

Z28 - Oh My heart!!

Great series - vicarious admiration

[rbefly]

Jer, I just slobbered all over my keyboard... WOW!!! Great series and commentary, TFP.
And your anti-auto tranny stance is fine with me, muscle cars should be 4 (or more) speed shifters with a great-looking shifter head. My favorite is the solid hardwood type with inlaid gear pattern. Like we might forget where 2nd is.
Sometimes when I go to the Golden Cruise, I have to stop clicking and just enjoy the loping cam rumble, belch, roar and occasional tire-squeal (Careful!! they've got photo-radar nowadays!) of Detroit metal. Does it get any better? Well, it could be me driving, but otherwise? Big NO!
It's just some dust, no, I'm fine....
Gearhead Ron

[8540tomg]

Wait a minute I'm having a Car and Driver/Road and Track flashback here.

Your images wouldn't look out of place in those old magazines Jer. I share your enthusiasm for these old classics buddy. It might sound like heresy but I always thought that Plymouth Roadrunner was one of the dumbest attempts at styling ever to come out of Detroit. Time hasn’t altered that opinion. Then again these cars were never about styling but raw brute power. In that area at least they were an unqualified success.

Tom G

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Last edited by 8540tomg; 04-22-2014 at 03:56 PM. Reason: typo

[Sailor]

superlative series jer... these heavy metal classics are truly a part of americana history..
hoping one day to see a mecum auction site.... thanks for sharing ! dave m

Thanks for the very kind words, my friend. They're very much appreciated.

Jer

Really enjoyed the series Jer, especially with your great narrative it helped jog my memory a bit on these factory hotrods.

Boy, brother Bob - I was hoping you'd like these and the little verbal trip down memory lane. Thanks so much for looking, buddy.

Jer

Very nice photos of very nice muscle cars !

Thanks, Michael, very much.

Jer

Z28 - Oh My heart!!

Great series - vicarious admiration

Thank you! That Z makes me weak in the knees, as well.

Jer

Jer, I just slobbered all over my keyboard... WOW!!! Great series and commentary, TFP.
And your anti-auto tranny stance is fine with me, muscle cars should be 4 (or more) speed shifters with a great-looking shifter head. My favorite is the solid hardwood type with inlaid gear pattern. Like we might forget where 2nd is.
Sometimes when I go to the Golden Cruise, I have to stop clicking and just enjoy the loping cam rumble, belch, roar and occasional tire-squeal (Careful!! they've got photo-radar nowadays!) of Detroit metal. Does it get any better? Well, it could be me driving, but otherwise? Big NO!
It's just some dust, no, I'm fine....
Gearhead Ron

Thanks so much, Ron - I thought you might like these. Even though I revel in the sound of a Porsche flat 6 reaching it's chain-saw crescendo at about 7000 rpm, I still love the burble and growl of a big V-8.

Jer

Wait a minute I'm having a Car and Driver/Road and Track flashback here.

Your images wouldn't look out of place in those old magazines Jer. I share your enthusiasm for these old classics buddy. It might sound like heresy but I always thought that Plymouth Roadrunner was one of the dumbest attempts at styling ever to come out of Detroit. Time hasn’t altered that opinion. Then again these cars were never about styling but raw brute power. In that area at least they were an unqualified success.

Tom G

Hey, Tom, thanks very much. I've always thought that the Superbird looked ridiculous, even when it appeared, but in Chrysler's defense (an odd position for me ), I seem to remember these were produced in limited numbers simply to homologate the vehicle for NASCAR - back when their race cars actually had some relationship to a street vehicle.

Jer

[RichardS]

Very nice, Jer. The explanation is great. I recognise most of these. In 1972 and 73 I was working on a project for Burroughs in Detroit. A Dutch guy on the project lusted after some American muscle (car, that is) and bought a Firebird. He also wanted a manual. The base 350 engine only came with a 3-speed. To get a 4-speed, he had to go up to the 400. What an imposition That bright red 1973 Firebird Formula 400 caused quite a sensation when he took it back to Europe.

Richard.

[cupic]

WOW any one would be a joy to have TFS Jer

cheers

[Arjay Bee]

Produced at the end of the classic muscle era, a huge Boss 351 Mustang with a 4-speed:

My pic is this one: If I paypal you the money could you pick it up for me... (Dream on) :-)

Great series..

[tessfully]

Absolutely love the opening dissertation. Well said! The car images are terrific. So colourful and your ability to compose and expose in such cramped and lit surrounding astounds me. My long ago first husband had a 68 Nova SS he refurbished from the ground up. We went to many shows in that rumbly jumpy sensitive jacked-up tenor of a shiny silver-flecked white car.

[hnikesch]

Nice shots, nice cars

[Sailor]

Very nice, Jer. The explanation is great. I recognise most of these. In 1972 and 73 I was working on a project for Burroughs in Detroit. A Dutch guy on the project lusted after some American muscle (car, that is) and bought a Firebird. He also wanted a manual. The base 350 engine only came with a 3-speed. To get a 4-speed, he had to go up to the 400. What an imposition That bright red 1973 Firebird Formula 400 caused quite a sensation when he took it back to Europe.

Richard.

I'm happy you liked 'em, Richard. I'm sure that red Firebird did catch a few eyes - particularly in those days.

Jer

WOW any one would be a joy to have TFS Jer

cheers

Hey, Ivan, thanks very much, and - yeah - it would be nice to have one of these parked in my garage.

Jer

My pic is this one: If I paypal you the money could you pick it up for me... (Dream on) :-)

Great series..

Thanks much. I imagine a '72 Boss 351 is pretty rare - Mustang sales had fallen significantly by then, and I suspect there were few of these made.

Jer

Absolutely love the opening dissertation. Well said! The car images are terrific. So colourful and your ability to compose and expose in such cramped and lit surrounding astounds me. My long ago first husband had a 68 Nova SS he refurbished from the ground up. We went to many shows in that rumbly jumpy sensitive jacked-up tenor of a shiny silver-flecked white car.

Thanks very much for the kind words, Tess. That Nova SS must have been fun - those were crazy days, for sure.

Jer

Nice shots, nice cars

Thank you.

Jer