It is undeniable that Chrysler Corporation pioneered modern day mass produced performance cars with the 300. Never before had such a car been made available to the general public at a fairly reasonable price. What followed was a legion of copycats, sparking what is commonly called the horsepower race. Eventually, option packages for individual models were developed specifically for the performance market. The logical conclusion to this theme was what we call the "muscle car" genre.....performance only  models with one thing in mind. Go fast.

The 300 has always been my favorite, hence the major portion of this site. But one cannot ignore what came later, or what was associated with the great marque. It's like a favorite uncle....eventually you look at  the cousins and discover that some of them are pretty good, too. Such is the case with the MoPar muscle car group. I grew up in the muscle car era; I owned or rode in just about every one of them at one time or another. Our high school parking lot was filled with GTOs, Chevelles, GS400s, Corvettes, and R/Ts; none of them belonged to the teachers. Muscle cars were everywhere; fairly inexpensive and popular, they became the thing to have.

Chrysler Corporation, despite its many faults and mistakes, produced the best crop of muscle cars ever to grace the American roads. MoPars owned the drag strip from 1962 through 1970, and dominated Nascar as well. They weren't the first, but they were the best. Unlike previous years, Chrysler waited to get into the genre. They had been a pioneer with the 300, but now, for some reason, perhaps engineering and politics, they waited. They let the GTO, SS Chevelle, and others set sales records for three years and plow the road. In 1967, they pounced. 

My first ride in a legitmate MoPar muscle car came in 1967. Our friend Bill Vogt had just taken delivery of a 1967 GTX convertible. It was dark green with a black top and interior, and red line tires. It was very striking, and had a unique sound due to the "hemi" mufflers. It had the 440 Magnum, a four speed, and 4.10 sure grip rear axle. Bill offered a test drive.....of course, I accepted. 

"This ain't your run of the mill Plymouth," he grinned over thick horn rimmed glasses. He reminded me very much of the Charger driver Bill Hickman in Bullitt. 

We went to the Merritt Parkway; Bill pulled onto the grass and waited until there was no traffic. "Belt up," he said nervously as he pulled the monster onto the road. A two mile straightaway loomed in front of us, punctuated by an overpass at the 1/4 mile mark.

Bill didn't wait. He revved the engine and dumped the clutch; the car shot forward and dug in amidst screeching tires and roaring exhaust. I had never felt anything like it.....the Plymouth pulled harder than any car I'd ever ridden in. Bill slammed through the gears at 6500 RPM; the Magnum never flinched. We hit the overpass with the speedometer near the 110 mark. Bill kept going until the lifters floated out and slowed the engine. The speedometer touched 130, pretty good for the axle ratio. 

"Whaddaya think?" Bill grinned as we pulled off at the next exit.

"I wish I could afford one," I said. 

There were many others; my girlfriend's brother had a new 1968 Road Runner, my other friend had a new 1968 Charger R/T that almost got us killed in a 150 mph crash, and there were a couple of street hemis around. The hemis didn't compete much, probably due to the fact that they couldn't beat most of the better grade cars despite the big reputation they had. The street hemi is probably the only mistake Chrysler made in the muscle car market. Don't get me wrong, the hemi had tons of potential. But in stock trim, it didn't deliver the goods. A set up road test hemi Road Runner at about 3600 lbs with 4.10 gears could do 13.5 in the quarter, but the same car with the 440 six pack in 1969 turned 12.9 off the showroom floor for a lot less money! Oh well, there's no explaining the mystery of status.

Due to  emissions regulations, lowered compression ratios, unleaded gas, catalytic converters and  insurance companies, the muscle car market for all intents and purposes peaked in 1970 and thereafter went down hill. For my purposes, I will only cover Chrysler muscle cars built from 1967 through 1970. The Road Runner section goes a bit further just to illustrate this point. 

1967

In 1967 Chrysler introduced the Coronet R/T and the Belvedere GTX as their main offerings in the new market.  The standard engine was an unheard of 440 cubic inch window rattler called the 440 Magnum. Also known as Super Commando, this engine replaced the 426 street wedge and  offered more  horsepower than any other standard muscle car engine. It was brutally powerful, fairly docile, and very dependable. The same engine was offered in the Dodge Charger as a production line option. The Charger would be added to the R/T roster when it received its new body in 1968. Optional for the GTX and R/T models was the 426 hemi, which had been pulled from the option list for lesser models.

Reaction was fast....11,429 GTX coupes were snapped up, along with  686 convertibles. 720 hemi GTXs were ordered at $546 extra. There was also  the tricked up R023 Belvedere II. These were not GTXs, but did have the hemi, which was not on the Belvy's option list. Like the Coronet RO23, these were special built for drag racing. They had no hubcaps, radio, heater, body insulation, or carpet pad and sealer which resulted in several hundred pounds of weight reduction.  Under the hood was the 426 Hemi, modified  with  a transistorized ignition and a dual point distributor with no vacuum advance, metal core-plug wires, Carter 4139 and 4140 carburetors, and a ram air system that sealed the breather to the underside of the hood. 

I can't swear as to the correctness of the above car, although it was advertised as correct and was being auctioned by a pretty reputable place. Judy Lilly, drag racer, campaigned a Belvedere II hemi in 1967 but it was a 2 door sedan. With Chrysler, ya never know!

The 1967 GTX was outfitted with fiberglass simulated hood scoops and  racing stripes, a blacked out grille, and  a fender mounted racing style pop open gas cap. Inside was a 150 mph speedometer and optional electric tachometer  mounted on the optional center console. All the usual go fast goodies were available either from the factory or the dealer. A nice set of road wheels was optional for the useless standard tires, which evaporated in a cloud of smoke when the gas was hit too hard. 

Over at Dodge the Coronet R/T, which stood for  Road and Track,  was priced at $3,199 for the coupe and $3,438 for the convertible. Like the GTX, the R/T had the 440 Magnum backed by the  TorqueFlite automatic.  A four speed manual gearbox was optional. Also standard on the R/T were 7.75x14 red line tires, (no, they would not take the torque of the 440, nobody ever bought them as replacement tires, pure garbage) heavy duty suspension, heavy duty  brakes, and a front sway bar. The Coronet received a Charger style grille, but not the retractable headlights. A non functional hood scoop, R/T emblems, and front bucket seats added to the performance image.  Buyers could order the 426 Hemi for just $457 more. Only 238 Hemi Coronets were produced, including 2 convertibles.

Almost all Hemi Coronets were R/T models, but a few Hemi powered Coronet 440 two door hardtop lightweight models for drag racing were built to meet NHRA Super Stock B rules. The WO23 cars, as they were known,  tipped the scales at 3,686 lbs, resulting in a power to weight ratio of 8.67 lb/bhp. The body had standard sheet metal with a big fresh air scoop. Sound deadening and body sealer were deleted and the battery was mounted in the trunk. The usual sway bar in front was also deleted, as these models didn't really need to turn that much. There were two versions; One came with a TorqueFlite modified with a 2,300-2,500 stall speed torque converter and 4.86:1 Sure-Grip 8 3/4 inch differential. The second had the four speed manual transmission with Hurst linkage, reinforced gearing and clutch, scatter shield, and  4.88 Sure Grip differential. These  cars did not come with a factory warranty.  55 were built.  Close in popularity to the GTX, the R/T sold 10,181 units. See a pattern here? Out of over 22,000 GTX-R/T cars produced in 1967, only about 950 were hemi powered. 

To me, it seemed that early GTX and R/T buyers were a bit older. They weren't all teenagers, as one would think; most of them seemed to be edgy guys around 30 or more. I think they were the despondent former 300 owners who were disgusted by Chrysler's blatant capitalization of the 300 name for the sake of profit. But here was a brutal, no nonsense performance car  5 years later powered by the biggest V8 ever to hit the market. It looked good, it sounded good, and it was very fast. These guys remembered the wedge and the way it ran and shunned the hemi, especially after word got out that it didn't deliver in street trim. 

1968

Things heated up in 1968, a great year for muscle cars. Chrysler's offerings got new bodies and a new model, the Road Runner, was added. A separate section is devoted to the Road Runner 1968-1972. In 1968, the GTX was moved up a notch with the addition of the Road Runner. Both used the newly redesigned Belvedere body. Styling changes included a new hood design with different non functional hood vents, a new grille, and new tail lamps. The GTX was still available as either a two door hardtop or convertible with the 440 Magnum standard and the hemi optional.  Wide Oval tires (a bit better than the skinny 7.75 x 14s of 1967),  front disc brakes, and a limited slip differential were optional. 

 The GTX came with the TorqueFlite automatic transmission as standard  with a four speed manual transmission as a no cost option.  The GTX looked more upscale with chrome wheel lip moldings, rear panel  bright work, and double side stripes. Inside,  the GTX now came with the well appointed Sport Satellite trim  featuring shiny details and simulated wood grain. These differences were reflected in the base price of  $3355 for the GTX hardtop. Only 450 GTXs  (414 hardtops and 36 convertibles) were ordered with the $564 hemi engine option. 17,914 coupes and 1,026 convertibles were sold.

Dodge shared the new Belvedere body shell and produced the best looking Coronet yet.  The Dodge R/T line was extended, adding the new Charger, a stunningly beautiful new design that has never been equaled.  At its Chicago unveiling, Dodge general manager Robert B. McCurry declared the second-generation Charger a full-sized sports car featuring semi fastback design and "jet age aerodynamic styling." The Charger handled better than the Coronet, and had better aerodynamics.  The Charger could be had with either a split bench seat with armrest, in which case you got the column shift automatic, or bucket seats with a console. The driveline was the same across the board for 1968, a repeat of what had been offered the year before. Tasteful and sleek, the only concession to the decal craze was a bumble bee stripe around the rear deck. This was deleted if the customer preferred, making the R/T a true sleeper. 17,665 Charger R/Ts were minted in 1968, including 475 with the hemi engine.

 The Coronet R/T continued on with standard bucket seats, dual exhausts, stiff suspension, heavy duty brakes, and a 150 mph speedometer. The TorqueFlite automatic transmission was standard, and Bumble Bee or body stripes were no cost options. R/Ts also added a special "power bulge" hood with simulated air vents.  Hemi cars had a special heavy duty suspension, but air conditioning was not available. 10,456 Coronet R/Ts were sold, 230 of which were hemi equipped.

Not to be outdone by Plymouth, Dodge also came on board with the Super Bee.  Plymouth had launched the Road Runner in the fall of 1967 as a 1968 model, and  upset because they had coined the "Road Runner" name in a 1967 Coronet ad, Dodge fired back by launching its own low budget muscle car in the spring of 1968. The $3,027 base price was $131 more than the Road Runner, which used the same basic chassis. Curb weight was nearly identical, and both used the same engines, so performance was virtually identical. 

The standard engine was the 335 bhp four barrel 383 cid V8 that borrowed cylinder heads, camshaft and exhaust manifolds from the 440 Magnum. The 426 Hemi was  optional, but   it clashed with the budget nature of the Super Bee. Personally, I think that considering how the hemi actually performed, many customers felt it wasn't worth the extra grand. The low price meant keeping the trim level low, and although the Super Bee borrowed the Rallye gauge package from the Charger to edge out the Road Runner, a tachometer was still a $38 extra. Heavy duty suspension, brakes, four speed manual transmission with Hurst Competition Plus shifter, and red line wide oval tires were standard. The Super Bee had bumble bee racing stripes circling the tail, and Super Bee emblems on the rear fenders. The grille was finished in black matte and the hood had a decorative power bulge. The wheel lips and the rear body panel were accented with thin bright moldings. Inside, the Super Bee had  carpeting, pleated vinyl bench seats and matching door panels. 

All in all, it was a nice car with a higher level of finish than the Runner, but it was too late getting to the prom. The Road Runner had grabbed all the attention, and the Super Bee came off looking like what it was; a knock off. Only 7,717 were sold versus 44,000 Runners, with 125 Bees hemi equipped.

1969

The 1969 GTX was a classic beauty, simple yet stylish in a performance way. It now looked like what it was; a very fast, fairly luxurious mid sized car. It was becoming more like the 300, while its little brother the Road Runner stole the show and walked off with Motor Trend's car of the year award. It also walked off with most of the drag racing trophies because of its lesser weight. 

 The Road Runner gained a convertible and two door hardtop for 1969, which hurt GTX sales. Hey, who cares, its all in the same cash register, right? The GTX received minor front and rear cosmetic changes, which included new rectangular side markers, and a slightly different grille and tail lamp treatment. On the performance side, the GTX was now available with a wider choice of rear axles and a Hurst shifter. Also new was the Air Grabber option, which consisted of dual air intakes in the hood with a dash controlled shut off. The hemi, a $700 option, was ordered on just 198 hardtops and 11 convertibles. 

A third engine option for the GTX appeared in mid 1969. At a mere $119, it outsold and outperformed the hemi. This was the legendary 440 six pack, featuring higher compression, 3 Holley 2 barrel carburetors on an Edelbrock intake, and a hotter camshaft than the 440 Magnum. It was rated at a ridiculously low 390 bhp and in good tune was good for 13 flat or better in the quarter mile right off the showroom floor. 15,602 GTXs rolled down the line in 1969.

Over at Dodge, the big news for 1969 was the addition of  the 440 six pack. Dodge called it the six pack, Plymouth called it the 440-6 or 440 six barrel. The Magnum name also belonged to Dodge. The new engine also came with a fiberglass performance pinned hood. Also standard with the killer engine and vailable on other Coronet R/Ts was a Ramcharger fresh air induction system (also standard on Hemis) with twin hood scoops. Styling was similar to 1968 except that the previous front fender medallion became a large decal that appeared as part of the rear bumblebee stripe. The 440 Magnum remained standard on the Coronet R/T. The hemi was  $418 more. Despite the now lower price, not many takers climbed on board. It seemed that Chrysler was seeing the beginning of its usual problem, "we saw this car last year." Buyers consisted mostly of people who couldn't scrape up the cake for a 1968 model. Sales dropped off to 7238.

Charger R/Ts fared better, stealing sales away from all other Chrysler muscle car lines. 1969 saw little change for the Charger. Why mess with success? Instead, Dodge introduced two special versions of the Charger to better compete in Nascar. 

The first was the 1969 only Charger 500, which  had a flush mounted Coronet grille, non retractable headlights,  and  a flush mounted rear window over the recessed backlight. Built by Creative Industries,  500 were sold to the public in accordance with NASCAR rules. 67 had the hemi, the rest had the 440 Magnum. The racing version had the competition hemi, of course. The main reason for the Charger 500 was to eliminate aerodynamic problems that hurt it in comparison to Ford's more slippery racing models. Although the Charger 500 had some racing success, Dodge engineers felt they could do more. 

They went back to the wind tunnel (or the local bar) and came back with the ridiculous looking but very effective Dodge Charger Daytona. In front, the Daytona sported a pointed 18 inch nose extension which reduced drag. The Daytona had the Charger 500's recessed backlight and added a horizontal tail stabilizer (commonly known as a laundry rack) on tall vertical extensions. The wing had to be tall enough on production models so that the 503 idiots who bought them could open the trunk, and some dealers had to remove them in order to sell the cars. Priced at around $4,000, the Daytonas were available with either the 440 Magnum or the 426 Hemi.  Weighing almost 300 pounds more than regular Chargers with the same engines, the Daytonas were slower on the street but could get up to 200 mph on the Nascar circuit. Today, they bring huge money because they are a true novelty. I never saw one on the street. As for the Charger R/T, 20,057 were sold. 

The Super Bee fought back and more than tripled sales thanks to a few upgrades that made it more competitive. A two door hardtop was added, and the Bee  got a single but  wider rear bumble bee stripe and a Dodge "Scat Pack" badge on the grille and trunk, plus front fender engine ID logos. Also new was the  Ramcharger cold air induction system, which was standard on hemi cars. The Ramcharger system featured two large hood scoops, an underhood air plenum and a switch to select between warm and cold air.

Also available was the fabulous 440 Six Pack. The Super Bee was the first MoPar to offer the new motor, and the name given to it became universal. Only the center carburetor was used for normal driving, so mileage really wasn't that bad for a muscle car if you kept your foot out of it.  Hemi valve springs, a hotter cam, chrome valve stems, moly rings, magnafluxed connecting rods and a dual point distributor helped boost output. A four speed manual transmission was standard. Torqueflite was optional, but disc brakes, air conditioning, and cruise control were not allowed. The Super Bee Six Pack came with a lift off hood made of fiberglass. It had a matte black finish, four Nascar hood pins, and a large air scoop molded right in with "Six Pack" written on the sides. 

Every 1969 six pack car came with a 4.10 Dana 60 Sure Grip rear end, the lift off fiberglass pinned hood and 15 x 6 wheels shod with G70 x 15 inch tires. The look was completed with standard black steel wheels, unadorned except for chrome lug nuts. No wheel covers or road wheels were officially offered and should not be added to a properly restored car.  The 440 Six Pack cost $463, and came with a higher grade suspension that turned the Super Bee into a decent handler. Sales broke down like this: 383 cars, 25,727. 440 Six Pack cars, 1,907. 426 hemi cars, 166.

1970

The handwriting was on the wall. The insurance companies were tired of paying claims for dead teenagers and mangled cars that couldn't be repaired, and lowered the boom on the muscle cars. Car makers fought back by outright lies and deception. Oh sure, my SS454 Chevelle only had 360 horsepower. That's why it turned 13.9 at 105 in street trim without shifting into Drive. Also, the government was starting to make noise about pollution. The game was over.....after 1970 you would get smog pumps, 9:1 compression, and big reductions in power. And this is a free country, right?

 The 1970 GTX received new smoother lines, but lost its convertible model. The new styling featured a power bulge hood and non functional rear brake scoops. Optional 15x7 Rallye wheels with F60-15 Goodyear tires (too small) became available for the first time. Under the hood, buyers could choose from the 440 Magnum which was the same as the year before but with a lower compression ratio, (told ya) the 440 six pack with 390 bhp and the 426 Hemi rated at 425 bhp. 

Optional with the 440 six pack and standard with the hemi was the latest version of the Air Grabber hood, which featured a single flap which could be operated from inside the car. The flap featured a shark decal on the side, just the thing for psyching out the competition at the stoplight. 

Six Pack cars now had a Chrysler made cast iron intake manifold; seems Edelbrock couldn't make enough to supply demand in 1969, hence only 3384 six pack cars had been  sold that year. The engine received  further upgrades for 1970, with bigger connecting rods, a new externally balanced extra heavy duty crankshaft, (required with the new rods) which in turn required external balancing for the first time ever in a Mopar. A new right side exhaust manifold with an improved heat control valve was also introduced. For the first time, automatic cars could be had with the 8.5 inch axle and highway gears, and the Dana was now ffered with your choice of 3.54 or 4.10  axle ratios. The more luxurious GTX was still heavier than the Road Runner, and thus it was slower. Also, it was the third year without a major redesign, so sales slid to 7,748.  A mere 72 were ordered with the hemi versus a respectable 768 with the 440 six pack.

 The Dodge Coronet R/T received all new front sheet metal for 1970, including a smooth split grille which tapered towards the center. Dummy rear fender scoops were now standard and wore R/T badges repeated on the nose and between the segmented, tapering tail lamps. A bumblebee stripe circled the rear. Engines were the same as before, with the Hemi an additional $718. But low sales made 1970 the last year for the Coronet R/T and the convertible. Only 14 Hemi Coronet R/Ts were built, 12 hardtops and just two convertibles. From 1971 on, the Coronet was only available as a four door sedan or station wagon.

I remember looking at a row of muscle cars at a local Dodge dealer in mid 1970 when I was car shopping. The crazy colors and all the fake scoops and loony stripes turned me off. I wanted a plain black Charger R/T or 500 with a plain buckskin interior, black vinyl top, and red line tires. No go. All they had were Plum Crazy and Puke Green messes with stripes galore. By the time I found out you could order the cars with all this crap deleted, it was too late, the books were closed. Those cars sat for months, eventually being sold off for half window sticker price.  2,319 1970 Coronet R/T coupes were sold, and 296 convertibles.

 1970 saw another facelift for the Charger, which now had a new chrome loop front bumper and a new full width tail lamp housing. R/T versions got a fake reverse body scoop on the front doors and an optional hood cutout with engine numbers for people too stupid to remember what engine they had ordered. Colors such as Top Banana, Panther Pink, Plum Crazy and Go Mango became available and a pistol grip handle now topped the available four speed shifter. Also available was the extra cost SE version with  leather upholstery, and  an electric sunroof. Engines consisted of a duplicate of the Coronet R/T lineup, with the hemi getting hydraulic lifters. The 440 six pack was available for the first time; it had not been offered in 1969. Still, rising insurance costs took their toll and only 10,337 R/Ts were sold in 1970. Of these  116 were 440 six packs and only 42 were hemis. 1971 would be the last year for the R/T. There were no more Charger 500s, and according to Ken Noffsinger 3 Daytonas were built on 1970 chassis. Read about them here: http://aerowarriors.com/70dcd.html

The Super Bee was restyled for 1970. To differentiate it from the regular Coronet, the dummy rear fender scoops were deleted. It also had horizontally divided (rather than individually segmented) tail lamps. New options included a hood tach and spoiler. Buyers could order the R/T bumble bee stripe or pipe shaped upper and lower rear fender stripes with a circular Super Bee decal between them. The Super Bee was available in a number of wild colors as well. Extras included the "Kruncher" and Bee-Liever" performance options. Base prices fell $64 but sales dropped somewhat, but not as badly as the other marques. Hemis were installed in just 32 hardtops (21 with four speed) and 4 pillared coupes, all with the four speed. This was the last year that the Super Bee was based on the Coronet.  3,966 2 door sedans and 11,540 coupes were built. The Bee would be absorbed into the Charger line for 1971 and then discontinued. 

In the fall of 1969 Chrysler introduced their new E body 1970 models, consisting of the Dodge Challenger and upgraded Plymouth Barracuda. 

With eighteen colors and nine engines ranging  from the slant six  to the 426 hemi, the 1970 Challenger offered a lot of choice. The muscle car choices were the R/T and the one year only T/A. The Challenger R/T was made in hardtop and convertible versions. The R/T had the Super Bee 383 Magnum engine putting out 335 horsepower, and three optional engines: the  426 hemi (356 ordered), the  440 Magnum, and the 440 Six Pack (over 2,000 ordered). A heavy duty TorqueFlite  transmission was standard with the 440 and hemi engines, with a four speed manual optional.  A limited slip differential was optional, but a heavy duty suspension was standard across the R/T line. 60 series 15 inch tires completed the package. While the R/T had a standard dual scoop hood, the functional scoops simply pushed air into the engine bay rather than forcing it into the engine; for that, you needed the "shaker" hood, which was an attachment to the air cleaner that protruded through the hood.

The Challenger R/T was quick, but the car itself was a piece of junk. I drove a new R/T 440 in 1970, and I couldn't believe Chrysler had the gall to ask $4600 window sticker for something this bad. The dash and console were loose and rattled, the seats had a poor design and were very uncomfortable. It rode like a truck. Everything about the car screamed corner cutter. I told the salesman he had to be kidding, and bought a Chevelle SS454 for $3100 out the door.

The T/A, named after the SCCA Trans American race series,  was a street version of the race car. It had a 340 Six Pack  rated at a highly underrated 290 horsepower.  Many of these Challengers had the Road Runner style six pack  lift off fiberglass hood in  flat black. The T/A was rather showy, with big stripes and dual exhaust with special outlets. The T/A had  heavy duty  suspension, increased rear spring camber, and different sized front and rear tires. The animal engine could easily notch 13 second quarter mile times when properly prepared.

The Trans Am Challenger was the race version of the street  T/A. About 2,400 were built to comply with the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) rules. The AAR Cuda was built for similar reasons. The real T/A had a destroked 303 cubic-inch LA (318 block) motor with a four barrel. The early production T/As had a twin scoop hood and a bumblebee stripe with the modified 340 six pack. Early T/As looked just like any other Challenger, and without the bold graphics and spoilers of later T/As, those cars surprised many at stop light shoot outs. The T/A's 340 had valve train improvements, beefier heads, increased webbing in the mains, and other improvements.

At Plymouth, the Barracuda received no "special model" status. They sort of tried with the Cuda, which was the performance version. This one was available  with the same basic drive train options as the Challenger R/T. The AAR was a duplicate of the Challenger T/A, offering the 340 six pack.

After 1970, the muscle car market quickly collapsed. The 440 six pack (slightly detuned) and hemi were continued for one more year, then dropped forever. Other car makers followed suit, and by 1972 the big block street terrors were but a distant memory. Road Runners came with 340s and the GTX, available only as a Road Runner option for 1971, was dropped. The R/T would disappear after 1971. Expensive gas (50 cents per gallon, can you believe it) and skyrocketing insurance costs combined with emissions requirements made the cars impractical and obsolete overnight. They could be had on car lots in pristine condition for ridiculously low prices, a testament to the fickle nature of the car industry and the economy. Today, they represent the epitome of the car culture. The big MoPars still sit at the top of the heap. Bob Rodger would be proud. I don't think he'd like Plum Crazy, but he sure as hell would be proud. The MoPar muscle cars are all included in the Muscle Car Gallery.