By Jim Brennan

UDMan

Welcome to the CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot, where I research unusual cars of the past which might fall under the Muscle Car banner, and then try to convince you that they belong in the Parking Lot. In this edition, we have a trifecta of Chrysler-produced two doors. Remember, this was a time in which Chrysler was trying to sell anything to generate cash flow, and the best way to sell a “new” vehicle is to introduce special editions, or new names on existing bodies. Which brings me to these three offerings from the late 70′s. They were all produced from the Chrysler Cordoba: let’s discover the Dodge Charger Daytona, the Dodge Magnum, and the Chrysler 300 from the late 70′s.

Continue reading "The CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot: 1977 Dodge Charger Daytona, 1978 – 79 Dodge Magnum and 1979 Chrysler 300" »

By Jim Brennan

UDMan

Welcome to another edition of the CarDomian Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot, in which I highlight a car that I think is a Muscle Car, and then try and convince you that it belongs in the Parking Lot. Performance cars were waning in the late 70′s due to emission regulations and two fuel embargoes, but Chrysler still tried to create a performance image for the “F” body cars, known as the Plymouth Volare and Dodge Aspen. These cars had an ever-growing reputation for poor quality, and numerous recalls, so Chrysler was eager to spruce up their image any way they could. So, are these high performance coupes worthy of the Parking Lot? Let’s explore the Plymouth Volare Road Runner, and the Dodge Aspen R/T.

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By Jim Brennan

UDMan

Welcome to another edition of the CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot, where I find Obscure Cars that should be considered Muscle Cars, and then try and convince you that they belong in the Parking Lot. Chrysler Corporation was at the forefront of the muscle car era, offering iconic high-performance machines such as the Road Runner, the Charger, the Super Bee, the Plymouth GTX, the Baracuda, and even the Chrysler 300. There is one division within the company, Imperial, that produced more of an understated luxurious automobile. However, by 1969, Imperial shared most of its body, chassis, engine, and even its dimensions with its Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth stablemates. With this in mind, one could purchase a coupe version of the Imperial, equipped with a 440 CID V-8, and have almost as much performance as either the Dodge Polara, or Plymouth Fury GT, in a more refined package. So, is the Imperial an Obscure Muscle Car? Let’s find out.

Continue reading "The CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot: The 1969 – 73 Imperial Coupe" »

By Jim Brennan

UDMan

Welcome to another edition of the CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot, where we discover cars that were never really thought of as Muscle Cars, and change your mind about them. It’s time to rev up the old Wayback Machine, and return to a time when the muscle car was just about to be discovered. The Pontiac Motor Division of General Motors is credited with creating the classification in 1964, with the introduction of the GTO. But what you may not know is that Pontiac actually created a number of high performance cars before the GTO ever saw the light of day. There were fuel-injected Bonnevilles, Catalina Super Duties, and this gem, the 1963 Pontiac LeMans with the 326 V-8.

Continue reading "CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot: The 1963 Pontiac LeMans 326" »

By Jim Brennan

UDMan

Welcome to another edition of the CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot, where we discover cars that were never really thought of as Muscle Cars, and to try and change your mind about them. In the mid 70′s the Muscle Car was all but dead, or was it? Chevrolet introduced a new compact rear-wheel drive car in 1971 called the Vega. Now, a lot has been written about what a piece of crap the Vega turned out to be, and I can’t dispute that. However, the chassis designed for the Vega was pretty good, and when properly tweaked, it could be a champ. So GM produced a sexy little brawler using the chassis of the Vega, incorporated some design influence from Ferrari, dusted off a name last used on the Corvair, and dropped in an optional V-8. But is it a Muscle Car? Let’s find out if the Chevy Monza belongs in the Parking Lot.

Continue reading "The CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot: The 1975 – 79 Chevrolet Monza V-8" »

By Jim Brennan

UDMan

Welcome to another installment of the CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot, a regular feature which aims to expand the definition of what a muscle car is, and to discover hidden treasures while doing so. Throughout this series, I’ve showcased a lot of coupes, sedans, a couple of wagons, and a few pickup trucks. This is the first SUV in the series–and look, it’s from a defunct GM brand that has become the symbol of automotive excess during the past several years. Just the name Hummer conjures up images of everything from desert warfare, to over-the-top, chrome-encrusted celebrity rides. The H3 was an attempt to play down the perceived excess that had become the Hummer image, while increasing the market share of the brand at the same time. But the H3 was saddled with an anemic five cylinder motor, which wasn’t rectified until 2008 with a 5.3L V-8 engine transplant. Introducing the Hummer H3 Alpha.

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By Jim Brennan

UDMan

Welcome to another edition of the CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot, where we discover cars that were never really thought of as Muscle Cars, and change your mind about them. Yes, it has been a while since the last edition, and I know there are rabid fans of this feature, so over the next several weeks we’ll be running this feature super-regularly so you can get your fix. And look at what we have here: the Maverick Grabber, powered by the tried-and-true Ford 302 CID V-8. Let’s see if it belongs in the Parking Lot…

Continue reading "CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot: The Ford Maverick Grabber" »

By Jim Brennan

UDMan

Welcome to another edition of the CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot where we discover hidden gems that you may have never known about, and I try and convince you that they are worthy of the muscle car designation. There is no doubt that Buick made muscle during the later half of the 60s, right up to 1972 with the Skylark GS and GSX. These were deemed as the gentleman’s muscle car, one that spoke softly and carried a big stick. However, Buick was about to introduce a new line of mid-sized cars, and they dusted off an old nameplate, Century. They didn’t completely ignore the performance and youth market though, and that is where this model comes in, the Buick Century Gran Sport, with the 455, for 1973 and 74.

Continue reading after the jump!

Continue reading "CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot: The 1973-74 Buick Century Gran Sport" »

By Jim Brennan

UDMan

The new year is upon us, and it’s time for a brand new season of the CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot, where I profile a car (or in this case, a truck) that you might not consider a muscle car, and try and change your thinking on what a muscle car can or should be. It’s been a while, and I’m glad to be back at CarDomain, writing about obscure muscle, like this entry on the Dodge Dakota 5.9 R/T.

Continue reading after the jump!

Continue reading "CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot: The Dodge Dakota 5.9 R/T" »

By Jim Brennan

UDMan

Welcome to the CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot, a series where I describe what I consider to be a muscle car, and where you either agree or disagree with me. It has been a fun year last year, and in December I ran a series of posts in which I asked you, the reader, to select your favorites by decade. Well, it’s time to reveal the best, and to do a final vote. Think of it as the Superbowl of Obscurity.

Continue reading (and vote!) after the jump!

Continue reading "CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot: The Best of 2009" »