For our 21st episode, we decided to challenge ourselves, seeking muscle cars for an outlay of $10,000 or less. We quickly discovered that 10 grand won't buy you a Hemi-powered Plymouth Superbird, but it could get a 1968 Pontiac Firebird with a 400-cubic-inch V-8, a lot of rust, and some bizarre modifications. Yes, we found a lot of potential restoration projects, but we also managed to come up with a few good, clean muscle cars and pony cars.
To make sure we got our facts straight, we invited C/D contributor and muscle-car aficionado Scott Oldham to shop with us. A lover of burnouts, Oldham owns five muscle cars and professes his love of solid rear axles, V-8s, and rear drum brakes. He was definitely the right guest star for this episode; after all, he knows that Cragar S/S wheels automatically add 100 horsepower to any car.
We address the age-old question of "Is it a pony car or a muscle car?" and discuss whether a personal luxury vehicle with a big engine actually counts as a muscle car. One of our choices is likened to a reverse mullet. A woodie wagon somehow makes its way in there and even a couple sedans that could arguably be considered muscle cars—if you're being kind. If you're anything like us, you'll be blown away by an $8900 surprise from Down Under.
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Tony Quiroga is a 20-year-veteran Car and Driver editor, writer, and car reviewer and the 19th editor-in-chief for the magazine since its founding in 1955. He has subscribed to Car and Driver since age six. "Growing up, I read every issue of Car and Driver cover to cover, sometimes three or more times. It's the place I wanted to work since I could read," Quiroga says. He moved from Automobile Magazine to an associate editor position at Car and Driver in 2004. Over the years, he has held nearly every editorial position in print and digital, edited several special issues, and also helped produce C/D's early YouTube efforts. He is also the longest-tenured test driver for Lightning Lap, having lapped Virginia International Raceway's Grand Course more than 2000 times over 12 years.
