10 FASTEST 1960s Muscle Cars Over The Quarter Mile!

During the 1960s, pretty much every American automaker was locked in a battle to offer the most high-performance muscle cars money could buy. The main arena where these tussles were fought was on the quarter mile drag strip, or the emptiest stretch of public road that could be found.
Succeeding in drag racing became big money, so muscle cars evolved to become as fast as possible in a straight line. Some truly beastly vehicles resulted from this need for speed, so here are the 10 FASTEST 1960s Muscle Cars Over The Quarter Mile
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Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:15 1968 Shelby GT500 KR
01:45 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge
02:44 1968 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 RS
04:15 1969 Plymouth Cuda 440
05:12 1968 Pontiac GTO Royal Bobcat
05:53 1969 Hurst Oldsmobile 442
07:08 1969 Dodge Charger R/T HEMI
08:19 1969 Plymouth GTX 440
09:10 1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
10:17 1969 Plymouth Road Runner A12
#1960scars #1960
©️ American Legends Production
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Disclaimer
Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing."
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[@chargerman165]

And I remember when all of these were new. Thanks for the memories. Worked at a Chrysler Plymouth dealership when I was young and the Road Runner and GTX listed for around $3500 new.

[@blackwaterdogs4256]

Just remember that rear-end gearing has a significant effect on quarter-mile times. If you take two identical cars, one with a (typical) 3.36 rear gear, and the other with 4.11 gearing, the 4.11 equipped car will usually beat the 3.36 car to the finish line.

[@danmyers9372]

Thanks Cap.

[@johnnysalazar5399]

The skinny biasply tires plagued these cars potential which gave the quarter mile times they had

[@blackwaterdogs4256]

@@johnnysalazar5399 Absolutely....big blocks, with 500+ ft./lb. of torque, would annihilate the stock tires, even the Wide Ovals, PolyGlas, and Tiger Paw "performance tires" of that era. The solution was typically some version of "cheater slicks" from Mickey Thompson or a similar company. There was no VHT in those days, most guys resorted to using Clorox bleach to heat the tires. Traction-limiting was the main reason why virtually all muscle cars of that era only ran in the 14s. Slicks, open headers, optimum ignition curve and Sunoco 260 would get you bottom 13s, maybe high 12s on a good day. I miss those days....

[@johnnysalazar5399]

@blackwaterdogs4256 come to think of it, they did all without help of superchargers (small engines excepted) no twin turbos, DOHC, force fed injection, not even 32 valves, that's impressive

[@markmccarty9793]

@blackwaterdogs4256 The question wasn't what was the quickest personality modified car of the 60s! Stick to the script. Besides, a fairer assessment would be what was the quickest mass-produced American muscle car of the 60s ! Not these cherry-picked individuals who were cherry-picked of line modified cars!

[@chrisrobertson1929]

What hurt us the most back then was tire tech.back in the seventies i threw on some slicks for the street ..helped 100 percent..12 second cars all became ten second cars .

[@bobc8649]

Tires then left a lot to be desired unless you were doing burnouts !

[@JoeStill-un9gp]

Transmissions disintegrated😂

[@GregSr]

My stock 4200 pound '96 Impala SS (LT1 5.7 liter) ran a consistent 15.3 at Pomona Drag Strip. Then I replaced the stock mufflers with 2 chamber Flowmasters, added an "H" pipe, and upgraded the air box for better breathing. That got the ET down to 14.7. I still have the Impala - I bought it new. It's a garage queen now.

[@danielduvall4154]

I’ve always loved them cars and the lt1s. My favorite sports car I’ve ever owned was the 96 Z28 6 speed with T-Tops. 95 Mustang GT was a great car too just took a little bit more to get it going

[@joe-p7o]

garbage

[@GregSr]

@@joe-p7o Can you be a little more specific?

[@joe-p7o]

@@GregSr you know TRASH.

[@joe-p7o]

@@GregSrdo you know what a big trash bin looks like. belongs in there

[@mikyl-fo8rh]

1960s dodges were beyond cool.

[@davidshields948]

Thank you very much for sharing. Wonderful video. ❤🎉😊

[@user-ig4cv3hu7o]

Holy cow that roadrunner is just so amazing now when you talk about beast it don’t get any better

[@BOURBON-BANDIT]

My buddy had a 1971 Dodge Dart Swinger with a 340 in it. SUPER fast. R.I.P. Manny

[@user-bj3zz4ul7z]

@@BOURBON-BANDIT I got out run by a Plymouth fury with the 440 mag. From a rolling 60 mph. I was in my 72 heavy Chevy 402. On the horseshoe straight . Near jacksonboro, s.c. good ole days!

[@BOURBON-BANDIT]

@@user-bj3zz4ul7z the 340 that he had in there came from a Dodge Demon

[@johndowney4461]

68 Hemi Cuda and Dart if the ZL1 Camaro gets mentioned these Mopars were the fastest

[@davidstanworth5543]

I won a lot of races in a 67 SS Camaro with a 283 engine. It was beefed up. Then we built a 327 Corvette motor 202 fully heads. Balance the blueprinted Corvette rev kit and a rock crusher 4 speed. I won a lot of races in that car

[@jeromemainmanmanne7496]

But the most beautiful of these is the Charger RT...

[@burtvincent1278]

What 4 speed automatic fid that old 440 Cuda use? 727 Torque flights were only 3 speeds to the best of my knowledge.

[@billiewender49]

68 Hemi Dart

[@dart3407]

It's not how fast you get going, it's how quick you get going fast

[@blackwaterdogs4256]

Agreed....reaction time, and 60-foot time often determine the winner of a race. Hundredths of a second make a difference.

[@toddricketts9498]

EXACTLY 👍

[@rastus666]

Dumping excess fuel out of the exhaust while putting excess wear and tear on the drivetrain was never my thing. I was more impressed with cars that could cruise at triple digit speeds all day, and still get halfway decent mpg. The same monster motors in these cars, when geared with a low-ratio rearend, made some of these cars pretty good highway flyers.

[@jeffreyschweiger7960]

The A12 Roadrunner smoked the clutch doing a burnout. You can see the smoke coming from the clutch.

[@josefeibl8230]

My summer daily driver CLK 550 runs low 13's all day long. Completely stock, all season tires, in Drive, in comfort mode with stability trak on. Starts out in 2nd. 13.3's at 108 mph, full tank and stuff in the trunk.

[@warrenwhitson5559]

SS Amx was factory stock car and got into upper 10

[@jeffrey4547]

how come u don't have the 64 gto with a 389 tri powered setup which held the record for years as the fastest 1/4 mile car

[@gohardproduct]

My cousin had bought a new 1970 RT charger weather 440 it came with an automatic that car was undefeated in New Orleans drag strip quarter mile time would a set of slicks 12 seconds. NEW Orleans the pad ✌️

[@stephaniebooth6169]

What No Ramblers.(American Motors) Cars ,SC/Rambler , AMX

[@CORNDODGER]

They ran FORD 390s in them

[@danmyers9372]

@@CORNDODGER- No they didn’t. AMC had their own 390 that was totally unrelated to the Ford FE 390.

[@DING00069]

when it comes to American Muscle. Ill have mine lean please. 64 Thunderbolt. 68 Hemi Dart. 63 Z11 427 Impala.

[@pb68slab18]

'63 Z11 Impala was the first 12sec 'production' car. 57 made IIRC. Most went to dealerships owned by racers, or dealerships that sponsored them.

[@kevinstout6988]

No Buicks? 1970 Buick GS/GSXStage1 was the “Hemi Killer” back in the day! Should’ve been on the List!!!!

[@l.l.c.]

Yes sir, those GSX’s were some bad sumbitches.

[@bradhardy2629]

68 hemi Darts and Barracudas ate it for lunch

[@l.l.c.]

@@bradhardy2629 oh. But of course they did sir.

[@douglasfarina4729]

1960's Buicks were so fast, they had to move them to the 1970's.

[@davealin2431]

Great video! Love these. Maybe along with horse power & tork pounds next time you could remind us of the (then) "sticker price". That would be the cherry on the sundae...

[@stevesmith6236]

Should be , 10 QUICKEST 1960s muscle cars. Yes, there is a difference.

[@gsal103]

76 Gremlin 400 XR under 12 seconds from the dealer

[@kerrybutler5908]

My Suzuki Madura would walk away from all of them and topped out at 150+ mph. I say 150+ because that was as fast as the speedometer went. Actual speed was higher.

[@thomasthurston6656]

You forgot the 70 Buick STAGE 1.

[@pd8206]

Hate it when somebody leaves their foot resting on the clutch pedal good way to wear out your clutch for make it wear uneven

[@thomasthurston6656]

@pd8206 I don't think they're too worried about it.

[@Pro1er]

What part of 1960s cars did you not understand?

[@thomasthurston6656]

@Pro1er They are 60s cars. They made a stage package over the counter. Look it up. 1,256 were made in 1969.

[@thomasthurston6656]

@Pro1er Who said anything even remotely close to a clutch pedal. I guess if you even had a 60s car or could afford one, you would understand. Don't be such a dick. You might get someplace in life.

[@user-wf4hd4gi4j]

I don't think that 69 Cuda really had a 4 speed automatic do you?

[@burtvincent1278]

I just asked the same question before I read your post.

[@dnfd737]

wtf? my 74 satellite with a 318 2bbl did very consistent 14 second quarter miles with a recurved distributer 360 manifolds and a 355 gear and sure grip.....

[@charlesgraham9954]

i have my grandmothers 66 two door post Deluxe Chevelle with a 283 upgrade from 230 from factory. but everything else is the same. drum brakes front and back, two speed power glide, 10 bolt rearend. just heat and power stirring. the engine been upgraded to an LS, manual 6 speed trans and a Ford 9" rearend. 55 to 72 Chevy ruled over Ford and Dodge with most best looking models of cars, and the two truck styles

[@genemorgan939]

That is not a 69 Camaro .it's a 68

[@jeannebrown3518]

The A12 was bad ass. If your going to throw thunderbolt may as well throw Barracuda and HEMI DART TURNING LOW 10'S

[@lostbear53]

you know those horse power ratings were given by the auto makers and were under rated and were incorrect... says a retired Master Goodwrench.

[@pd8206]

I hate when someone rest their foot on the clutch pedal cause that can make your clutch wire out prematurely I'll make it wear uneven

[@64fairlane305]

All times set on skinny stock tires

[@gsal103]

67 Barracuda 11.6

[@richardcorpuz6952]

No 1963 Tempest Super Duty?

[@robertcullom418]

1964 Ford Fairlane thunderbolt little over 11 sec.

[@danmyers9372]

That wasn’t a regular production car.

[@markmccarty9793]

😊

[@johnnysalazar5399]

'62 Plymouth savoy 440 superstock also ran 11s 😎

[@markmccarty9793]

@johnnysalazar5399 Now, that was dragracing! Running that fast, on the tires available at that time! With Without the 4 link suspension and drag shocks and front struts we have now! Those mofos could drive! Putting clamps on the leaf springs! Backyard technology! You had to drive those death traps!

[@johnnysalazar5399]

@@markmccarty9793 death traps that get more attention than what you drive nowadays

[@johnnysalazar5399]

The 1963 impala ss z/11 ran 11s and 1967 buick gs400 ran 12.8 😮😍😎

[@mylanmiller9656]

No with street tires not a chance. even cars with slicks had traction problems, there was no Track prep like we see today, and Slicks were poor.

[@johnnysalazar5399]

@mylanmiller9656 the skinny tires did plagued these cars and the slick at the time weren't as good as today, that being said, these cars will run a lot faster today

[@johnnysalazar5399]

@mylanmiller9656 you had to be skilled to get the tires to hook, today, we have traction control

[@mylanmiller9656]

@@johnnysalazar5399 No question about that, the Slicks are a bunch Better, and all the Tracks Spray Glue on the Tracks. this was something that didn't happen in the 1960's and 1970's. I can remember in 1964 Jack Chrisman's Comit with 427 and a blower, couldn't hit the 10 second zone because it spun the tires the full length of the drag strip.

[@johnnysalazar5399]

@mylanmiller9656 I always wondered how such powerful cars had bad track times, ad tires and poor tire tech was the answer

[@jerryfarmer5989]

What is truly strange is that my Lil Red Express was faster than any of them in the 1/4.

[@TheHypnotstCollector]

If you own all the old Car and Driver, R&T, etc mags, like I do, you know these times are a tad optomistic. A KR500 was more like 14.9. And King of the Road it was not. It was tuna boat of the road. I was at Fremont Drags in c.1988 and a few 427 Corvettes were stuggling to get a 14..... Minute 8:00 see that 14.66@95? that's reality

[@chadhaire1711]

That is because all engines back then used the fake GROSS dyno method that OVER RATED horsepower by 18-20%. That changed after 1972.

[@mylanmiller9656]

No stock z28 ever run the quarter mile in 13.8 I dove a bunch of them and they are a 14.20 car at best.

[@markbirchall2060]

To do that they used a Z-28 that came with the dual quad carbs. Then it would make over 400 HP!

[@user-co7fb6qe5w]

Too many cars overlooked from all big 3

[@Corman7088]

~~TO DATE, only seen one person do a legit 60's review. This was like the rest. ~~The '69 Roadrunner 13.0 sec 1/4 just edged out '64 Tempest* 13.1 sec w/stock 389&different story w/421 Super Duty. But w/pair of slicks runs 12.8 sec& 0-60 just under 4. Off the production line though it's 4.6 is the 3rd fastest of 60's production cars behind the '61 Cobra's 4.4sec & '63 Cobra 4.1sec. *So far, I've seen all but one omit it. WHY? IDK, maybe because it makes the usual favorites look bad when you compare the #'s each produced in tests?

[@shaunpcoleman]

Just think, a 2023 Pininfarina Battista got 1/4 mile down to 8.55 sec. Whole lot more money ($2.2 million) for just a few seconds... Think I'll settle for a 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 which can do the quarter in 8.91 seconds for only $96,666! LOL

[@toadlika]

STUDABAKER AVANTI SUPER.

[@user-bj3zz4ul7z]

Hemi wedge 426

[@islandmaser]

427 Corba was faster than all of them.

[@donaldthetruthseeker-es3nu]

You forgot the 1969 Chevy Corvette L88 with a 427 that ran into the 11 second 1/4 mile.

[@chadhaire1711]

BULLSHIT...never went that quick....was only 365 net horsepower by the way kid

[@CORNDODGER]

LOL IT WAS A DOG I owned A FORMAL-ROOF ’69 SCJ 428 TORINO COBRA that would eat it for breakfast!!!! A true 12 second STREET CAR from the factory with 4:30 rear gears

[@chadhaire1711]

@@CORNDODGER No stock 428 SCJ Torino ever ran 12.'s....bullshit alert. Your'e a bigger bullshitter than the other guy....LOL.....

[@user-wf4hd4gi4j]

Not considered a muscle car to most people, they say it's a sports car. I think it was muscle if you used it that way but that's just me.

[@darrellsomers5427]

And the low compression 73/74 SD firebird ran in the 13's all the other cars on the list had at least 10-1 compression or more ,the Baldwin motion phase 3 camaro's were garented too run in the 11's ,in my mind the GTO shouldnt even make the list the 1970 torino cobra weighed 4.200 pounds and ran in the 13's 500 pounds more then any other muscle car !

[@georgewilliams8655]

Your list is so wrong. 1963 galaxy 500 427 sideoiler 12:27, Chevy L-88 horse power unlimited. Can’t believe everything you see on internet. Mopar 440 motors were 15: second 1/4. We tried hard. Chris was so pissed.

[@blindowl2068]

Why do so many KZbin videos use the exact same AI voice?

[@auto-Insight-yt]

MOPAR NO CAR

[@254967conwell]

I question some of these posted 1/4 mile times. I had a 68 GTX 440 automatic and it ran consistently 13.5 on street tires. Now I have a 2002 Buick Regal GS supercharged that been modded that can run circles around it with only a V6

[@mrshifter8220]

Oh, and the 64 Ford Thunderbolt wasn't #1.......could run 11.61, 124mph (in 1963) when tested by Ford.....and yes it was considered a production automobile......besides that, I have one I purchased from Phil "Daddy Warbucks" Bonner 51 years ago, with an extra fresh built motor by Holman Moody. it's 95% original 4-speed (just some nuts, bolts tires keeping it from 100%) that I now race only once a year at our local nostalgic meet and show......just GRANNY shifting I'm running 11.70s (last year) and I'm in my 70's....this is due to the advancement in tires.......please revise your misleading video so the general public (especially young people) get the truth....advertised 425HP/480 lb-ft torque.....but it wasn't even close, way underrated...try 595/540....I have raced everyone mentioned here and many more in the stock class and for a few years raced the Super Stock class where I did get beat.....occasionally...lol....I can assure you no 60s/70's muscle/street car can even come close.

[@roymiller6964]

What about the 1968 428 scj mustang? It was quicker than the Shelby

[@richardwynkoop3598]

Very Much So. I Can Tell You From Pesonal Experience That It Was NOT 335 HP Mine Was More Like 450 At The Wheels. Try To Look It Up And You Will Find That Ford Will Not Come Cleen As To How Much HP It Was Putting Out !!

[@CORNDODGER]

A FORMAL-ROOF ’69 SCJ 428 TORINO COBRA

[@tommiemarsh9006]

I beg too differ my legs are faster. At the 1/4 mile.

[@ronaldbertin9455]

The 69 camaro that you show wrong photos was rated at 290hp for the 302

[@ronaldbertin9455]

You FORGOT THE BUICK 455 GSX , TERRIBLE FACTS ARE WRONG

[@franksantucci3038]

Alot of people are writing about cars from the 70s, but this video is about the 60s. I had a car not mentioned, 1969 Dodge Super Bee. 383 High Performance. It wasn't Factory, 500 horses to the ground, ran the quarter mile in 10 flat ....

[@kevinstufflebeam2753]

Not accurate

[@ryanthompsonthompson820]

1963 Chevy Impala Z-11 Package ~10.8 Quarter Mile😃

[@scottymoondogjakubin4766]

Right on !! That was my pick !

[@ryanthompsonthompson820]

@@scottymoondogjakubin4766 😃

[@chadhaire1711]

was not a production car dummy, was for the track

[@pb68slab18]

@@chadhaire1711 T'was street legal!

[@pb68slab18]

I seem to remember them running 12-flat from the factory.

[@jameswetz3396]

Ho hum…my Yamaha RD 350 with expansion chambers and pod intake filters turned 12.8 second quarter. I gapped every muscle car I ever raced by multiple car lengths in 1/8th mile and nobody never ever caught me.

[@danmyers9372]

Can nobody narrate their own videos anymore? Hear AI voice. Click off.

[@GregSr]

Agree. As soon as I hear a sentence or word butchered, I leave a thumbs down and exit.

[@malcolmcapps8816]

1967 Corvette L88 should have been top dog

[@alancampbell8171]

All terribly ugly and heavy.... how'd they go around Bathurst, Nurembergring, Laguna Seca ...

[@daveforeman6931]

A.I. sucks.

[@ronaldbertin9455]

Terrible voiceover