FASTEST CARS OF 1970: THE BIRTH OF THE MUSCLE CAR

#10 1970 Oldsmobile 442 W30 455
In tenth place is the 1970 Oldsmobile 442 W30.
In 1970, 3,100 cars with the W30 engine were made. Of these, 2,574 were Holiday Coupes, 264 were convertibles, and 262 were sport coupes.
In the April 1970 issue of Popular Hot Rodding magazine, a 70 W30 442 recorded a 13.89-second pass traveling at 101.1 miles per hour.
9 1970 Plymouth GTX 426 Hemi
In ninth place is the 1970 Plymouth GTX 426 Hemi.
71 GTX Hemi cars were produced in 1970, making it one of the rarest production cars on this list. 43 were equipped with a 4-speed, and the remaining 39 came with a 3-speed automatic.
In the September 1970 issue of RSS, a 70 GTX Hemi ran the quarter-mile in 13.85 seconds traveling at 104 miles per hour.
#8 1970 Dodge Super Bee 440 Six Pack
In eighth place is the 1970 Dodge Super Bee 440 Six Pack.
A new "Bumblebee Wing" front grille assembly, an available C-shaped rear quarter panel Super Bee decal, and a unique dual-snorkel hood were added to the 1970 Dodge Super Bee 440 Six Pack.
Having a 1970 Super Bee with a 440 Six Pack engine was pretty uncommon back in 1970. Dodge only made 196 coupes and 1,072 hardtops with this engine.
In the January 1970 issue of Hi-Performance Cars magazine, a 70 Super Bee 440 Six Pack captured a 13.8-second quarter-mile ET traveling at 102 miles per hour.
#7 1970 Ford Torino Cobra 429 SCJ
In seventh place is the 1970 Ford Torino Cobra 429 SCJ.
The 429 Cobra Jet engine replaced the 428 Cobra Jet in the Torino in 1970, while the Mustang and Cougar held onto it until the end of the model year.
The 429 Thunder Jet (360 hp) engine was the base model. It was also offered as a 429 Cobra Jet with 370 hp and a Super Cobra Jet with 375 hp.
Like the 428 Cobra Jet, the 429 Cobra Jet was also available as a Super Cobra Jet (SCJ) version.
In 1970, Ford produced 7,675 Torino Cobras. 3,488 of these were equipped with the J-code Ram Air system.
In the March 1970 Super Stock & Drag Illustrated magazine issue, a 70 Torino 429 SCJ recorded a 13.63-second quarter-mile pass traveling at 105.9 miles per hour.
#6 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 440 Six Pack
The 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 440 Six Pack came in sixth place.
There were a total of 1,640 Challenger R/T 440 Six Packs made this year. There were 847 4-speeds and 793 automatics in the hardtop variety. Convertibles added 61 with a 4-speed and 39 with an automatic.
In the November 1969 issue of Car Craft magazine, a 70 Challenger R/T 440 Six Pack ran a 13.62-second quarter-mile pass traveling at 104.3 miles per hour.
#5 1970 Pontiac GTO Ram Air IV 400
The 1970 Pontiac GTO Ram Air IV was Pontiac’s only entry in the top 10 fastest muscle cars of 1970 results. It came in the fifth-place position, shown in The Judge package above.
Because they were so rare, only 804 Ram Air IV GTOs were made in 1970. Hardtop versions came with 627 manual transmissions and 140 automatic transmissions. There were 13 manuals and 24 automatics that were convertibles.
In the June 1970 Super Stock & Drag Illustrated issue, a 70 Ram Air IV GTO recorded a 13.60-second pass traveling at 104.5 miles per hour.
#4 1970 Buick GS Stage 1 455
The 1970 Buick GS Stage 1 had a lot of power, which was good enough for fourth place.
Known more as a gentleman’s car than a muscle car, it surprised its competitors, having barely lost out at third place to the Roadrunner by only four-hundredths of a second!
There were 2,465 Stage 1 GS hardtops produced in 1970, of which 16 were equipped with a floor-shifted 3-speed manual, 664 with a 4-speed manual, and 1,785 with a 3-speed automatic.
In the January 1970 issue of Motor Trend magazine, a 70 Buick GS Stage 1 recorded a 13.38 ET traveling at 105.5 miles per hour.
Note: The 1970 Buick GSX came in eighth place with an ET of 13.66 seconds and a speed of 100.2 mph. This is because the GSX choice was based on the Buick GS, so it was only counted once.
#3 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner 426 Hemi
The 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner, powered by the mighty 426 Hemi, rounded out the podium in third place.
While the ’70 Roadrunner had the same drivetrain as the Cuda, the B-body was slightly heavier with a longer wheelbase and overall length, which made enough of a difference at the end of the race track.
A total of 152 Roadrunners were equipped with the Hemi in 1970. There were 74 Coupes, 75 hardtops, and three convertibles produced.
In the December 1969 issue of Super Stock & Drag Illustrated magazine, a 70 Plymouth Roadrunner recorded a 13.34-second pass traveling 107.6 miles per hour.

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

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[@steveb7310]

The Oldsmobile was always my favorite. The best thing about all these cars is not only the power, but they all had STYLE!

[@donperry4573]

I miss those cars man

[@davewaters2841]

Me too...

[@CJColvin]

Same here

[@jaypeterson7637]

I turned 16 years old in 1970...oh, what a glorious collection of memories!!

[@stevecarmack6267]

I was 13 in 1970 and was car crazy. These were all my dream cars!

[@larryjex6485]

Nope, the musclecar was born in 1964 with the Pontiac GTO. The last musclecar of the classic era was the '74 Pontiac Trans Am with a Super Duty 455, but some may argue that it was the '79 Pontiac Trans Am with the W-72 400.

[@FEdeRioBravo]

1979 TA, was that the anniversary edition. Beautiful embroidered bird in the back seats. I found one in junk yard and bought the seats and put it in my 1970 thunder chicken. Nothing I ever own has come close to that car.

[@jow185]

That's all fine and dandy and I don't know if that's correct or not.

[@jow185]

That's all fine and dandy and I don't know if you're correct or not. However, this video is about the fastest cars of 1970. Not the fastest cars of all time. Just saying.

[@markholen8399]

Cougar eliminator 428 tested by motor trend 1970 0-60 5.5 sec 1/4 mile 13.38 sec

[@hernandocortez6351]

If I recall, wasn't the 1970 428 Mustang somewhere close to that number?

[@donfregin8668]

My slightly modified g37 ran better times

[@islanddon865]

Though a bit slower, l far preferred the 1970 AAR 'Cuda. Lighter, far nimbler and made for a wider spectrum of racing than found on a dragstrip. I had a '70 Mach 1 428cj, but would've preferred the AAR, or even a Boss 302, but couldn't find one at the time. Bummer.

[@TheSpritz0]

For ME I would go back in time and get a 1971 Charger with a Hemi and Automatic on the steering column... NOTHING in the world sounded like those cars!!!

[@christopherkraft1327]

Great video, the early seventies produced so many impressive muscle cars!!! 👍👍🎄

[@THROTTLEPOWER]

So true!

[@fedup1480]

And they obtained the horsepower they did without the current computer technology....

[@digitalfutur]

That's right, today's engines have far more power for their displacement, thanks to computer technology. E.g. a naturally aspirated 3.6L (219 cubic inch) chevy V6 has 335 hp net np, which is more net hp than any V8 engine noted in the video. And remember that all hp figures quoted in the video are gross, i.e.. with the engine alone on a stand with nothing connected to it. Subtract ~30% for net hp.

[@jonathansparks3386]

They were created by people and brains with a lot of slide rulers thrown in for good measure

[@bluesky-ud9wg]

Point?

[@fedup1480]

@@bluesky-ud9wg its pretty self explanatory

[@bluesky-ud9wg]

@@fedup1480 Yea modern electronics are better in every way....

[@rickintexas1584]

I would have liked to see the list with the pony cars and Corvettes too. Great list and great video!!!

[@Landor1Gentoo]

The Corvette was technically a sports car not a muscle car though. I always argued that they used faster in the straight line regardless.

[@justme307]

Challenger and Cuda were included. It's possible that no Mustang 428 CJ or Boss 429 was included as most mags would have tested that in 1969 and had no need to test it again in 1970 as nothing changed. Trans Am did change for 1970 but would not make this channel's list as they ran low-14s. Camaro did not have enough motor either, best mid- to high-14s. Key here is reliance on magazine tests, so if a magazine did not test a car/motor combo in 1970 then there's nothing to base 1/4-mile time on.

[@madmike2624]

What a list? How many of us had at least one of these cars?? Makes me sick, If only we had a clue back then.................

[@jeffcampbell2710]

Ain't that the truth. My 67 GS, or that 70 Daytona sitting in a junkyard. Or the 65 Mustang a man had me remove the Shelby Intake and Carb from because it was to fast for his daughter. I'm 99% sure that was a Shelby Engine from a Hertz car. Or my biggest regret, the 68 Dan Gurney Courgar with a 427 4 speed, sitting in a junkyard, with the front end off of it and the engine in the barn. $500 the man offered it to me for. That was around 78-79. I was 14-15. Dad said "Nope! Too fast!" The 70 Judges, Gs, GTO, 442,. The 1970 Chevelle SS 454 and man offered to sell me for $1,100 around 82. I still love cars from 59-72 mostly today.

[@betsyduane3461]

Hemi GTX's ran from 1967 to 1971

[@Quise916]

What about the cougar eliminator

[@CJColvin]

Don't forget the 70 Mercury Cyclone as well.

[@CJColvin]

The 70 Chevelle SS 454 will always remain the king of the muscle cars from 1970.

[@dariussimon5134]

I don’t know about that , maybe a 70 Boss 429 SCJ

[@dalazdayz]

I'm going with the 1970 Buick GSX was the king

[@mzaccagnini7179]

You are so right!😊

[@chadhaire1711]

@@dariussimon5134 No such car ever made

[@ronnieroberts9478]

Good videos thank you

[@user-hh2eg7or4s]

1970 Buick GSX stage 1 455 beat that doge. it's got so much who's driving.

[@justme307]

Car Craft, Popular Hot Rodding and Hot Rod magazine never tested the cars as delivered. They would always tweak such as adding slicks, advance timing, remove air cleaners, etc. to extract the best ETs they could.

[@user-hh2eg7or4s]

that's how it should be. I had 1980 Z28 what the limit slip I had a 383 stroker got beat by a 83 Toyota tires would not hook up.

[@chadhaire1711]

And all the horsepower ratings until 1972 were over rated.

[@archiebunker6059]

All great cars 👍

[@banditta4life66]

One of my bucket list cars is a 70 Challenger RT Alpine white stripe delete 440 4 speed. (Vanishing Point has been one of my favorite movies since I was 5 when I saw it for the first time in 71 at the drive-in)

[@steveferguson6809]

Check out Nick's Garage. That was also his dream car. He restored a beauty of a tribute with the license plate " KOWASKI "no room for the " L "

[@steveferguson6809]

Actually it's Nic' s garage

[@banditta4life66]

@@steveferguson6809 I watched the entire build of his Kowalski Challenger. His attention to details like mine. I've even thought about buying a 72-74 and re-working it into a 70 clone since when I had come up with the idea in highschool you could score them cheap compared to a 70.

[@OLDS98]

Interesting list. It is a nice touch with the footage as well. GM was well represented( Oldsmobile) too. Thank you for the video and the footage.

[@curioso700912]

And you don't include the 1970 AMC javelin?

[@markg7030]

That was a pony car and not that fast

[@user-wz2wp2fg5h]

I like video

[@robertchristie9434]

1970 was the peak, not the birth. It was downhill after that starting in '71. Some say it started with the '32 V8 Ford, some the '49 Olds Rocket 88 with the 303 V8, some the '55 Chrysler 300 with the Hemi or the '64 GTO. I'm sure there were others taking claim well before 1970. Take your pick & feel free to discuss.

[@jeffcampbell2710]

The muscle car era began with the 64 GTO. That's the wide spread concensus.

[@user-mg4uz6ix6w]

Giving this just a thumb's up doesn't seem like enough. Double thumb's up or even something more than that.

[@jeffcampbell2710]

In 1970, Car Craft and Hot Rod declared the 70 GS the fastest production car ever made, not counting the 67 427 4 speed Vette. The Shelby Cobra wasn't considered a production car. My friend has the magazine still. I've read it.

[@chadhaire1711]

They lied

[@413x398]

When I get old enough to drive I'm going to buy all of these cars and more and I'm going to say neener neener to all of you.

[@deanblanton-fh3gq]

Wow! This little number standing next to the Pontiac wasn’t even born yet when the car was produced for the masses. So why is she in the picture?

[@rayknott1603]

Mopar dominance yeah! Surprised mustang didn't make the list. I hope you do videos for the rest of the decade

[@SquirminHermanthe1eyedGerman]

Liked how you showed the Black Ghost Challenger at the beginning that recently sold at auction! Not surprising the list was flooded with the kings of the road MOPARS & no slowstangs ✌💖☮

[@johnh3476]

There's arguments about whether or not the story behind the Ghost 'Cuda is true or not. There is a Mopar enthusiast on YT, forget his name, but he says it's fake. I don't know either way, but I like to believe it's true.

[@SquirminHermanthe1eyedGerman]

@@johnh3476 everything I have seen says its true including Dennis Collins, Jay Leno, Hagertys etc so I am going to say that I believe its true about the car plus his son & other family were on the auction block when it sold

[@jeffcampbell2710]

Yes, the biggest scam in automotive history. In a town with the top racers in America, this stock Challenger outran them all. Lol

[@lifeonthelake4367]

Black ghost story is a scam

[@kylebrown6951]

Hey Guys another Great posting 👍👍👍👍😁. Just seems to get better each week😄. Did want ask if you had looked into the El Camino style of Cadillac pickup or if it was a one off I had seen a Rancher driving back in the '80's. Back then I lived only 90miles East of Amarillo TX and summer time I would go to work with my hauling cattle and him teaching me to Drive Big Truck and had seen a Rancher Driving one El Dorado body style. THANKS FOR THE POSTING 👍👍👍😎🍻✌️👋

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

Thank you for the Super Thanks Kyle!! Man, we did some research but could not find enough information to come up with a video. It certainly was different. lol..... There is someone who posted a video on it a few years back but only got 800 views. Not sure how much interest there is. At the same time, my dad (RIP) would always say "You need to be different from anyone else" :)

[@kylebrown6951]

@@ThisOldCarChannel Alright I just wasn't sure if it was a vehicle that maybe had more info on it or why Cadillac didn't see a market for them or not. Father's are great good advice that you can incorporate into your life and yet pass it to your children to. Mine he gave me was There is one thing that nobody can take from you but you can give it away they can take your car even your life but you're the only one who can give up your word meaning not keeping it with someone because if you can't keep it then you can't be trusted basically. Hey Thanks for checking into that and I want to wish you and your family a MERRY CHRISTMAS 👍👍👍😁 😎🍻✌️👋

[@jamessneed8789]

Have you done one on 1970 Trans Am pony cars?

[@Landor1Gentoo]

I remember a car magazine (I don't remember which one) ran the story and cover photo of a blue 70 375 horse 4-speed Nova all stock, even the rubber that turned the fastest stock muscle car quarter of all time in the 10s. I don't remember the exact time. Anyone else remember the article/car?

[@Landor1Gentoo]

I found it ironic because of it you used a Nova for the thumbnail.

[@justme307]

It was your dream.

[@sandymason4399]

Impossible. Not that it wouldn’t be fast, but without headers, slicks, and many more upgrades, it couldn’t be done.

[@robertjohnson4401]

I wonder where the Corvette with the LS7 engine would have placed on this list. It seemed they left it out.

[@markg7030]

No LS6 or LS7 Corvettes built in 1970. LS5 only 390 horse power. The Corvette is a sports car available with muscle car engines.

[@THROTTLEPOWER]

👍👍👍👍

[@ronkrauter1888]

What a lot of beautiful muscle cars from the 70's.❤❤❤❤❤ I grew up in the 70's I was 17 back then. The cars of now have no style. 😂😂😂

[@tomrhodes3456]

Thanks for sharing!!! But .. 107.1 mph isn't really fast, is it? My regular stock 70' BMW 3.0 E3 was good for a 135.. as a regular limousine. They didn't even call it a sports car in Germany..

[@markg7030]

The speed given is in a quarter mile. These cars have a higher top speed around 120 to 140+.

[@seanthornton726]

With out a doubt the fastest was the Buick GS Stage 2. 10.7 in the 1’/4.

[@rogergoodman8665]

The Stage 2 doesn't count! Not an assembly line produced engine, the parts were available only at select dealerships and extremely rare. The cars on this list were all production line vehicles for the general public to purchase. Using your logic then, there were many cars faster than the Hemi Cuda and the Stage 2, including the Yenko built cars, Berger built cars etc. If you want to get technical, there were a few Chevy dealerships installing "warmed over" L-88 427 big blocks into Novas in 1970, but they too really don't count.

[@justme307]

10.7? Sure, if it was dropped out of a transport plane.

[@Mr70stagetwo]

It’s true…at the GM proving grounds, the Buick engineers got 10 sec quarter miles with Stage 2 components on a test mule.

[@chadhaire1711]

bullshit

[@stevenroche9874]

What about the Boss 429 Mustang ? Some say it was quicker than all of these cars.

[@GregZentTrumpetMan]

IDK, I’ve seen other sources that also said the Torino scj was the fastest car Ford made that year.

[@hernandocortez6351]

Even the 428 was somewhere in the 13s as was the the 351 cleveland.

[@chadhaire1711]

Boss 429 was a dog 14.1 at best

[@markg7030]

Not with street tires it had bad traction.

[@BloodRaven1969]

The Boss didn't have the bottom end grunt for drag racing, nor did it have enough breathing at 429 ci for drag work. It was designed for, and did very well in, NASCAR. Where the Boss did well in drag racing was with a blower, blown on nitro it was in its glory, and Ohio George managed to get NHRA to ban his twin turbo on nitro funny car. Modern examples, such as the Boss 9's, at 5oo+ ci bring the beast alive because those HUGE ports and valves work oh so well to feed those big cubes, far better then at 429 ci. My family has run the Boss and I learned from them. If you have a Cammer question those are what I know best.

[@bluesky-ud9wg]

Uh, 1970 wasn Not the birth of the Muscle Car, lol. Anyway the quickest period, stock for stock is the GSX...

[@billfeld5883]

On any given night you might win on a better tune-up!!! That's was the fun of it!!!!😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅

[@digitalfutur]

Not one of these cars will be on the top 10 best handling cars. Since roads are not always straight, these muscle cars, while classic in their own right, are nothing more than pickup trucks with bodywork of a car.

[@hernandocortez6351]

For better or worse, drag racing on the street back in the 70s was as American as apple pie. Road racing not so much. Most of us weren't out at night chasing each other around curves.

[@kevinconnot3106]

What about the 1970 boss mustang with the 351 boss engine? I thought that had the fastest time I can’t believe it didn’t make the list unless something screwball.

[@BloodRaven1969]

1971. The 1971 Boss 351 is what you are thinking of. 1970 Bosses were either 302 or 429. Also, the Mustang, Cougar, Camaro, Firebird, ect are pony cars and this list is labeled muscle cars, two different classes of beast to the purist.

[@kevinconnot3106]

Rite I miss wrote the year! I had a 1972 one!

[@chadhaire1711]

Fake horsepower numbers...these are the old GROSS ratings that were banned in 1972. 426 Hemi is only 350 NET horsepower, 440-6 is 325 NET. 2023 5.7 is 385 NET.

[@markg7030]

The old ratings were not fake. Because a new rating system came into play does not make the old system fake.

[@BloodRaven1969]

@@markg7030 As an older guy I have to agree with you.

[@mikeroth7080]

They rated them by engine HP not Rear wheel hp. The 426 hemi was closer to 500 hp on a dyno.

[@chadhaire1711]

@@BloodRaven1969 the old system was FAKE GROSS

[@romemancer7905]

Where is the boss mustang ??? it won the trans am series...the boss 302 being one of the best engines ever ...plenty of 60s muscle cars from GM FORD and CHRYSLER were running the quarter mile in the elevens in the mid to late 60s...by 1970 the cars were getting too heavy and slower...with govt regulations and detuning !!! and what about the LS6 Camaro with the alloy big block from the late 60s...light weight fairlaines with the 427...etc etc...

[@chadhaire1711]

11's BULLSHIT

[@markg7030]

A Boss 302 was a 15 sec car on a good day, the fastest musclecars were in the 13's.

[@chadhaire1711]

@@markg7030 very high 13's