Independent · Source-led · American performance history Issue 01 · 1951–2023
American Muscle Car Facts

Showroom arguments.
Race-bred answers.

Ancestors · the formula · the championship years

They argued about it
in showrooms.
Then they went racing.

Model-year stories, exact factory configurations, the people who made the decisions, and the racing programs that settled the arguments — each one tied to a source, with the disagreements left in.

Start with the cars
Black 1987 Buick GNX coupe seen from the front three-quarter in a museum hall, with its black mesh wheels and fender vents
1987 Buick Regal GNX in the GM Heritage Center General Motors
Burgundy 1963 Buick Riviera two-door hardtop, front three-quarter, at a car show
1963 Buick Riviera hardtop Photo: Sicnag, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
White 1970 Buick GSX with black stripes, hood scoops and rear spoiler, front three-quarter view in a museum hall
1970 Buick GSX in Apollo White in the GM Heritage Center General Motors
Electric-blue 2023 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing sedan, front three-quarter, on a racetrack at sunset
2023 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, Cadillac press photo General Motors
Orange 1970 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 W-30 hardtop with black stripes and hood scoops, front three-quarter, in a museum hall
1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass 4-4-2 W-30 in the GM Heritage Center General Motors
Brochure illustration of the new green Oldsmobile Rocket overhead-valve V-8 with a yellow car inset, headed "The New Thrill in performance"
1949 Oldsmobile "Rocket" V-8, from the 1949 Oldsmobile brochure
Black 1950 Oldsmobile Futuramic 88 club coupe with whitewall tires, front three-quarter, on grass at a car show
1950 Oldsmobile Futuramic 88 club coupe in black Photo: MercurySable99, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Cars 11 model-year stories · 20 exact configurations
People 12 people whose decisions are still visible
Racing 27 racing programs, told as arcs
Reference desk Every figure sourced · every year listed

Read the VIN.
Then read the numbers.

VIN decoder Decode a classic or modern VIN, character by character. GM, Ford, Mercury, Mopar, AMC and 1981-on 17-character VINs. Runs in your browser; every code has its source. Every car, every year 62 car families · 731 fact sheets Production counts by body, engine, option, paint and trim, with prices, specifications and period road tests.
Comparison desk Same year. Exact configurations.

Pick two · compare

Arguments settle faster
with the option codes.

Choose exact factory power teams and read them side by side. Published ratings keep their period basis, gross and net stay apart, and a number we cannot support stays unknown.

1955 American performance ancestors 1964 street performance choices 1967 Ford Mustang versus 1967 Chevrolet Camaro 1969 American performance landscape 1970 American performance landscape 1971 American performance landscape 1987 American performance landscape 2004 American performance landscape 2010 American performance landscape 2015 American performance landscape 2023 American performance landscape

Inside this issue

The people and programs behind the badges

  1. 01 The cars11 model years, each with its exact power teams
  2. 02 The peopleDesigners, executives, drivers, and team owners
  3. 03 The racing27 programs from early NASCAR to Trans-Am
  4. 04 Cadillac Returns to Le Mans and Reaches the Podium2023 · 24 Hours of Le Mans · Hypercar
  5. 05 The evidence deskSearch what is known, disputed, and still missing