Boy, a lot of choices. In addition to those already listed...
Raven black '69 Boss 429 Mustang. Semi-hemi NASCAR aluminum head motor, 4 speed top loader, 9" 3.89:1 gear, Detroit Locker. Back in the day the uncle of a friend of mine had one of these machines. Unreal car! One of the best kept secrets in Detroit.
Any of the lightweight NHRA super stock offerings.
A neighbor down the street had a '70 Super Cobra Jet 429 Torino. (I think it was a '70) I remember as a kid that car when it was brand new. Just driven home from the local Ford dealer. Car was nearly beat to death in a couple years, sat in the garage until one of the guys I grew up with bought it for next to nothing, kept the 9" rear end for his '74 Camaro and scrapped the rest. Man, if we had any idea what this stuff was going to be worth today.....
One of my other neighbors bought a '70 Chevelle SS454 LS6 brand new. Silver with black strips, black interior. TH400, 12 bolt with 3.73 posi. This was one bad car. I remember this car easily leaving two black tracks all the way down the street. I also remember going to a place called Hi-Precision Tune with the owner one Saturday morning. They put it on the chassis dyno and found 387 HP at the rear wheels! (of course I didn't understand the meaning of this at the time but it was a big deal as the owner claimed bragging rights in the neighborhood.) I also clearly remember the 454 fender badges on this car being white instead of the red backgound the LS6's are "supposed" to have. In '76 or '77 a friend of mine bought this car, restored it over many years to pristine original condition. Complete with original white badges. I've long since lost track of him and the car. Hmmmm...
One of my other friend's dad bought a '69 427 Impala that was a couple years old. I remember this car being "no big deal" with all the other cars in the neighborhood. Think about that sports fans! (of course my dad had a '69 Bel Air 4 door with a 327 & Powerglide at the time. Yawn.)
The one that got away.... My next door neighbor bought a brand new '67 Camaro convertible before she was married. Car was almost perfect having spent it's entire life in the garage. She rarely drove it as her husband didn't like the car. For years I pleaded with her to let me buy it when she was ready to sell. In 1980 they bought new Mercury Zephyr. When I asked what happened to the '67 she told me the dealer offered 'em $400 in trade and her husband jumped at it. I never spoke to her husband again. (Shortly there after she didn't either. She found someone else. He kept the Zephyr. A**hole!)
The one I should have kept. '70 Pontiac Bonneville convertible, brown, tan top, brown interior. Every factory option. 370 hp 455, TH400 3.08 posi. This car flew on the highway! My brother bought it in '74 from the original owner, I bought it from him in '78. Man, I should have kept that car but I was a dumb kid.
When I was a kid I didn't really understand it at the time. I look back on some of these events in wonder. Everyday stuff back in the day, nothing all that special. The steel plants and railroads paid well. In the neighborhood I can think of almost a dozen really hot cars that I would love to have today. Thinking back on those days... It's no wonder the Big Three are in trouble today. Cars back then did excite people.
