How Much Do You Know About Classic American Muscle Cars?

By: John Miller
Estimated Completion Time
2 min
How Much Do You Know About Classic American Muscle Cars?
Image: sstop/E+/Getty Images

About This Quiz

Before the days of fuel efficiency ratings and airbags, there were muscle cars; the brawny spawn of Detroit car makers. Let’s face it, even though you appreciate fancy digital car technology, part of you yearns for the more primitive and powerful era when classic American muscle cars prowled the streets like predators on the hunt.

Muscles cars from the 60s and 70s are still some of the most celebrated vehicles ever made. Even the car names read like asphalt poetry: Challenger, Charger, Barracuda, GTO, Chevelle, Firebird, Boss, Rebel Machine...come on! In what other era would you ever get a legendary car name like “Super Cobra Jet?" You might be interested in these cars, but how much do you really know about these iconic coupes?

The muscle car era wasn’t concerned with safety ratings and gas efficiency. Any young American with a shred of testosterone wanted a brawny machine that could burn rubber and blast through red lights with reckless abandon. But do you really know your GTO from your GTX? And can you remember the vital differences between a Mustang and the Boss?

Put on your seat belt, crank up the Rolling Stones, sidle up alongside us at this red light, and we’ll wager your pink slip that you can’t ace our muscle car quiz. If you're ready, pound the pedal to the metal and let's roll!

The Plymouth Barracuda is often simply known as what?
The 'Cuda
The Shark
The Tuna
The Fish
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The first Plymouth Barracuda was available in 1964, and it was produced for a decade. Most devotees simply called it the 'Cuda or HemiCuda.

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The Oldsmobile 442 was officially called ____.
The 4-4-2
The four-banger
The Studebaker
The 400 series
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Oldsmobile 442 was called the 4-4-2, and the dashes appeared right on the nameplate. It was later simplified to just 442.

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Which manufacturer introduced the Torino?
Chevy
Ford
Plymouth
Dodge
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Ford introduced the Torino in 1969. Most of them were fairly standard consumer cars, but a few were a souped-up version that qualified them as true muscle cars.

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What was an obvious visual feature of the 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird?
Shooting flames
A huge rear wing
Jet engines
Neon brake lights
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird had a gigantic rear wing and a horn that sounded like the Road Runner character from Looney Tunes cartoons. On a more serious note, it zipped from 0 to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds.

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The Chevy Camaro was introduced as a direct competitor to which car?
Pontiac GTO
HemiCuda
Ford Mustang
Plymouth Road Runner
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It was the '67 Camaro that really shoved the muscle car wars into high gear. It was manufactured as a direct response to the Ford Mustang.

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What sort of muscle car was General Lee in "The Dukes of Hazzard?"
Dodge Charger
Ford Mustang
Ford Pinto
Toyota Camry
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The backwoods boys of "The Dukes of Hazzard" drove a Dodge Charger named, General Lee. The orange muscle car had a Confederate flag painted right on the roof.

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Which manufacturer offered a famous muscle car called the GTO?
Ford
Dodge
Pontiac
Chevy
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It was Pontiac that offered its legendary GTO. The GTO helped to truly jumpstart the muscle car revolution in the 60s. GTO designation basically meant that you could race this kind of car in the "grand tourer" car class.

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What was one of the defining features of the Chevy Nova SS?
Its small size
Its enormous size
The purple interior
The sound system
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Nova SS was a very small muscle car. Yet, it still had a 350-cubic-inch engine that generated nearly 300 horsepower.

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What sort of engine did the 1967 Camaro Super Sport have?
4-cylinder
6-cylinder
8-cylinder
10-cylinder
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The '67 Super Sport was, of course, a V8 behemoth. Drivers could choose from either a 350 or 396-cubic-inch engine, the latter of which sported a 6.5L design.

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Which company produced the Super Bee?
Dodge
Ford
Ferrari
Chevy
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 1968, Dodge unveiled the first Super Bee, a bargain-priced muscle car. It was a rebadged version of the Plymouth Road Runner, and on the lowest end, the engine was a 6.3L V8 that produced at least 335 hp.

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Which muscle car has a "Boss" version?
Mustang
Camaro
Cyclone
Shelby
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 1969, Ford began producing the Boss 302 Mustang, a high-performance version of its famed muscle car. The Boss had a 5.0L V8 engine and a distinctive C-stripe.

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Why were some versions of the Super Bee called the "Super Bee Six Pack?"
They had double-barrel carbs
They had four tailpipes
They came with free beer
They had six seats
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Super Bee Six Pack was a Dodge that had three double-barrel carbs. In other words, a six-pack worth of carburetors. The 440 Six Pack produced nearly 400 hp.

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The first muscle cars became popular in which decade?
1940s
1960s
1980s
1930s
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The 60s were a heydey for American muscle cars. The biggest manufacturers took turns trading blows for the biggest, baddest muscle cars on the market, including models of Corvettes, Mustangs and Porsches.

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Which car maker produced the Demon?
Chevy
Dodge
Pontiac
Ford
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Dodge introduced a muscle car version of its Dart in 1971. The larger version sported a 340-cubic-inch V8 that produced 275 hp, and the name sparked controversy with religious groups.

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Which muscle car also comes in a "Cobra" variant?
Mustang
Corvette
Torino
Chevelle
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Ford introduced the Cobra version of its Mustang in 1993 and manufactured it through 2004. The 1993 "Cobra R" model was a race version equipped with 5.0L V8 engine that could go from 0-60 mph in about 5.7 seconds.

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What's a "muscle car?"
A high-performance car
A car with very bouncy shocks
A car driven by a steroid user
A car painted like muscles
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A muscle car is a high-performance car. In the heyday of American car manufacturing, the United States produced some of the most famous muscle cars in history.

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The Chevy II muscle car is better known as the _____.
Nova
Camaro
Corvette
Impala
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Chevy II is better known as the Chevy Nova. The Nova name was first introduced in 1969. An SS version was available until 1972.

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Classic American muscle cars were built mostly for _____.
Track racing
Straight-line speed
The streets of Tokyo
Long road trips
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The true classic American muscle cars were built for straight-line speed. They charged quickly to 60 mph -- and then, much faster, and they were best suited to long straightaways, rather than long-haul driving.

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Which muscle car was offered in a special version called, "The Judge?"
Pontiac GTO
Plymouth GTX
Chevy Nova
Chevy Impala
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Pontiac created an authoritative version of its GTO called, "The Judge," in 1969. It cost a bit more and included details like a spoiler, which didn't really have much of an effect on speed.

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Chevy produced muscle cars in an "SS" variant. What did the SS stand for?
Sickening Speed
Super Sport
Sexy Shadow
Solid Sport
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Chevy gained fame for its SS, or Super Sport, variants. From the Camaro to the Chevelle, Super Sport editions represented cars that were very, very fast.

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Which car maker produced the GTX?
Pontiac
Plymouth
Chrysler
Dodge
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The first Plymouth GTX emerged in 1967. It had a scary-fast 440-cubic-inch, 7.2L engine that could hit 60 mph in just over six seconds.

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What does "GTO" stand for?
Grand Touring Offroader
Gran Turismo Omologato
Great Tire Order
Grand Touring Only
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The GTO stands for Gran Turismo Omologato. It's an Italian term that means a car is ready for racing in a specific car class, and the most expensive GTOs were definitely race-ready.

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Why did the 1964 Dodge 426 Hemi have no sound dampening features?
To make it louder
To make it lighter
To make it annoying to drive
It was already quiet
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The 1964 Dodge 426 Hemi had no sound dampening features. Heck, it had only one windshield wiper! All of this was to save weight. The lighter the car, of course, the faster it went.

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The 1970 Chevelle SS 454 base model produced how much horsepower?
360 hp
420 hp
550 hp
800 hp
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The SS 454 was a huge engine that created about 360 hp on the base model. The 7.4L monster is still one of the most famous muscle car engines ever.

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The very first Camaro was offered in how many versions?
1
3
7
2
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The 1967 Camaro was offered in three versions: standard, Super Sport and Rally Sport. The Rally Sport package was just for looks. The Super Sport was for maximum performance.

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The Shelby is a variant of which popular muscle car?
Dodge Charger
Chevy Corvette
Ford Mustang
Pontiac Tempest GTO
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Shelby is a high-performance version of the Mustang. It was first produced from 1965 to 1972. The '67 Shelby G.T. 500 had a ridiculous 428-cubic-inch, 7.0L engine.

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True or false: All first generation Camaros were built in the United States.
True
False
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The first Camaros are American classics, but not all of them were made in the United States. Even in the 60s, Chevy was making its cars in factories around the world, from Peru to the Philippines.

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The Plymouth Barracuda was almost named what?
Polar Bear
Python
Panda
Porcupine
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Business types at Plymouth initially wanted to name the Barracuda the "Panda." Somehow, we don't think that would have had quite the same ring.

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The third generation Chevrolet El Camino had how much horsepower?
200 hp
300 hp
450 hp
1000 hp
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Was it a muscle car or a truck? It didn't matter. The 454 engine cranked out 450 hp, making the El Camino one of the most iconic-looking trucks (which was really a muscle car) in American history.

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Which of the following muscle cars came first?
Ford Mustang
Plymouth Barracuda
Dodge Stealth
Chevy Corvette
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Mustang is the more well-known muscle car, but it wasn't the first. The 'Cuda actually beat the Mustang to market, but only by days.

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You Got:
/30
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