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Chevrolet Impala 409

Documentary

TV-G

22

Nov 11, 1998

The story of the legendary 409. When Chevy squeezed one horsepower per cubic inch out of this engine in 1962, it sent everyone in Detroit back into the engine lab, and practically everyone else in America to the Chevy dealer!

Season 1, 12 episodes

’64 Pontiac GTO,

The 1964 GTO is the one that started the whole Detroit Musclecar craze – but it almost never happened. GM’s corporate policy wouldn’t allow such a lightweight car with such a huge engine, but Pontiac 'finessed' the rules.

Pontiac GTO Judge,

Pontiac’s GTO is back in 1969 with outrageous paint and graphics, a popular catchphrase, and the 370-horse RAM Air IV engine. What a country!

’53-’62 Chevrolet Corvette,

The story of the birth of the Corvette from the introduction of the original 1953 roadster with the “Blue Flame” 6-cylinder engine, the early small-block powered Vettes, the “fuelie” cars featuring Rochester’s early fuel injection, and the Route 66 days.

Chevrolet Camaro SS 396,

In 1967, Chevrolet introduced a car that is still one of their most beloved automobiles. By 1967, GM had recovered from its reluctance to produce fast little cars. The Camaro was designed to hold any engine in the Chevrolet inventory.

’64 Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt,

Ford went drag racing in 1964 with their new Fairlane and their NASCAR 427 engine. Talk about a ringer! The result was the most mind-boggling car the NHRA stock classes had ever seen.

The Shelby Mustangs,

Carroll Shelby’s GT-350 Mustang was a limited edition road racer in street clothing. Shelby’s GT-500KR was not for the faint of heart. It had every performance option you could get from a Ford, plus a big, bad 428 engine.

Buick Gran Sport,

“Yeah, it’s a Gran Sport. Wanna race?” And that was usually the last of the conversation as the torque monster from Flint, Michigan buried its competition in leather-upholstered style. Stage I GS cars boasted the most torque of any U.S. production car.

Oldsmobile 442,

4 barrel, 4 speed, dual exhaust. That spells 442, Oldsmobile’s entry into the Horsepower wars. With this car, Olds turned the muscle car wars up several notches. Once again those Rocket Oldsmobiles were right in the thick of it!

Chevrolet Chevelle SS,

Chevrolet’s SS designation originally adorned the high-performance Impalas, but the most popular Super Sport was by far the Chevelle. All it took was the 396 “rat motor” to turn this little grocery-getter into a pavement-pounder!

Chevrolet Impala 409,

The story of the legendary 409. When Chevy squeezed one horsepower per cubic inch out of this engine in 1962, it sent everyone in Detroit back into the engine lab, and practically everyone else in America to the Chevy dealer!

Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda & Dodge Hemi Challenger,

Plymouth’s compact Valiant, with new skin and a huge rear window, became a hot item – once the 383s, 440s and 426 Hemi engines found their way under the hood. Its cousin from Dodge, the Challenger, was a hot rod with as much luxury as performance.

Chevrolet Nova SS,

With power-to-weight ratios like rocket sleds, Novas became immediate favorites of the muscle car crowd. If a 327 or a 350 wasn’t enough, how about a 375-horsepower 396 in a Chevy II Nova? If you had nerves of steel, you could have owned one.

Details

American Muscle Car

Documentary

TV-G

3

22

The American Muscle Car series relives that incredible time when Detroit produced the most outrageous cars ever to hit the street. Experience the glory days of power and speed through the stories of those who lived and breathed it.

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