13 Muscle Cars That Didn’t Meet Fan Expectations
The muscle car is firmly ingrained into North American culture and is recognized around the globe as one of the best vehicle segments in the automotive industry. Big V8s and ferocious looks set muscle cars apart from nearly every other vehicle.
The segment has given us great names like the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro. But over the years, there have been a few duds — some muscle cars that did not meet the fans’ expectations.
This list contains 13 of them, some of the absolute worst muscle cars ever to grace our roads. These are selected based on their lack of performance, launch reception, and popularity in the classic car market.
Second-Generation Ford Mustang II
After the success of the first-generation Ford Mustang, Ford launched the second-generation model in 1973. Despite strong sales for the Mustang II, it was clear from the get-go that the muscle car had some problems.
Ford didn’t launch the Mustang II with a V8 option. It took around a year for the Blue Oval to introduce a V8. Then there were the tightening emissions regulations of the 1970s, thanks to the fuel crisis of the decade. Some customers also believed that the new Mustang abandoned much of what made the first-generation model so good. Basing the Mustang II on the Pinto platform was not Ford’s best move either.
1980 Ford Mustang
Ford attempted to revive the Mustang’s fortunes in the late 1970s with the launch of the third generation, the Fox-Body generation, in 1980. However, the first Fox Body for the 1980 model year was an abject failure. It would be worlds away from the Mustang that brought this era to a close.
The plain styling was just one reason consumers didn’t take to it. The biggest issue was the base model 1980, which came with a terrible 2.3-liter four-cylinder producing just 88-hp and 119 lb-ft of torque. To call that lackluster is an understatement, and it’s a car unworthy of the Mustang name.
1982 Dodge Challenger
The 1982 Dodge Challenger may be the worst muscle car of the 1980s. Dodge canceled the Challenger in 1974, and mentioning the name conjured up images of the epic white machine from the movie Vanishing Point. What it won’t conjure up, however, is images of the terrible 1982 model.
Chrysler used its close relationship with Mitsubishi to relaunch the Challenger. By this, we mean they took the Mitsubishi Gallant coupe and slapped a Dodge and Challenger badge onto the car. The only engines available were 1.6-liter and 2.6-liter four-cylinder engines, the latter producing only 100-hp and 137 lb-ft of torque. The 1982 Challenger would die out before the 1983 model year.
1977 – 1981 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
While the Ford Mustang suffered through the 1970s, its main rival, the Camaro Z28, didn’t get away scot-free either. Chevrolet stopped producing the muscle car icon in 1974, but it brought it back in 1977 and felt the full force of tightening emissions regulations.
Under the hood, the LM1 V8 produced 185-hp and 280 lb-ft of torque. By comparison, in 1974, the Z28 Camaro produced 245-hp. Things were no better in the final year of the second-gen Camaro, with the Z28 producing just 175-hp.
1978-79 Oldsmobile 4-4-2
Nothing escaped the tightening emissions rules of the 1970s. Not even the Oldsmobile 4-4-2, which had initially been one of the best muscle cars on sale. For context 1964, the 5.4-liter V8 in the 4-4-2 produced 310 hp. By 1978, despite having a 5.0-liter V8 under the hood, power was down to just 160-hp.
Things were no better in the muscle car’s sedan version. The 4-4-2 badge was brought back twice after the fourth generation, but even in 1990, the once formidable 4-4-2 could only produce 190 hp.
1981 Mercury Capri RS Turbo
Of course, Mercury was the high-end, luxury division of Ford, and when Ford began to produce the Fox-Body Mustang, Mercury had a chance to shine. The Mercury Capri was effectively a Mustang clone with a revised body that, in fairness, looked the part.
Problems would quickly arise. For starters, the 2.3-liter turbocharged engine of the Capri RS Turbo was available in the Mustang for less money. An inspection of the power figures reveals it produced just 117-hp and 135 lb-ft of torque. The issues of the 1970s were dragging on into the 1980s.
1980 Pontiac Trans-Am Turbo
A sign of how bad things were getting for American muscle cars after the fuel crisis was how far the Pontiac Trans-Am had fallen by the turn of the 1980s. In 1973, the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am SD-445 produced 290-hp. It was arguably the last great muscle car of the 1970s before the fuel crisis malaise took hold.
The reduction and power took hold in 1980, with the power from the 4.9-liter 301 ci V8 dropping to 210-hp with the help of a turbocharger. Power would drop further the following year, down to 200-hp for the 1981 model year.
1984-1987 Dodge Daytona Turbo Z
By the mid-1980s, the decline of the muscle car had set in. One of the lesser-known muscle cars of this era was the 1984-1987 Dodge Daytona Turbo Z, which usually received a lot of hatred and malaise.
The Daytona Turbo Z’s sporty appearance concealed that few fans of this unusual Dodge were there. Hagerty says that some felt the Turbo Z was “disposable,” yet they can still fetch big money, selling for over $10,000, which isn’t bad considering it’s supposed to be a muscle car universally hated.
1995 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
In the 1990s, the fortunes of the muscle car were slowly turning around. Power levels were increasing, and respectability was coming back. But that didn’t stop manufacturers from still churning out a few duds.
One of the absolute worst was the 1995 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Things had changed from the last version of the 1980s, yet power was still a limiting factor. The base model had just 160-hp from its V6 engine, which would only rise to 240-hp.
1978 Ford Mustang II King Cobra
Regarding “least worst muscle cars,” the 1978 Mustang II King Cobra is one of the better choices on this list. Ford tried to turn the fortunes of the muscle car around, but power was still nonexistent thanks to the 4.9-liter Windsor V8 producing just 142-hp.
The radical design saved the King Cobra, with the crazy pattern and striping stretching from the hood and down the side of the car. Bodywork modifications bulked up the Mustang’s appearance, so the King Cobra was a rare bright spot in a sea of awfulness.
1984 Mercury Cougar XR7
Even in the mid-1980s, there were a few bright spots in the muscle car segment as hope began to rise that the malaise would soon end. The 1984 Mercury Cougar XR7 brought light, packed in 145-hp from its turbocharged four-cylinder engine.
That was still nowhere near the peak of the 1960s and early 1970s. But compared to the 117-hp Mercury Capri RS Turbo from a few years prior, it was a good step in the right direction. That doesn’t hide the fact that compared to what came in the 1990s, the Cougar XR7 was still a terrible attempt at a muscle car.
2000 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet would learn the hard way that slapping an SS badge onto one of its cars would not bring instant performance. Enter the 2000 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS, a muscle car that was a far cry from other Chevrolet models with the SS badge that came before it.
The poor execution was evident as the base 3.3-liter V6 produced just 180-hp, and the larger 3.8-liter V6 only produced 200-hp. These power figures firmly belonged in the 1980s and 1970s, although Ford was extracting up to 300-hp from its Mustang Cobras at the time.
1982 Chevrolet Camaro
One thing that Chevrolet did get right with its third-generation Camaros was the styling. The Camaro of the early 1980s was a stunning-looking car with a long, sharp front end and short rear that perfectly suited the coupe layout.
Chevrolet just let themselves down with the powertrain under the hood, but like the Fox-Body Mustang, power levels would increase. In 1982, the base engine for the Camaro was a 2.5-liter four-cylinder, producing just 90-hp and 132 lb-ft of torque. The early 1980s, indeed, were the lowest for the iconic Camaro.
