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10 ALTERNATIVE MUSCLE CARS AND CLASSICS THAT ARE HEATING UP

By March 21, 2018March 31st, 2020Interesting Topics

 

From Hagerty:

Muscle car prices are on the rise, but even if the price of admission isn’t an issue for you, not everyone wants to show up with the same handful of models. Perhaps that’s why the folks at Hagerty spotted these 10 cars climbing up the Hagerty Vehicle Rating*.
These models are related to some of the most popular American muscle cars and classics, albeit in a different wrapper, whether that’s a different body style or a different brand. These cars still offer tremendous style and often came from the factory with some respectable power plants that can keep up with their harder-to-find muscle car relatives. Here’s a list of some of the rising stars.

1968–72 Buick Skylark
The powerful GS and GSX versions of Buick’s A-body are falling behind in the classic car market, while the Skylark has moved up to take their place.

1965–70 Buick Wildcat
Hagerty has seen a five-percent jump in the number of quotes on this big, bad Buick.

1964–65 Mercury Comet
Looking a bit like a compact unibody GTO with its stacked headlights, the ’65 Comet was available with some muscle of its own.

1964–67 Pontiac Tempest
Hagerty’s seen insured values rise 27 percent and the total number insured has risen nearly 10 percent, showing that the handsome, sporty cars are catching on.

1965–70 Plymouth Satellite
An auction star, the Plymouth B-body that spawned the GTX and Road Runner has seen the number of cars offered for auction jump 24 percent. Average sale prices are up 43 percent with an 83 percent sell-through rate.

1955–57 Pontiac Star Chief/Chieftain
Both Star Chief and Chieftain have moved up more than 30 points in the Hagerty Vehicle Rating thanks to increases in the number insured.

1971–74 Dodge Charger
Coke-bottle Dodge Chargers of 1968–70 are among the most beautiful and iconic muscle cars of the era. Their time might have come as their average sale price at auction is up 57 percent and 75 percent find buyers, three percent higher than market average.

1971–77 Chevrolet Vega
Now is the time to get on board the economy car with scaled-down Camaro looks. Insurance quotes are up 21 percent.

1967–70 Mercury Cougar
The Mustang’s Mercury cousin has been one of the hottest cars at auction lately, with average sale prices up 37 percent and the number of cars offered up for bid up 18 percent. XR7 Convertibles are particularly hot.

1966–76 Ford Ranchero
It may be early on this one, as the numbers are still low, but Hagerty clients have purchased 29 percent more Rancheros this year compared to last year and their insured values are up 10 percent.

 

*The Hagerty Vehicle Rating tracks a vehicle’s performance relative to the rest of the market, based on a 0–100 scale. A 50point rating indicates that a vehicle is keeping pace with the market overall. Ratings above 50 indicate above-average appreciation, while ratings below 50 indicate vehicles that are falling behind.