Muscle cars from the ’60s and ’70s are the most popular American cars ever. Their styling and power fuel the street muscle segment to this day.

Yes, ’55-57 Chevys and prewar Fords are still being built and modified. But what is it about muscle cars from 1960-’74 that still makes them the most popular 51 years after the last Super Duty Firebird was built?

If you love vintage muscle cars, these books should find their way into your library. (Photo by Jim Campisano)

Two well-research (soft cover) titles from Cartech Books explore different aspects of this era, but exemplify what makes muscle cars so captivating.

The first is Pontiac Performance 1960-1974 by Don Keefe. The subtitle is “The Era of Super Duty, H.O., & Ram Air Drag & Muscle Cars.” Keefe is one of the preeminent experts on Pontiacs of any era, and his deep, deep dive into these ground-breaking vehicles is not only insightful, but myth-busting and encyclopedic.

His deep exploration into Pontiac’s history as a brand and what brought it to develop the 389 Super Duty engine package in 1960 is only the beginning of a compelling story. Pontiac’s success in racing in the late ’50s helped it shed its dowdy “old man’s car” image and help it skyrocket into the third-best selling car in America.

Then came 1961 and the 421 Super Duty motor, multiple over-the-counter camshaft offerings, and exploding horsepower numbers at a time when drag racing was growing exponentially around the U.S. and Canada.

When GM stepped out of racing in 1963, Pontiac’s answer was what many consider to be the first muscle car: The GTO. Keefe adroitly discusses the ins and out of all of Pontiac’s high-performance engines of the era, but the market forces that grew the demand for them and ultimately squashed them.

Keefe’s insight into the last true high-performance engine of the era, the 455 Super Duty, is not only informative, but will shatter a legend or two along the way.

He interviewed many of the movers and shakers of this bygone era (many of whom are now dead) and reading their words is worth the cover price by itself. We say if you like muscle cars of all types and want to know what it was really like behind the scenes back in the day, pick up a copy of Pontiac Performance 1960-1974.

Be Unique

1-Of-1 Muscle Cars, Stories of Detroit’s Rarest Iron, is another tome we’re glad we picked up. While any car from muscle car era can purport to be one-of-one, thanks to the dozens of available options, this book by Wes Eisenschenk gets into the nitty-gritty of machines that are unique for significant reasons — not because someone ordered a purple car with orange interior.

This is a Chevelle most have never heard of, let alone seen: a 1965 300 packing the Z16 performance package. (Photo by Jim Campisano)

Included are the likes of a prototype 1971 Boss 302 Mustang, a four-door Street Hemi Belvidere sold new in Finland, and a never-titled ’69 Dodge Charger Daytona (with a vinyl roof, no less). I was intrigued by dealer-specials like the ’70 Dick Harrell LS6 454 Camaro and the ’73 Nickey Chevrolet 427 Nova.

These are the cars you’ll likely never see at shows and events (outside of perhaps the Muscle Car & Corvette Nationals in Illinois). How about a factory ’71 AMX two-seat prototype? A Chrysler 300-H convertible? A ’71 Pontiac Ventura II Sprint with a 455 H.O.? All accounted for in 1-Of-1 Muscle Cars.

There are a couple of vehicles that are not unique; the ’72 440-6BBL Road Runner is one of six built (five are accounted for), but we won’t hold that against the author or the book.

You can order both of these fine publications online at www.cartechbooks.com