10 Classic American Muscle Cars That Still Dominate Auctions

While classic muscle car prices have risen to insane levels lately, there are indications that the market is headed for a cool-off. Actually, some models are flattening out, but others are still scorching the auction block and guaranteed to bring the big bucks. This could be a list of the top-selling million-dollar muscle cars, but we already did that. Instead, these iconic muscle nameplates with their most bankable years, which have the highest average auction prices.

TopSpeed took a look at the auction activity in the past five years and identified the classic muscle car models and years that enthusiasts are most willing to open their wallets for. There are certainly specific cars that have gone for much more, but again, this isn't a "most expensive" list, it's about the classics that are still dominating the auction scene. These are the hottest muscle car years that are bucking the tapering off trend and commanding top-dollar when the gavel drops.

3/4 top view of 1969 Plymouth Road Runner

Related

The Long-Term Value Of American Muscle Cars In Today’s Used Car Market

The future looks bright for classic muscle car investment, button every ride has the same growth potential.

1970 Oldsmobile 442

Average Auction Price: $85,715

RM Sotheby's

The 442 has always been a great ride, but in 1970, GM dropped its silly big engine ban, and suddenly the Oldsmobile muscle car was flexing a 455ci V-8 that generated up to 370 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque. 1970 is definitely the money year for the 442, and it's no surprise that all the top-selling examples are packing the 455 W30 performance package. In fact, two different 442 W30s sold for exactly $247,500 months apart.

1970 Oldsmobile 442 Five-Year Auction Stats

• Average Auction Price: $85,715
• Lowest Sale: $500
• Highest Sale: $247,500
• Sales Count: 175 units
• Dollar Volume: $15 million

The '70 442's average auction price is actually skewed down because of the low-seller that went for just $500, which requires some more investigation. The worst possible V-8 for a 442 was the 400, and even if the car didn't have an engine or was in horrible shape, it's still worth substantially more. The car sold at a DreamCars auction, but the listing has been scrubbed. There is a thumbnail and the car looks to be in great shape. The only explanation for this ridiculously low price is that either it was a fine art print of a 1970 442, or possibly a die-cast miniature, and not an actual car.

1969 Dodge Super Bee

Average Auction Price: $87,439

Mecum

When the Dodge Super Bee burst on the scene, it was a stripped-down, no-frills speed machine. The entire point of it was to be a fast car that anyone could afford, but in the modern collector's market, they have become quite pricey. The "weakest" engine available was the base-model 383ci V-8, which made a not-so-weak 335 horsepower. Of course, the Super Bee was most famous for its 440 triple two-barrel carb "Six Pack" engine that rivaled the 426 Street, also available in the Dodge muscle car.

1969 Dodge Super Bee Five-Year Auction Stats

• Average Auction Price: $87,439
• Lowest Sale: $32,000
• Highest Sale: $240,000
• Sales Count: 56 units
• Dollar Volume: $4.9 million

Obviously, the Hemi and Six Pack cars are the most expensive rides in '69, but it's maybe a surprise that the 440 is the top-seller. An A12 440 Six Pack sold for almost a quarter of a million dollars last year, while the highest price at auction for a Super Bee Hemi was $178,200, also in 2024. Just 258 1969 Super Bees left the factory with a 426 Hemi, while 1,907 were equipped with the 440 Six Pack. It's possible this discrepancy can be chalked up to there being better condition Six Pack cars coming up for auction in the past few years, or maybe the Super Bee is more perfect with the 440.

3/4 front view of 1969 Dodge Super Bee A12 440 Six Pack

Related

Muscle Car Royalty: The Most Iconic Cars That Used The 440 Six Pack V-8

Only 15 models were ever blessed with the ferocious 440 Six Pack/6BBL V-8, making them some of the rarest Mopar muscle cars ever.

1970 Pontiac GTO

Average Auction Price: $88,445

Mecum

The Pontiac GTO kicked off the muscle car craze in 1964, but it isn't the first-gens that dominate the classic Goat market. Another big shocker is that the GTO Judge 454 isn't the highest-priced ride at auction. That distinction belongs to a 1970 GTO Judge with the awesome and ultra-rare 400ci Ram Air IV engine. The fact that this car is also a one-of-seven drop-top car helped push it over the million-dollar mark at a Mecum auction in 2023.

1970 Pontiac GTO Five-Year Auction Stats

• Average Auction Price: $88,445
• Lowest Sale: $16,000
• Highest Sale: $1.1 million
• Sales Count: 197 units
• Dollar Volume: $17.3 million

The 455 V-8 first became available for the GTO in 1970, but at auction, all the bank-breakers are 400 ram Air IV cars. In fact, the highest price for a 455 GTO is $93,500, with more than a dozen Ram Airs selling for more. The reason for this is quite simple: the 455 wasn't any better than the 400 Ram Air IV. The 455 was rated at 360 Horsepower, while the Ram Air IV beat it by 10 ponies. The 455 option was actually cheaper, at $250, versus $558 for the Ram Air IV, which actually explains everything about which one was superior.

1969 Chevrolet Camaro

Average Auction Price: $89,480

Mecum

Chevrolet has produced such an insane number of Camaros that the law of supply and demand dictates that it is the most affordable classic muscle car. One year, 1969 to be specific, however, is not for the bargain hunters or cheapskates. '69 was the last year of the first generation and sales were down a bit, so they are a little rarer, but it was also the year the COPO Camaros exploded. This was during the horrid GM ban on engines larger than 400 cubic inches, so the Camaro was only allowed to have a 396ci V-8.

1969 Chevrolet Camaro Five-Year Auction Stats

• Average Auction Price: $89,480
• Lowest Sale: $25,000
• Highest Sale: $825,000
• Sales Count: 1,385 units
• Dollar Volume: $123.4 million

Dealers found a loophole in GM's Central Office Production Orders (COPO) program that allowed them to special order Camaros with 450-horsepower 427 Corvette engines. The most famous of these cars came from former race car driver and Chevrolet dealership owner Don Yenko, who marketed these ferocious beats as Super Camaros. Yenko wasn't the only dealer who was taking advantage of the COPO program and around 1,000 of them were ordered. Even more rare is the COPO ZL1, which blasted 500 horsepower, one of which sold for over $800,000 and is the '69 auction champ.

1970 Dodge Challenger

Average Auction Price: $100,135

Mecum

The Dodge Challenger was late to the Classic Tournament of American Muscle, introduced in 1970, and only had one more great year before emissions' mandates robbed it of its ferocity. For that brief period of time, however, it was the baddest Dodge ever made to that point with a factory-fresh quarter-mile in the low 13s. The 1971s, especially equipped with the 426 Street Hemi, are actually more rare, but 1971 kicks ass across the board as one of the best auction performers. In reality, there have been million-dollar Challengers from both years, but not in the past five.

1970 Dodge Challenger Five-Year Auction Stats

• Average Auction Price: $100,135
• Lowest Sale: $21,250
• Highest Sale: $975,000
• Sales Count: 245 units
• Dollar Volume: $24,4 million

The biggest ass-kicker from 1970 is quite a famous car, known as the "Black Ghost." It was owned by a famous street racer in the Detroit area, who would come out of the shadows to blow some doors off, and then mysteriously disappear into the night. The owner, Godfrey Qualls, turned out to be a cop, which makes the story all the better. His black '71 Hemi Challenger was honored by Dodge with their special edition "Last Call" rides that sent the gas-powered Challenger and Charger into retirement. In 2023, the original Black Ghost sold for almost a million bucks.

3/4 rear view of Plymouth Barracuda burnout

Related

Quickest Classic Mopar Muscle Cars

Mopar rides were the quickest accelerating vehicles of the classic muscle car era, but some had a little more zip than others.

1969 Ford Mustang

Average Auction Price: $100,263

Mecum

Since its introduction in 1964½, the Ford Mustang was a fun, playful ride but never a serious street performer, even with Carroll Shelby trying to soup it up. In 1969, the Mustang got its boldest, most aggressive look with the SportRoof fastback design, and equally important, got access to the 428ci V-8, finally making it a true muscle car. The Mach 1, and the ultra elusive Twister Special took full advantage of the big-block Cobra Jet engine, but it is a Mustang with one extra cubic inch of displacement that rules the class of 1970.

1969 Ford Mustang Five-Year Auction Stats

• Average Auction Price: $100,263
• Lowest Sale: $6,300
• Highest Sale: $605,000
• Sales Count: 524 units
• Dollar Volume: $52.4 million

Ford wanted to homologate their new 429ci V-8 for NASCAR competition, so they crammed a few into the Mach 1 and sold them to the public, only to completely abandon the idea. The end result was the Mustang Boss 429, of which 1,359 were produced between 1969-1970. This car was already rare, but became legendary as John Wick's ride in the action film series, even though it was actually a Mach 1. The '70 Mustang average auction price skews higher than any other year because Boss 429s regularly sell in the half-million dollar range. The biggest auction-buster of recent years went for over $600k, and chances are, the Boss 429 will be a million-dollar car in the near future.

1970 Buick Gran Sport

Average Auction Price: $103,538

Mecum

After the runaway success of the Pontiac GTO, Buick got in on the muscle car mania with a high-performance version of their Skylark called the Gran Sport. Like all GM cars, it was under the big engine ban until 1970, when it was gifted the 455ci V-8, which may be the reason why this is the hottest year for the GS. The 455 was conservatively rated at 350 horsepower, or 360 with the Stage 1 performance upgrade, and a stump-pulling 510 pound-feet of torque. It's the Stage 1 cars that are commanding the highest prices at auction.

1970 Buick Gran Sport Five-Year Auction Stats

• Average Auction Price: $103,538
• Lowest Sale: $20,000
• Highest Sale: $285,000
• Sales Count: 102 units
• Dollar Volume: $9.2 million

1970 was also the year Buick came out the limited edition GSX, of which only 400 were made with the 455 Stage 1. In a complete shocker, it isn't the GSX with the top auction price, but rather a GS Stage 1 convertible that went for nearly $300,000. The highest-selling GSX crossed the auction block at $236,500 earlier this year. There have actually been way more GSX cars sold in the past five years than GS 455 Stage 1s, so maybe they are the true rare Buick muscle cars. Without the Stage 1 performance package, however, '70 Gran Sport 455s are one of the best bargains, selling in the $50,000 - $60,000 range.

1970 Chevrolet Chevelle

Average Auction Price: $105,086

Mecum

The 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle's appearance on this list is no surprise as that was the year the SS got the 454 LS6 V-8 option. The high-powered variant of the 454ci engine was a 450-horsepower monster that brought the fear with 500 pound-feet of torque. Only 4,475 cars were equipped with the LS6 in '70, and in a weird quirk, Chevy didn't keep track of how many went in Chevelle coupes, convertibles, and El Caminos. Any one of these cars could be extremely rare, on top of already being extremely rare.

1970 Chevrolet Chevelle Five-Year Auction Stats

• Average Auction Price: $105,086
• Lowest Sale: $18,700
• Highest Sale: $600,000
• Sales Count: 632 units
• Dollar Volume: $66.1 million

The smart money is on the Chevelle SS convertible being the rarest 454 LS6 vehicle, and so is real-world money. The priciest 1970 Chevelle in recent years is a white convertible that sold for an even $600 Gs at Mecum Indy 2024. There are three other Chevelle SS 454 LS6s that have topped the half-million dollar mark and, you guessed it, they are also drop-tops. A coupe version of this ultimate muscle car is still going to bring in a six-figure auction price, but as is the case in the entire classic collectible market, the convertibles sell for more.

1971 Plymouth Barracuda

Average Auction Price: $183,448

Mecum

Like its cousin car, the Challenger, the third-gen Plymouth Barracuda showed up to the Golden Age of American Muscle just in time to see it go away. The re-style E-Body Barracuda was introduced in 1970 and was the fastest car on the streets in a two-year reign of ass-kicking. That is, if it was equipped with the 426 Street Hemi, which is what made the '70-'71 Hemi 'Cuda the fastest-acceleration factory car of the classic era. 1971 Hemi 'Cudas sell for millions with a drop-top, and while none came up for auction recently a convertible still dominated this year.

1971 Plymouth Barracuda Five-Year Auction Stats

• Average Auction Price: $183,448
• Lowest Sale: $31,500
• Highest Sale: $962,500
• Sales Count: 91
• Dollar Volume: $16.5 million

In a victory for the underrated 440 6BBL V-8, Plymouth's version of the Six Pack, a '70 'Cuda convertible equipped with one, sold for almost a million dollars. A Hemi 'Cuda coupe came close, moving off the auction block at $935,000 and several more for well over a half-mil. The '71 Barracuda's average auction price is already quite impressive, but it could have been off the charts. At Mecum Indy 2021, a '71 Hemi 'Cuda convertible was bid to $4.8 million, but failed to hit the reserve and didn't sell. This is a car in which even a project is going to be over $50k.

Orange 1971 Dodge Hemi Charger R/T Sunroof

Related

10 Most Expensive HEMI-Powered Mopars Ever Sold At Auction

Classic Dodge and Plymouth muscle cars go for a premium, but when they're packing a 426 Hemi, they break auction records

1969 Dodge Charger

Average Auction Price: $215,593

3/4 side view of 1969 Dodge Hemi Charger 500

The 1969 Dodge Charger takes the top spot of any muscle car model year in average auction price by a lot for a variety of reasons. The '70 Charger includes the ultra-rare R/T Hemi and 500 variants, as well Dukes of Hazard General Lee clones, but most importantly the Daytona aerocar. The crazy-looking car that was so fast it got banned from NASCAR was homologated to a run of just 503 units sold to the public, of which a mere 70 that were equipped with the 426 Hemi. '69 Charger Daytona Hemis are million-dollar rides, including a record-setter that sold for $3 million late last year.

1969 Dodge Charger Five-Year Auction Stats

• Average Auction Price: $215,593
• Lowest Sale: $36,000
• Highest Sale: $3 million
• Sales Count: 117 units
• Dollar Volume: $25.2 million

The problem with such a valuable car is that it can't really be driven and enjoyed. There are several Charger Daytonas that have been flipped repeatedly over the past five years, indicating they are purely an investment. The odd thing about '69 Charger auction sales is how few regular R/T Hemi cars have come up recently, and nothing that was absolutely spectacular. It's probably because so many of them were destroyed in Hollywood TV and film productions that there just aren't too many left. Those who have them are obviously infatuated and unwilling to part with them.