6 of the best sounding muscle cars
Looks can captivate, but for car lovers, how a car sounds is arguably its strongest sensory trait. Done right, a screaming engine emits a visceral thrill you never forget. Some cars hit the perfect notes to magically elevate the pulse of exhaust gases from mere byproduct to a piston-powered symphony playing a piece in the time signature of 10.5-to-1.
Few eras are so closely tied to these distinctive sounds as the late 1960s and early 1970s. At its peak, the muscle car era’s V-8 noisemakers from just about every manufacturer were unleashed, piped through simple mufflers with little restriction. Here’s a handful of the best from the era.
Oldsmobile 442 W-30
Nothing can sneak up on you at a stoplight like an Olds 442. A grown up’s muscle car, plenty of people have been surprised by what the 442 was packing. The W-30 package put 455 cubic inches of rumble under dual fiberglass scoops. A factory 13-second car in its day, and the exhaust note backed it up.
Plymouth Road Runner
While some of the heavy hitters in this category rely on big displacement, Plymouth did a lot with comparatively little when it came to the base engine in the Road Runner. A 383 is pretty big by modern standards, but was the undercard to the big 440- and 426-cubic inch engines for most of its production run. Those who know are quick to defend it, however, and rightfully so. Putting out 335 horsepower and over 400 pound feet is nothing to sneeze at, and the design of the engine makes it sound awesome, too.
Chevrolet Chevelle LS6
With a shape as timeless as the Chevelle, the engine has to back it up. Luckily, the LS6 454 does not live to disappoint. The rumble seems to permeate the bones of those in the bucket seats—this is a muscle car’s muscle car. It’s brash, unapologetic, and willing to light the tires up anytime and anywhere.
Ford Galaxie
While the Galaxie might not be the first choice of a lot of enthusiasts, it’s worth your attention, if only for the sound. The Galaxie featured multiple flavors of the FE engine, spanning from 332 cubic inches all the way to the mighty 428. You can find an FE in everything from a four-door wagon to the Batmobile—seriously. And the best part? They all sound great.
Pontiac GTO
The GTO is unquestionably muscle car royalty, and though it came with more powerful engines, the 389 with three carburetors stacked on top is one of our favorites. A responsive and powerful package that also dresses up darn nice, the middleweight 389’s popularity makes it a great choice for a fun to drive muscle bruiser.
Dodge Challenger R/T
Few engines command the awe and respect like the legendary 426 Hemi. Combine that with the timeless shape of the 1970 Dodge Challenger and it’s a match made in heaven. The Hemi gets its name from the shape of the combustion chamber, but that also affects the sound due to how the exhaust flows out into the manifolds. Newer designs are more efficient, but there is nothing like the grumble that comes from the back of a 426-powered car.
https://youtu.be/ZjgxZsD7Rc4?si=yt5KMswO5Ae0WsEX
Have a favorite that isn’t listed here? Leave it in a comment below.
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The ‘62 and ‘63 Super Duty Pontiacs were not mentioned, which had a deep throaty ground shaking rumble at idle and a freight train roar at full throttle. Listening, seeing and feeling one of these go by was a special moment. And standing beside one of these at idle, as a 12 year old kid at my father’s Pontiac dealership, and hearing it accelerate out the driveway and up the hill to 70+ mph still brings fond memories of the good ole days.
67-69 302 Z-28 through chambered exhaust system.
Great list. Two I’d add are the Buick 455, which sounds significantly different to the other big GMs due to its big bore/short stroke. The other is the Mopar 440, which kinda splits the difference between the 383 (same cylinder heads but smaller displacement) and the 426 Hemi (similar displacement but radically different heads and exhaust port design).
Honorable mention to the AMC 401.
Not many small blocks appeal to me at all, but the 340 Mopar and Ford 289 are OK.
Ok I guess. Noise level aside I was listening for originality of namely the cam. The LS6 was not that wild stock.
The 352 Gal sounded stock but a strange example since in 63 the only 352 offered was a 2-barrel.
Most famous factory ford would be the 63-64 427s with the full length factory iron headers and OEM dealer cutouts oh yeah. Without that they were pretty quiet About the only thing you could hear when a solid lifter OEM Ford was running (406, 427, Boss 302) was the solid lifters clattering unless you were right behind the car.
Speaking cutouts how bout the MaxWedge?
The 389 sound all depends on which cam. The one shown might have been the 389 RamAir (later 400 RA1 and RA3) “744” cam or similar, also later used in the 455SD. As noted, wilder still was the RA2 and RA4 “041” cam.
This has been my favorite article by Hagerty ever!
396 Chevy engine has a distinct sound like no other, the sweetest sound known to mankind and gearheads alike.
I always liked the sounds from the Z/28 302 and Dodge Challenger 440 Six-Pack. High school daze stuff…
most of the people reading this are too young to have heard them new. The one that I never forgot was a 1965 barracuda with a formula S, v8 – 273 stock with single exhaust. That formula S exhaust was unique to itself. Unforgettable!
When it come to aural satisfaction, nothing beats a Diesel. Early Mercedes compression ignition cars provide a virtual symphony. Keep the revs up! J.K. Bleimaier
Both my ’69 Corvette 427 and my ’69 Mustang 302 had/have pretty impressive rumbles. The Vette was a pure stock survivor and I used to go down to the garage, open the garage door and sit and listen to it rumble at idle. It could have used a more aggressive cam though. My Mustang convertible has electric cutouts mounted right behind the collectors and a much bumpier cam. It too is a joy to listen to and scares the hell out of guys at stoplights when I pop the cutouts open. BTW, my ’00 Z28 with an LS1 had a cutout just in front of the muffler but it wasn’t nearly as nasty sounding as the Mustang and my current ’09 Vette has dual electric cutouts just after the cats. It sounds pretty good with them open, but with them closed it sounds like a Toyota Carolla.
Nothing sounds more exciting than a crappy old pick up truck with a bad exhaust! Ford, Chevy, Mopar. Admit it, how many times have you run out to the street to see the cool thing you heard coming, and it was a crappy old pick up truck with a bad exhaust!
HA! Own a “crappy old” 74 Ford F100 with 390 Y block w/solid lifters and BIG stick coming up out of the floor. Doesn’t sounds quite as good as my 66 427 Corvette with factory side pipes did but still sounds great and a blast to drive. No power steering. In fact, no radio. Just engine noise……………
LS 6 without doubt.
Benelli Sei
Small block chevy 301 with a racer brown cam sound of the sixties you got it !
Fords always sound like _ _ _ _!
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