The 1967 class was released at the 2022 Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals. Celebrating its 55th anniversary, 1967 was a pivotal year for performance cars, the pinnacle of what was and what was to be.
On the one hand, Chrysler got its act together and finally made dedicated performance models with the Plymouth GTX and Dodge Coronet R/T after relying on the Hemi and tepid 383 in Belvederes. Of course, image was everything, and Chrysler solved the problem in 1967. Other medium-sized vehicles were also carriers, although most were improvements over the 1966s.
Several pony cars were introduced in 1967, with the Camaro and Firebird turning up the heat on the Mustang, which was redesigned to be longer/lower/wider. A new classy partner in Mercury boosted Ford’s fortunes in the pony car segment. The Barracuda was also redesigned, but Valiant’s origins were still evident, for better or for worse.
A year later, Chrysler, GM, and Ford redesigned their midsize vehicles, and the Plymouth Road Runner changed the rules in the high-performance market. Like Rock ‘n Roll in the mid-1950s, 1968 was the year that the youth market became Detroit’s priority. Here are some of the cars that made 1967 pivotal.
The Buick Gran Sport has been renewed in several ways. Although facelifted from 1966, the Gran Sport was called the GS 400 in response to the new 400 that replaced the 401 ‘Nailhead’. Also new was the GS 340, later known as the “Junior Supercar”; there was also an odd regional specialty, the California GS, which became available nationally in 1968-69.
This Blue Mist 1967 GS 400 Hardtop was produced with the standard three-speed manual transmission on the floor. Only 373 hardtops were built with this transmission, which was actually a Ford unit.
Regal Black GS 400 hood knobs are painted the same as the rest of the body, but GS 340s are painted red along with a wide longitudinal stripe running back from the non-functioning fenders.
You can see that this Ivory GS 400 convertible has a Saddle interior, a color not really seen on other GM muscle cars, but considering Buick’s customer base, it makes sense that Buick offers more mature colors. These colors became more popular in the industry around 1970.
This color is called Verde Green, which was not available on other GM cars except the Oldsmobile Toronad. Every GS 400 was fitted with a cool red ‘Star Wars’ air filter.
The Buick Riviera also received an updated engine for 1967, this 430 ci. Since GM banned multiple carburettors outside of the Corvette, the Riviera no longer had a 2×4 option. This example is one of 4837 examples made with the GS package.
The 1967 Camaro had a secret: a road race package with option code Z28. Few people knew about it, which is why only 602 were built. By 1969 word had spread and over 20,000 had been built. This ’67 has the Rally Sport package and is installed in Day 2 configuration.
The regular performance Camaro was the Super Sport, initially only available with an exclusive 295 horsepower 350, but two 396s became available a few months later. This Granada Gold Camaro SS/RS 350 has an automatic column shifter and standard hubcaps without trim rings.
Compare the above to this Capri Cream 1967 Camaro and you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a supercar. However, this is simply a Rally Sport with D91 stripes that were standard on the SS package. The engine is a 275-horsepower 327, the top engine in the “regular” Camaro except for the Z28. Note the new 1967 Rally wheels with a shallow center cap different from subsequent years.
Here’s a Granada Gold 1967 SS 427. Basically the big brother of the Chevelle SS 396, the Z24 SS 427 package featured a 385hp 427 (L36) with a heavy duty 3-speed manual transmission, custom hood scoop, SS 427 badging front and rear , special 427 engine badging for the Z24, SS wheel covers, Strato bucket front seats with console or Strato black armrest, and a host of other classy ins and outs.
This 1967 Chevelle SS 396 has optional SS wheel covers and Z29 vinyl side stripes. In 1967, the wide sideband of the D96 was also available. Three versions of the 396 were available between 1966 and ’69, ranging from 325 to 375 horsepower.
The Dodge Coronet R/T’s 375 horsepower 440 Magnum engine was more powerful than most competitors. optional motors. If the 440 found itself with its hands full, the optional 426 Hemi was available. Other standard R/T features include a TorqueFlite transmission, louvered hood, contoured longitudinal stripe, signature R/T badge, special Charger-like grille, hidden taillights, 7.75 x 14-inch red stripes , the bucket seats and the 150 mph speedometer. Note the standard hubcaps without trim rings on this dark blue metallic R/T convertible.
This silver metallic R/T convertible with red interior looks sportier than the blue one above, thanks to the optional steel road wheels, but the latter looks more purposeful.
Compare the Dodge above with a similar silver metallic 1967 Plymouth GTX. The GTX’s equipment list was similar to the Coronet R/T, although the 440 was called the Super Commando and topped with a hood with twin simulated air intakes. A notable feature of the GTX was the pit-stop gas cap. The ’67 featured the standard 440 and optional chrome custom road wheels that were not available with disc brakes.
This pretty mauve metallic Hemi GTX wasn’t originally ordered, but was built the way the owner wanted it. Note the Sport stripes that were optional across the hood and trunk lid.
Do you think this triple black 440 GTX looks the way it is? Or do you think it would look better with stripes? It was available in white, dark red, dark blue or medium copper, with interiors to match each.
The Silver bullet arguably the most famous GTX of them all (Black Ghost who?), a Detroit street racing legend. Jimmy Addison was a mechanic at a Sunoco along Woodward Avenue in Birmingham (a suburb of Detroit). Ted Spehar, the owner of the gas station, built racing bikes on the site, and it is believed that Addison sold parts for his street racing. In fact, it is believed that the Silver Bullet was implicitly used as a type of skunkwork. This explains why the street scene was as powerful a marketing element as anything else. Lightweight components like the doors, hood (from the “R023” Hemi Belvedere II Super Stock), windows, and more are said to have removed 500 pounds from the B-body.
The Hemi was no longer 426ci, now 487, thanks to 4.25-inch connecting rods, oversized TRW pistons, Racer Brown camshafts, aluminum cylinder heads, and more. In street design with M&H drag slicks, the Silver Bullet 10 ET ran in the middle. The silver bullet had been in Harold Sullivan’s collection for more than two decades.
How about Shelbys? Like the Mustang, the Shelby GT was redesigned for 1967. While the Mustang has grown up a bit, the Shelby has lost its street-racing appeal, but has risen in its class as a luxury pony car with show-car-inspired styling.
The GT350 was joined by a GT500 powered by a “Special Interceptor” 428 with 355 horsepower from twin quads. This Nightmist Blue big block is car number 706 and features inboard high beam headlights (outboard units are a functional change as some states require lamp spacing), a 3.50 four-speed and a rare parchment interior.
The Hi-Po 289 was carried over to the GT350, although the added weight hurt its performance. This Raven Black car is car number 051 and has many early car features such as grille interior lights and additional brake/turn signals on the C-pillar. Originally sold new at Gotham Ford in Manhattan, this four-speed Shelby was purchased and exported to Peru by racer Cristobal “Batman” Gajluf.
This 1967 GT350 was originally sold at Presidential Ford in Philadelphia. The Wimbledon White steering wheel is equipped with a four-speed 3.89 and Shelbys standard equipment, including a competition handling package, shoulder harness, deluxe steering wheel, 140 speedometer, 8000 tachometer, and oil pressure and amp gauges. , among others.
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