Lost Muscle Cars. Wes Eisenschenk

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       The menacing stance of the Ford Super Cobra was enough to strike fear into anyone who happened upon it at a stoplight. Unfortunately, this was the last rendition of this body style. (Photo Courtesy Chicago Auto Show)

      There were simply too many cars for the manufacturers to create themselves in the constantly changing muscle car wars. Outsourcing became a viable and successful tool in getting new cars to the market quickly.

      Dodge used Creative Industries of Detroit and other sources to create Dream Cars like the Dodge Charger I and Dodge Charger II. Dodge also harnessed Creative’s designers to develop cars for racing programs as done with the Dodge Daytona and its in-house nemesis used Creative to build the Superbird.

      Ford was doing the same at Kar Kraft, creating the Boss 429 and Torino Talladega, required for homologation in NASCAR as well, and the Boss 302 cars for Trans-Am racing. Styline Customs typically handled preparation and customization for show cars for companies such as Promotions Inc., but by 1969 they were waist deep in helping manufacturers create the Hurst Olds and the SC/Rambler, which needed to be produced for F Stock classification in the NHRA.

      As much fun as it was creating cars for racing, manufacturers still had to focus on the general buying public, and they did so through auto shows.

      Two of the biggest were the Chicago Auto Show and the Detroit Auto Show. At those venues, designers debuted their concepts and gauged public opinion and reaction. Other cars already slated for production were formally rolled out and introduced to the public for the first time.

      The Mustang I made its debut at the U.S. Grand Prix race in 1962 held at Watkins Glen in upstate New York, but garnered much of its unfavorable public opinions from touring the auto shows. That sent Ford back to the drawing board, resulting in the design of the Mustang II. That car was received favorably by the public and became the blueprint for the development of the production models.

      Unfortunately the survival rate for these promotional, concept, and prototype cars was fairly low. Some of them were cut up and parts were used for future endeavors while others were outright destroyed. With every production model, though, other cars were always created to re-start the design process.

      Finding one of these cars and then working on verification of its authenticity can be daunting. Many of the designers who created these cars are no longer with us, which means that other types of historical documentation are needed. Hunting these cars is also difficult because some were never intended for public usage, and that means VINs and serial numbers were never part of the car.

      Don’t be discouraged, though. With hard work and some sleuthing you may open a barn door and be staring at one of these lost muscle cars.

       1969 Plymouth Superbird Prototype

       By Wes Eisenschenk

      Of all things to transpire after the 1968 Grand National (NASCAR) season, the defection of Richard Petty from Plymouth to Ford is perhaps one of the most overlooked separations in the history of motorsports. After nearly a decade of dominance, Petty, who had led the charge for Plymouth since switching from Oldsmobile during the 1959 season, was headed to the Blue Oval, and Plymouth had to go back to the drawing board.

      In hindsight, 1968 wasn’t that terrible of a year for King Richard and his Plymouth Road Runners. In fact, Richard closed the year with 16 wins (two in his 1967 Plymouth) and finished strong with 5 wins in his last 10 races. Throw out his DNF at Charlotte (third-to-last race) and his average finishing position over those last 9 contests was 1.88.