Here's more actual data...

Here's actual road tests of the actual cars form the 1960's and 1970's that were published by the various car magazines at the time.

http://roadtests.tripod.com/

My beloved 1971 Olds 442 with the 455sd motor that I always thought was so badass was probably pretty close to this...

1968 Hurst Olds Cutlass (SS)
455ci/390hp, 3spd auto, 3.91, 0-60 - n/a, 1/4 mile - 13.77 @ 103.91mph


Now, compare that to a brand new 2019 Miata with a 2.0 liter 4 cylinder engine and only 181 horsepower...

It turns a 5.8 second 0-60 time and a 14.4 second 1/4 mile time.

https://www.motortrend.com/cars/mazda/miata/2019/2019-mazda-mx-5-miata-club-first-test-review/

Most of today's family cars with a V6 have nearly 300 HP and
would likely smoke the old muscle cars.

No sir, I mean in the quarter. Just over 144mph. Although I didn’t have access to a real Dyno back then the car was put on one that was used by a couple nascar teams back in the day and was the in the neighborhood of 600hp before we put a turbo from an old Mack dump truck on it. Would launch like a rocket.

I built some very respectable cars 25 years ago, now I’m learning all this LS stuff and starting over but the Monte Carlo that I’m building should be a low 6 second 1/4 mile car

We have a 69 Z28 real deal X33 car, 69 Camaro SS clone, & a 79 camaro. Also have a 1962 bel aire (6 cylinder with 3 on the tree)4 door post with 17k original miles and some of the original paper work.

So it wasn't stock...

There used to be a show where they modernized old muscle cars. Modern engines, suspensions, interiors with old body styles. They built some awesome stuff.

79 and a 69 Camero, I loved them when I was younger but you couldn't pay to own one now. We had to work on them all day Saturday if we wanted to ride around in them Saturday night.

I'm considering getting a Mustang, Camaro, or Corvette, 2009 or newer. Are there models/years to stay away from? I've heard of (non-specific) problems with v8 Fords but guessing that may be drivers tearing them up, I don't know. Also, particular, plastic thermostats cracking leading to overheating. Are there common problems I should be aware of?

A mustang isn’t a muscle car.

68 Z/28, 68 SS, 69 RS/SS, 69 SS Chevelle 396 air car, 67 GTO convertible, 69 Chevelle 396/375 4sp, 70 SS 454 Monte Carlo (rare car). My Dad and I had all of these cars back in the 80s and early 90s. My baby was the Z/28. Kelly green white stripes, hounds tooth, tic toc tac, 488 factory gears. Won a lot of trophies at car shows with it. Man I miss them.

Now to the real question. I believe that there will never be a set of cars as sexy as muscle cars from 1962-1970. As far as power, Hemi rules, but the COPO 9561 427 aluminum motor in the 69 Camaros on headers pushed out over 600hp rw. That is raw hp, no tuner, straight carb.

Fine. It's really no longer a pony car either. Sports car, is that better?

My friend had a 1970 Mach 1 Mustang Twister Special with a Cobra Jet 428. That car would fly. Only 96 were manufactured and only 48 with the 428 engine, the other 48 had 351's. Of the 48, there were 24 manual and 24 automatics. His was a 3 speed automatic. All 96 were painted the same, Grabber Orange. So, there were only 24 cars that were built like his, as with all of the Twister Specials. His dad had actually bought the car for him and then they had someone come by and offer to buy it in the late 70's. They were facing some hard times, and he sold it. The cars are VERY sought after and will bring 100k+ now.

Once, we were going around 70 or so and he threw it in 2nd and floored it and it pinned me against my seat. I could not believe the acceleration. When he let up, he though we were doing 130+. When it was idling, if you tried to talk, it sounded like you were talking into a fan. Now that was a muscle car!!!

From stock to 600hp for an LS6 454 was a cam change and losing a quadrajet carb for something that could squirt enough gas to feed it and enough exhaust to let it out, but no, it wasn’t stock

I had a 1971 Mach 1 with 429 cobra jet, 4 speed and factory air it was 1 of 103 and only had 35,000 original miles. I sold it 3 years ago and paid for a wedding. Man do I miss that thing.

Are you still married to her?

So you took a stock LS6 454, swapped the cam, the carb and added some headers? and an exhaust system and laid down 600 rwhp on a Nascar dyno?

That's impressive seeing that you were making more than this $12,000 427 aluminum crate motor...

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...tbQ5GywzyN3-XNmpWarar-MNpGRoC6ksQAvD_BwE

It makes you kind of wonder if it was so easy, why GM and Ford, weren't making 600hp, sub 10 second 1/4 mile cars back in the late 60's with all their engineers they had on staff and all the resources they had at their disposal, such as full racing programs, etc... And why it's taken them (and Ford) 50 years to start selling 600hp sub 11 second cars.

Actually if you do a little research you’ll find that it was all about appeasing the insurance companies. Chevrolet and Dodge both WAY underated HP of 69-72 engines for that very purpose.
The sticker in the window for an LS6 chevelle or corvette stated 375hp but was often dynoed at over 500 in fact many of the 454 badged cars actually had 402 big blocks that in reality had 485 hp some of the hemi motors had over 550 and were advertised at less than 400

Just for the record still today they sell 400-600hp vehicles that can be tuned to over 1000hp with a laptop, and by do you think they do that?

I’ve read that before. If I was rich I’d be a classic mopar guy. But then again I’m not weird as hell. Them mopar guys are very different!

That’s an all aluminum small block.