Five of The Most Popular Cars Chosen for Restoration

Naming five of the most popular cars that people restore is no easy feat considering all of the beautiful classics that are out there. Restoring a classic automobile is also a matter of taste and even though some cars may have a grille that only a mother could love, someone, somewhere out there probably had one in high school and longs to restore one for the sake of reclaiming some of those lost memories. On the other hand, there is also that person out there who longed to have one and didn’t, and in adulthood has likely found the means to acquire some rare automobile that for some reason, they find superbly beautiful.

On second thought, naming only five cars is probably too short of a list, but there are a certain few that dominate classic car shows and the late night strips where those engineering folks who pour their blood, sweat, and tears into their rides show off their various choices of restoration projects. Listed below are five of the most common restored cars that you’ll see on the road and at car shows all across the world.

1. Ford Mustang

   
   by stevoarnold via Flickr

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   Ford has made a lot of beautiful automobiles over the years but one above all others has captured the hearts and minds of car enthusiasts, the Ford Mustang. The desirability of the Mustang isn’t simply limited to any one generation either, since it’s debut in the mid sixties the car has remained a favorite among car lovers even to this day. The newest incarnation of the Mustang is a throwback to the glory days the Mustang Shelby’s and those original designs that reinvented the way people looked at cars in general.

   The classic lines of the sixties Mustangs were also combined with some of the most powerful engines on the road in those early days, the V8 engines are the most popular choice for installation into these cars and amongst the most common is the 289″, and the 302″. These engines were the mainstay of the Mustang design over the years, though later models did incorporate more power for those with a true need for speed, and a desire to have their heads thrown back against the stylish leather bucket seats. The 351″ is also a common power plant found in these cars, as is the 390″ in some cases, but most desirable of all is the Cobra Jet 427″, an engine found in only a select few of these machines.

   As the Mustang evolved it did face certain challenges over the years, some of these coming from the competition and their desire to beat back the Pony car as one of the top selling automobiles of all time, but another challenge that they faced was in the form of emissions control policies and the influence of gas prices upon the installation of these large gas-guzzling engines. Ford combated these challenges well, and although the Mustang changed a great deal throughout the seventies, the eighties marked a new dawn for the Mustang. With the staple 5.0 engine installed on most models, from the mid eighties until today the Mustang has again risen to the ranks of being one of the most desirable cars to own.

   It is also quite common to see these cars out on the drag strip as well, sporting over-sized rear tires, increased engine sizes, and hood scoops that almost obliterate the view of the strip in front of them. With the debut of the new 500 horsepower Mustang GT just recently, it has proven that it is a mainstay of the Ford fleet and an automobile that justly dominates the top of this list.

2. 1934 Ford Coupe

   
   by Jukka Peura via Flickr

   Another favorite among Ford enthusiasts is the 1934 coupe, which in many cases becomes the ‘34 Roadster. These cars were popular for their adaptability and in the early days of hotrodding they were perhaps the most popular choice. This was partially due to their low price, but also because of the unlimited potential these cars possess.

   You may see the roadster with a top or without, with the hood and side panels in place, or without, chrome plated from head to toe, or blacked-out with a dull coating that has a character all its own. These cars were, and are still, so popular that many of those seen today are built as recreations, or “kit cars”. It is also common to see any combination of the above mentioned features, sometimes even sporting large side-pipes that deliver ear blistering tones.

3. Chevrolet Camaro

   
   via Wikimedia Commons

   A great rival of the Mustang, and another car that could easily top this list, is the Chevrolet Camaro, and as is the case with the Mustang it is not simply one generation of these cars that appeal to car enthusiasts. The Camaro was introduced in the mid sixties and quickly became a popular choice for those seeking both power and style from their automobiles.

   Chevy wasted no time in pumping up the power output of these machines, with the 350″ power-plant reigning supreme on the drag strip in those early days. Also offered in a select few of these cars was the 396″, which today may be a rare find when searching for one of these cars to restore, although it can easily be said that finding one of these that hasn’t been restored yet may be a feat in itself.

   Throughout the seventies the Camaro maintained its popularity through various changes in the body styling and like the Mustang, re-emerged in the eighties as one of the most popular performance automobiles available to consumers. The nineties were also good for the Camaro, with a new body style that floored the competition, and with power to match. Although dropped from production for a few years in the new millennium, the Camaro again has emerged as a powerful and desirable car to own, and as is the case with many of its rivals of the sixties and seventies, its lines have reverted back to something similar to those of its early models.

   Today car enthusiasts pack these machines with engines ranging from the classic 350″, the 454″, and even a beast known as the 502″, but the power doesn’t stop there, with modifications and specially equipped power packages the options are limitless when it comes to what kind of power-plant you may find in any given Camaro.

4. Chevrolet Chevelle

   
   by r.modys via Flickr

   Another infamous Chevrolet that has dominated the strip for decades is the mighty Chevelle, a car that doesn’t play around when it comes to power. The Chevelle is a beautiful car to look at from the outside and there is no doubt about that, with a larger body than many cars of it’s day, its a well built machine with a rear end worth drooling over. One look under the hood however, and your jaw is likely to hit the ground. These cars were equipped with one of the biggest production engines of it’s time, the 454 cubic inch V8, an engine that begged to be revved into it’s highest rpm range.

   Like the Camaro, the Chevelle enjoyed early success but because of their size and enormous powerplant, the energy crisis of the seventies spelled the end of this beautiful machine. Though it did have some sister designs, such as the Malibu, and the Laguna, the Chevelle was a beast in a league all it’s own. With power unmatched by anything but perhaps the most well-built hot rods, the Chevelle was a sight to behold and today is one of the most popular attractions at car shows all over the country.

5. Pontiac GTO

   
   via Wikimedia Commons

   The final car to make this list is one that reigned during the early sixties almost exclusively, the Pontiac GTO. Not only was it loved and respected, but it even had songs written about it. The GTO was one of the first cars to sport a high horsepower rating accompanied by stylish lines. The GTO was equipped with a number of powerplants and burned up the strip with it’s sleek lines and light body package.

   The GTO is a true beauty, and as is the case with the Mustang and the Camaro, or any of these cars for that matter, it could easily top this list. The GTO cannot be easily written about however, you have to see one with your own eyes to truly understand the appeal of these machines, so get yourself to a car show and check one out yourself, just be sure not to drool on it, the owner may be flattered, though not appreciate it.

   Many of you are no doubt questioning perhaps not the integrity of this list, but what automobiles are absent, most notably, the import cars that over many generations have challenged the power of the American muscle car. There simply are too many to choose from to limit this list to anything less than perhaps twenty cars, if not more.

   Some that would perhaps make your own personal list would the the 1957 Chevrolet, the Chevrolet Impala of almost any year, the Ford Galaxies, and let’s not forget the Mopar family. Those poor Mopar guys are so often overlooked, despite the mighty Hemi’s that they sport under the hoods of their Challengers or Chargers.

These are but five of the many cars you’ll see at car shows and cruising the strip, but as the saying goes, “to each their own”, believe it or not there are even some fans of the infamous Edsel out there, though they may still be in the closet in their love of that particular model. In the future this list may warrant a “Part 2″, but as it stands, here are five of the most popular cars that enthusiasts have restored for many years.