2024 Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals

The holiday season has begun! To most of the country, it starts with Thanksgiving, but to muscle car enthusiasts, it starts with the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN). More than a decade old, MCACN is situated not far from O’Hare Airport in suburban Chicago, making it an easy place to fly in and out of. However, if that’s how you roll, you may learn your lesson and decide to shack up at one of the hotels across the street from the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center because there’s so much jaw-dropping goodness inside that you’re going to want to spend both days there.

The ClassicCars.com Journal was there to show you what you were missing. To paraphrase Bette Davis, fasten your seat belts because it’s gonna be an awesome ride.

Detroit Steel Tubing was contracted to offer a $3,400 conversion for the 1963 Ford F-100 pickup that included a dual-quad 427. This is the only one known to have been converted. After a brief stint in metro Detroit and touring the drag racing circuit, it ended up in Delaware, where it continues to reside.

Hunt Palmer-Ball bought this 1967 Shelby GT350 when he was only 19. As the last of the Hi-Pos, this Shelby currently has only 8,631 miles.

Remember that preposterous Car and Driver article in which a Pontiac GTO went against a Ferrari GTO? And then, 35 or so years later, when it was revealed that the Goat was powered by a Royal Pontiac-massaged 421 HO? This is that very car, a centerpiece celebrating the 60th anniversary of the GTO.

Here’s two GTO Judges: a 1970 painted Verdoro Green and a 1969 painted Cameo White. The former has a Ram Air IV, while the latter features a Ram Air V transplant.

Ram Air IV Judge convertibles are the holy grail for Goats and there were seven in attendance, plus one of the three convertibles built with a 455.

The GTO’s kid brother, the GT-37, was introduced mid-year 1970 and lasted through 1971, playing the role of both Pontiac’s Road Runner-fighter and its cosmetic supercar, the latter being true because a 350 two-barrel was standard. This all-original 1971 features the 455 HO, making it one of 54 built.

The Class of 1969 celebrated 55 years of history, so it was only natural to find a number of ’69s at MCACN. This 1969 Plymouth Barracuda features the Mod Top with a matching interior.

Both the Mercury Cougar and Ford Mustang were redesigned for 1969. Although they featured different standard engines, the top engine option (aside from the Boss 429) was the 428 Cobra Jet. Only 39 Cougar XR-7 convertibles were built with the Q-code CJ (meaning no ram air) and an automatic transmission. The Mustang features an R-code CJ (meaning ram air) with the Drag Pack, turning it into a Super Cobra Jet.

Oldsmobile‘s high-performance engines came into their own in 1969 as they were marketed as W-Machines. The W31 was a 325-horsepower 350 that had a habit of upstaging more powerful machinery. This old race car is an F-85, Oldsmobile’s bottom-of-the-line A-body. Note the 1969 Chevelle SS 396 to its right.

The year 1969 also marks what is likely the most popular Camaro model year. Here’s a nice selection, from stock and Day 2 Super Sports to a COPO and a pair of Z/28s.

Even though it’s a 1969 Road Runner, this Plymouth was not part of the Class of 1969. Rather, it was part of a celebration of A12-equipped Road Runners and Super Bees. All were built with a 440 six-barrel, no wheel covers or hubcaps, a fiberglass hood with the most efficient hood scoop ever, 4.10 gears, and other hi-po goodies.

Local Buick scenester Ajesh Parikh always brings the goods. For 2024, he delivered a swarm of Stepchild Nation cars, aka 1968-69 Buick Gran Sports. This is a 1968 GS 400 convertible.

Compare the red ’68 with this ’69 GS 350, which may possibly be the first muscle car to offer ram air as standard. Aside from the Motor Wheel Spyders, this Gran Sport was equipped with a floor-shifted three-speed manual.

Have you checked out Buick GNX prices lately? This car has been hot ever since it became the fastest American car of 1987. Of course, all of them were black, but one of the fabricators at ASC (who handled the conversion) used the prototype parts on a white Regal T-Type and his friend at McLaren helped with the engine mods. As part of a GNX display, this car was done as a photo negative of a GNX, so it’s known as the GNX-RAY.

This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the Class of 1974. Among the Malaise-era muscle was this quartet of Pontiac Firebird Formula 455s with the Super Duty engine, of which 58 were built. The blue one is a “regular” Formula 455 with ram air, which doesn’t have the shaker hood scoop that was required with the SD engine.

The Camaro Z/28 made its last appearance in 1974, then took a break for several years. Note the Gran Sport Stage 1 Sun Coupe next to it.

Bob Perkins curated this Pinnacle Certification display featuring the top-judged FoMoCo cars in the country.

However, they all didn’t have to be Boss 429s, as you can see from this picture featuring 1969-71 Mustang Mach 1s in descending order.

This 1972 Mustang SportsRoof doesn’t look like much, but under the hood resides a 351 HO, which was Ford’s low-compression version of the Boss 351. It was rated at 275 net horsepower, more than what was offered by several engines with 100+ more cubes. All were four-speeds with 3.91 gears. Out of the 398 HOs built, only 30 were SportsRoofs.

A small group of 1950s flyers were clustered together, ready to take off into the nether regions of the sky. The assorted cars included a 1960 Chrysler 300-F, 1959 Dodge Custom Royal, 1958 DeSoto Firesweep, 1959 Pontiac Bonneville, and 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air.

What movie did this 1955 Chevy appear in? If you said Two-Lane Blacktop, you would be correct. If you said American Graffiti, you also would be correct.

Ryan Brutt’s Barn Finds & Hidden Gems is historically the most popular display at MCACN. There are still finds to be made, as can be seen by the cars here: a fuel-injected Z06 1963 Corvette big-tank car, 1968-69 Charger R/Ts (the ’69 has a Hemi), a 440-6 1970 ‘Cuda, and more hot Mopars.

On this end of the Barn Finds display, I spy a 1970 Dodge Coronet R/T convertible, 1971 AMC Hornet SC/360, 1972 Hurst Grand Prix SSJ, and 1970 Rebel Machine, with a 1968 Cyclone CJ and 1968 Hemi Coronet R/T convertible hiding behind them.

The Studebaker Legends display never fails to strike gold. The fans of South Bend’s favorite wagon company are close-knit and have a museum with plenty of documentation to show the lineage of many interesting cars, such as this 1963 Avanti R2 and 1964 Super Hawk R2.

If this lowly 1964 Dodge 330 looks funny, it’s because it’s missing the inboard headlights. That’s what Dodge did to reduce the weight for its aluminum-fendered Race Hemi vehicles. This particular car was one of several race cars in the Factory Lightweights display.

Let’s not forget that General Motors also produced several lightweights before its self-imposed racing ban early in the winter of 1963. This Super Duty 1962 Pontiac Catalina was campaigned by Lane Moak Pontiac in Jackson, Mississippi.

If you know your racing history, you’re aware that manufacturers were forced to offer special race equipment to the general public, which meant the Race Hemi had to be available as a Street Hemi. Dodge introduced the friendlier 426 in 1966 in models such as this Coronet 500, one of several cars displaying the heritage of the Hemi.

In 1968, the Chrysler Corporation teamed up with Hurst to build a handful of Race Hemi-powered Barracuda fastbacks and Dart hardtops. This Barracuda was the mule developed for production. Note the Dick Landy 1970 Challenger behind it.

Big Pontiacs were not ignored at MCACN thanks to the Pontiac 2+2 display. As the GTO’s big brother, the 2+2 was produced from 1964-67 (and through 1970 for the Canadian market), with the 1967 being the rarest and most enigmatic. That was the year Tri-Power no longer appeared on the options sheet, so both the standard 428 and 428 HO featured the new Rochester four-barrel.

You’ve likely seen our coverage of the Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race in the past. Several participants brought their cars to MCACN to show the rest of the cars on display that yes, Virginia, you can look good and go fast at the same time. Here’s a 1968 Camaro Z/28, 1970 Oldsmobile 4-4-2, 1970 AAR ‘Cuda, and 1970 GS 455.

Did you have a cool car in high school? And do you still own it? That was the premise for the High School Reunion display. Imagine still owning this 1970 Challenger R/T, 1971 Barracuda, or 1972 Challenger Rallye!

The High School Reunion was heavy on the Chevy, which may have been typical in High School USA. Here’s a 1968 Camaro RS and 1969 Camaro Z/28.

The Malaise Era Muscle display was a hit several years ago,. This year, it focused on F-bodies. Hard to disagree that they’re hot even though they may not be under the hood.

MCACN originally started out as a Corvette and Chevy show, but my how it has evolved! Nonetheless, the best Corvettes in the world always grace the convention center’s floor. These ’67s hold the distinction of being Triple Diamond cars, meaning they have won several of the top Corvette awards.

These C3s also are Triple Diamond winners. As you can see from this Elkhart Green ’72, Corvettes don’t need to be big-blocks to achieve desirable status.

If your car is a survivor and you would like it recognized by experts, then Vintage Certification is the display for you. There are several levels of survivor status, so don’t fret if the screw in your hose clip is not the correct one. As you can see, this LT1 1971 Corvette and 1968 L88 Corvette were among several survivors that included a 1969 Hurst/Olds, LS6-powered 1970 El Camino SS 454, and 1972 Plymouth Duster 340.

Several years ago, I hosted a display of Cobra Jet FoMoCo products. My friend Dan Pausch hosted the Black & White Formal Attire display, which featured black Mopars with white interiors. Here’s a 1970 Plymouth Road Runner convertible and 1970 AAR ‘Cuda. Of course, the AAR featured black strobe stripes, creating an interesting effect on its black flanks.

The AMC crew in Chi-Town is strong and the Nash Nutz display never disappoints. Hidden among these 1971-73 Javelin AMXs was a 1970 AMX with the Shadow Mask and a very rare 343 four-speed Rambler Rogue.

These cars will never survive without the interest of people spanning all generations. Younger enthusiasts had a place of their own at the Future Generation Invitational, where this 1988 Corvette 35th Anniversary Edition and 1980 Malibu showed that collector interest is alive and well.

Do you remember the pilot 1970 Hemi Road Runner story we ran several months ago? It was at MCACN making its debut as a restored vehicle, along with a 1969 Hemi Coronet R/T and a sweet 1968 Hemi GTX that was white with green stripes, interior, and vinyl top. All were brought up to snuff by Hodge Restorations.

Back in the day, several engineering students at MSU received a car donated by Oldsmobile and learned how to build a drag racing machine. While that car is long gone, Garner Customs & Restorations decided to build a proper replica, as shown by this W31-powered 1969 Cutlass S.

Ron McHugh raced this 1970 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 W30 convertible for Lubik Olds back in the 1970s, when it became an NHRA E/Stock record holder. He had it restored several years ago and then sold it to David Goss. David then commissioned the restoration of a replica in race regalia—a nice touch.

Several hot cars received their grand unveilings, including this 1-of-43 1973 Pontiac Firebird Formula with the Super Duty 455. Note the 1971 GTO Judge, 1969 Ram Air IV Firebird 400, and 1969 Hurst/Olds promo convertible in the background.

Another fresh restoration ripe for its debut was this Sublime 1970 Dodge Charger R/T with the 426 Hemi and other rare options, such as the “V21” hood stripes.

It seems the king of the muscle cars is the 1971 Hemi ‘Cuda, but they don’t exactly grow on trees. Here’s a freshly restored example in “GB5” True Blue metallic with the infamous “Billboard” stripes.