5 Muscle Cars From The ’70s That Are Now Worth A Small Fortune

It’s 2026. The modern muscle car segment has dried up, leaving one V-8-powered, rear-wheel-drive nameplate in the mix. What’s worse, those fans with dreams of owning the outrageous, unapologetic, brightly-colored muscle machines of yesteryear are finding that they are simply priced out of some of their favorites. In fact, if a sought-after muscle car or pony car comes with a unique story, it might fetch over a million bucks at auction.

Take these five 1970s dream machines, for instance. Each one of them started at a few thousand dollars or so when they rolled off the line and onto local lots around the country. Now, however, everything from classic Chevrolet Chevelles to Pontiac GTOs is demanding an average sales price in the low six figures. In some cases, you could be paying the same as some states’ median home price for a collectible 1970s muscle car.

1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 LS6

Average Sales Price In The Last Year: $104,033

Mecum

By 1970, the Chevrolet Chevelle was already seven model years old and in its second generation. No one knew that the Malaise era wasn’t far away, and America’s horsepower-hungry car shoppers kept up the demand for fire-breathing muscle cars. So, Chevrolet and its rivals kept rolling out potent V8-powered, rear-wheel-drive cars. In 1970, you could get a second-generation Chevelle with a 454-cubic-inch LS6 engine pumping out 450 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of twist without the need for any sort of forced induction or electronic fuel injection.

Back then, you’d be likely to spend around $4,800 on a 1970 Chevy Chevelle with the RPO Z15 SS package. Adjusting for inflation, that rings in at about $40,100 in today’s money. That said, $40,100 isn’t going to buy you a solid, clean 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 LS6. Not by a long shot. The average sales price for a 1970 Chevy Chevelle over the last year is $104,033. As for the most recent top sale, a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 Convertible crossed the auction block at an eye-watering $770,000.

1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 LS6 Specs

1970 Dodge Challenger R/T

Average Sales Price In The Last Year: $115,540

Mecum

It’s a silhouette you simply can’t forget. Whether it’s Kowalski going full-send across the desert in “Vanishing Point,” or, more recently, the snarky Stirling Archer talking to one in “Archer,” the first-generation Dodge Challenger has been capturing attention since its advent. And the used market displays that popularity beyond a shadow of a doubt. As of last year, the average sales price for a 1970 Dodge Challenger was $115,540, with an uptick in high-dollar sales around the new year. That said, some sales skew the 1970 Dodge Challenger’s average sales price a bit.

For instance, an original example in the sought-after Plum Crazy Purple with a 426-cubic-inch HEMI V8 and a four-speed manual sold at auction for $467,500. That’s a far cry from the original sticker price on a hardtop or convertible example when it was new. In 1970, you could browse a selection of Challengers and find an R/T 440 Six Pack with a base price of $3,266 before adding options. One of those options was the more potent 426-cubic-inch HEMI V8, which tacked on a healthy $1,228 to the original price tag. Today, on the other hand, Hagerty puts the value of a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T with a 426 HEMI in #3 condition (good condition) at closer to $127,000.

1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 426 HEMI Specs

1970 Pontiac GTO Judge

Average Sales Price In The Last Year: $117,022

Mecum

Alongside the 1970 AMC Rebel Machine, it might be the most badass name in all of muscle car fandom. We’re talking, of course, about the Pontiac GTO Judge. Named for a popular skit on the late ’60s comedy television series, “Laugh-In,” the GTO Judge has become something of a collector’s item. Under the hood, the 1970 Pontiac GTO offered a library of hot, naturally aspirated V8s, including a Ram Air IV option with a 370-horsepower, 400-cubic-inch V8.

56 years ago, a 1970 Pontiac GTO started at around $3,267 for the hardtop and $3,492 for the convertible. If you wanted the Ram Air IV package, you would have to shell out an additional $558.20. Now, the average sales price for a 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge sat at around $117,022 last year, with the top sale raking in $286,000 for a convertible example with the sought-after 366-horsepower Ram Air III option. But that’s small potatoes compared to the record sale for a GTO Judge, namely a convertible with the Ram Air IV. In 2023, the rare drop-top Judge netted a $1.1 million payday at a Mecum auction.

1970 Pontiac GTO Judge Ram Air IV Specs

1971 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda

Average Sales Price In The Last Year: $214,580

Mecum

Let’s talk numbers. In 1971, Plymouth rolled out fewer than 16,500 Barracudas. Ford sold nearly nine times as many Mustangs the same year. Of those Barracudas, only 254 of them packed the 440-cubic-inch “Six-Pack” V8. Rarer still, about 114 Barracudas were delivered as the iconic Hemi ‘Cuda with the muscular, 425-horsepower 426-cubic-inch HEMI V8. In short, the 1971 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda is rare. Real rare. And, as you might imagine, that means it’s a valuable prospect for collectors.

According to Hagerty, the average sales price for the fat-tire Hemi ‘Cuda is around $214,580. That’s just the average, too. Plymouth made just 59 Hemi ‘Cudas with the four-speed manual gearbox, and only seven of those were convertibles. In short, if you want one of those drop-top Hemi ‘Cudas, you’re looking at a seven-figure sales price. Don’t believe me? A 1971 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda Convertible sold at a Mecum auction in 2014 for a stratospheric $3.5 million. That’s a long way from around $4,500 you could’ve spent on a then-new Hemi ‘Cuda.

1971 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda Specs

1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird

Average Sales Price In The Last Year: $316,311

Mecum 

It might be one of the wildest, most instantly recognizable shapes in the classic American muscle car book. The Plymouth Superbird took the angular proportions of the Road Runner and added a host of NASCAR-inspired aerodynamic kit, including the massive wing and shark-nose front end. Today, however, buying one will set you back more than the median home price in Michigan, where it rolled off the line.

In Michigan, the median single-family home price in 2025 was roughly $290,200. A 1970 Plymouth Superbird, on the other hand, had an average sales price of $316,311 last year. Like the 1971 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda, the long, sculpted, air-cheating Road Runner Superbird is a rare sight. Though concrete production numbers are rare, estimates put the Superbird at around 1,969 units for the 1970 model year. Of those souped-up Road Runners, a mere 170 units had the range-topping 426 HEMI V8 under the hood. And those rarer, HEMI-powered Road Runners are the pricier persuasion. In some cases, they can net over a million dollars at auction. For instance, in 2022, a Plymouth Road Runner Superbird in Tor Red crossed the block for an impressive $1.65 million.

1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird Specs

Not Pricier than America’s Favorite Pony Car

While some of these heavily sought-after 1970s muscle cars were able to net seven figures at auction, they’re far from the most expensive V8-powered American classics around. Take the venerable Ford Mustang, for instance. On many occasions, specialty Mustangs fetched millions at auction. Of those spendy ‘Stangs, the Ken Miles-driven “R-Model” 1965 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R takes the cake with a simply outlandish $4.07 million auction price.

Sources: Audrain Automobile Museum, CarBuzz, Classic.com, Forbes, Hagerty, Newport Car Museum