The Last of the Finest.....Know what your looking at!

Since the musclecar market has gone insane, and profiteers are building cars from junk to make big dollars, the term "Buyer Beware" has never been more relevant. I see cars advertised in Hemmings and on the Internet for big dollars that are obviously fakes-they tout options that were not available on that model or that year. Like the 1973 Challenger with a 383.  I may miss a few, but here's a list of things to remember to avoid an expensive mistake. # 1. Although they were built through 1974, the Chrysle E-bodies ( Cuda / Challenger ) did not have big blocks after 1971. From 1972-74 the only engines available were the 318, 340 and 360 small blocks.  # 2. 1972 was the last year a big-block was factory installed in a Camaro. They were 402 cubic inches, but still marketed as "SS396".  # 3. 1974 was the last year you could get a 454 in a Corvette.  # 4. 1971 was the last year you could get a 429 in a Mustang. 1972 and 73 models were the same bodystyle, but the largest engine was a 351C.  # 5. 1976 was the last year you could get a 455 in a Trans-Am. The 400 was available until 1979.  #6  The last "Real" Hurst / Olds was built in 1975. This was the last one built on the "A" body Cutlass platform, and the last one with a 455 V8. The 1979 model was built on the downsized "G" body, had a 350, and was built entirely by Oldsmobile in Lansing. The 1983-84 models were based on the same "G" body, and had an even more anemic 307 inch Olds V8.  # 7. The last "Real"  i.e.-Javelin based AMX was built in 1974. The 360 and 401 engines were still available. The 1977-78 AMX's were ( Ugh! ) Hornet based and had a 258 inch 6 cylinder or a 304 V8 both with 2bbl carburation and about 130hp . Yuk.  # 8. There is no 1983 Corvette. The 1982s had an extended model year-( Like the 1969 Camaro ) and the C4 was introduced in April 1983 as a 1984 model.  Hope this helps everyone out. Mastermind