Some "Rodney Dangerfield" One or Two Year wonders that might be cool....

Comedian Rodney Dangerfield always joked that he got "No Respect". There are a lot of muscle cars out there that for whatever reason only lasted one or two model years and are often overlooked, but can be great fun and a good bargain. Here's some of my favorites in no particular order. # 1. 1970-71 Pontiac Tempest T-37, 1972 LeMans GT. Often called "The Poor Man's GTO" the T-37 was a strippy Tempest that came standard with a 350 V8 and a 3-speed stick, but the 400 and 455 engines were optional, as was a 4-speed or a TH400. For some reason, the name was changed to "LeMans GT" in 1972, but the package was basically the same. These are a good way to get GTO performance at a lower price. # 2. 1971-72 "Heavy Chevy". These were a base-model Malibu with a domed "SS" style hood, a blacked out grille, 14" slotted Rally Wheels and decals that said "Heavy Chevy" on the fenders and rear deck. Most were 350 powered, but the 396 / 402 was available. Obviously-the Rat-Motored versions will be pricier, but their still cheaper than an "SS" model. And if you get a 350 version, besides a lower purchase price-there's more speed equipment for a small-block Chevy than anything else on the planet. 6,727 were built in '71 and another 3,000 or so in the strike-shortened year of '72.  # 3. 1973-75 Pontiac Grand Am. Based on the LeMans platform-these cars were touted to have the performance of a Trans-Am and the luxury of a Gran Prix. Unfortunately-luxury buyers bought GP's, and performance buyers bought T/A's. However-they were and are a great performance buy. 400 cubes standard all years with 455 optional. Wrist-thick front and rear sway bars and front disc brakes ( "Radial Tuned Suspension ") made them great handlers too. Dynamite if you can find one.  # 4. 1974 Pontiac GTO. Often called "The Best Nova Ever Built". For '74 Pontiac changed the GTO nameplate from the "A" body LeMans platform to the "X" body ( read Nova ) platform. The buff magazines howled to the high heavens and made fun of the car. However-they weighed about 600 lbs less than a Firebird and the 350 V8 moved them along pretty good, and they had cool syle points like a Trans-Am style "Shaker" hood scoop and a Hurst shifter with the 3 or 4-speed manuals and the TH350. A great thing-Pontiac engines are identical from a 326 to a 455-which means a 400 or 455 is a bolt-in swap, and any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Camaro / Firebird will fit these cars. How badass would one of these 3,200 lb "X" bodies be with an aluminum-headed 468 inch engine, and Trans-Am sway bars and 4-wheel disc brakes be?  7.058 were built.  # 5. 1975 Plymouth Road Runner. For this one year only the Road Runner was based on the Sport Fury platform. You got Police Interceptor suspension, a 3.21:1 Sure-Grip rear end and the famous "Beep-Beep" horn. 318 versions are dogs, but the 360 and 400 models can really run with very little work. Over 6,000 were built, so their not a moon rock.  # 6. 1982 Mustang GT. These had a 302 V8 with a 2bbl carb and a 4-speed manual or a C4 automatic. Ford guys snub these like the plague in favor of the 4bbl / 5-speed stick / 4-speed auto '83-86 models or the Fuel-injected '87-93 models. So you can buy them cheap, and a 4bbl carb and intake is an easy upgrade to get a vast increase in performance. In fact-except for the Camaro / Firebird, there is probably more speed equipment for Fox-bodied Mustangs than anything else on the market, so hopping one up is both cheap and easy.  # 7. 1982 Corvette. These were the last of the C3 bodystyle that ran from 1968-82, and the first to have the "Cross-Fire" injected 350 and the 700R4 4-speed automatic. For some reason-'Vette collectors snub these cars in favor of the carburated '81 and earlier L48 and L82 models, or the '84 and later C4 models, which means you can buy them at a reasonable price. Their performance isn't bad-mid-15 second 1/4 mile times-and again there's a million ways to build power into a small-block Chevy. I have seen these on used-car lots as low as $3995.  "Corvette" and "Cheap" don't usually go in the same sentence, but if you want a bargain on a C3 'Vette, you'll be hard pressed to find a better deal than one of these. # 8. 1980 Z/28 Camaro. For this one year only you could get a 190 hp L48 350 V8 with a 4-speed stick that had a 3.44 1st gear and a 2.28 2nd and a 3.08:1 posi rear end. This gave much better off-the-line acceleration than the previous years 2.64 1st / 1.75 2nd and 3.73:1 rear cog, and had a higher top speed and better gas mileage on the freeway. The best of both worlds. Automatic versions got 3.42:1 rear ends, which kept performance near the level of the 4-speed models. They also had "Cowl Induction" hoods-a vacuum-operated flap that opened under full-throttle acceleration and sounded cool. Since Pontiac had dropped the 400 V8s-( The Turbo 301 T/A was a dog ) and you couldn't get an L82 'Vette with a 4-speed-this Camaro was the fastest american car that you could buy in 1980. For some insane reason-in 1981 you could only get a 4-speed with a 305 that wheezed out 145 hp. If you wanted a 350 you had to get a slushbox. Why-I don't know-'81 emission standards were not any different than 1980, and oddly enough-you could get the 350 / 4-speed combo in an '81 Z/28 in Canada! If history has taught us anything-it's that GM has never made rational decisions on marketing anything.  Mastermind