Forgotten cars that may be cool

There are a lot of cars out there, that for whatever reason didn't sell well when they were new, but are a great bargain used. In the musclecar realm, these can be great finds. Here's a few that people don't think of but offer tremendous bang for the buck. # 1. 1973-75 Pontiac Grand Am. Touted to have the "Performance of a Trans-Am and the luxury of a Gran Prix" this car tanked for two reasons. It was introduced at the height of the 1973 Arab oil embargo, and performance buyers bought T/A's and luxury buyers bought GP's.  However, if you want a high-performance GM A-body, they are a screaming bargain. 400 cubes standard all years and a fair number had 455s. Wrist-thick front and rear sway bars and "Radial Tuned Suspension" make them awesome handlers. # 2. 1973-74 Olds Omega. Often overlooked, these have the classic ( 68-74 ) "Nova" body that everyone wants, and quite a few have the 350 Olds "Rocket" 4bbl V8. Just about any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Camaro, Firebird or Nova will fit these. Or you could swap in a 403 or 455 pretty easily and have a real sleeper. # 3. 1974-76 AMC Matador. These new for '74 coupes actually had modest success in NASCAR racing, thanks to the swoopy, fastback body. With 360 or 401 cubes under the hood, they can be made to move pretty good too. # 4. 1977 Olds 442. "The Last of the Mohicans"-The final 442 to be based on the Gm "A" body with an engine larger than 400 cubes. Any speed parts that fit a 350 Olds will fit a 403, and swapping the stock 2.56:1 axle ratio for a 3.23 or 3.42 will work wonders for performance even with a stock engine. Or you could swap in a 455 pretty easily. Richard Petty's last Daytona 500 victory came in this bodystyle after he switched from Dodge to GM.  Of the zillions of Cutlasses that were built this year, more than 11,000 had the 442 package, so you may be able to find one in decent shape.  # 5. 1987-92 Lincoln MKVIILSC. These cars had a racy body, a badass monchromatic paint job, 16" wheels and low-profile tires, Recaro-like seats, and the snarling 5.0 Mustang engine under the hood. Just about anything that fits a Fox-bodied Mustang or an '80's T-bird fits these cars, so aftermarket performance support is great.  # 6. 2003-2004 Mercury Marauder.  Based on the Crown Vic police interceptor-it goes beyond "Cop tires, Cop shocks,...."  with 18" tires and wheels and the snarling 302 hp 4.6 liter V8 pirated from the Mustang Cobra. It also has a high-stall converter and Auto Meter guages in the custom leather interior. These were bitchin' cars, but Ford never promoted them, and then wondered why they didn't sell like the Impala SS they were supposed to compete with. #7 2004-2006 Pontiac GTO. The best car no one bought. The heart of a 'Vette, the handling of a BMW and the styling of a Rental car.  GM hoped to sell 18,000 a year, they never did. '04 models have the 350 hp 5.7, the '05-'06 models have the 400 hp 6.0.  I have seen these as low as $8200 at auctions.  These may be just the ticket if you want something unique for a good price. Mastermind