"The Last of the Mohicans".....Are they worth anything?....

Someone asked a viable question of me the other day-the first of anything is usually worth a lot-i.e.-a '55 T-Bird, a '64 Mustang, a '64 GTO, a '67 Z/28-etc. However-is the last model of these cars worth anything? Sometimes, yes, sometimes no. He asked me for some examples-and I thought everyone might be interested. # 1. 1973 Ford Mustang. This was the last year of "Real" Mustangs. Engine choices ranged from a 250 inch six, to a 302 2bbl, a 351C 2bbl and a 351C 4bbl. It was also the last year you could get a convertible Mustang until the mid-'80's. In 1974 the Ill-fated "Mustang II" debuted. It was based on the Pinto chassis, and the only engines were an anemic 2.3 liter 4-banger and the slightly less anemic 2.8 liter V6 out of the German-made Mercury Capri. Like with "New Coke" the public was not amused. In 1975-they offered a 302 V8-but it had a 2bbl carb and wheezed out about 135 hp. The model lasted until 1978-while GM was selling Camaros and Firebirds in record numbers. I think the Mustang II's finest moment was when a barefoot Farrah Fawcett-Majors posed on the hood of one in a promo for "Charlie's Angels". They were turds-they had no power, got crappy gas mileage, and were unreliable. The Fox body debuted in '79-but didn't get a real powertrain until-'83 when they finally put a 4bbl carb and dual exhausts on the 302 and a 5-speed behind it. All of the '71-73 Mustangs make nice drivers and the 351C has a lot of potential and parts are readily available-but there not really worth any more than any other Mustang.  # 2. 1971 Dodge Super Bee. For some reason in 1971-Mopar engineers decided to put the "Super Bee" moniker on the Charger instead of the Coronet. Engine choices are a 383 4bbl, a 440 4bbl, the 440 "Six-Pack" and the vaunted 426 Hemi. Obviously 6-pack and Hemi models are priced in the stratosphere, and 440 4bbls are getting there. 383 models can still be bought reasonably. This has nothing to do with this being the "Last" Super Bee-'71 was the last year of the high-compression mega-hp Mopars-in '72 the 10.25:1 425 hp Hemi and 10.3:1 385 hp 440 Six Pack were dropped and the biggest engine you could get in a Charger or Road Runner was an 8.2:1 compression 440 4bbl that wheezed out 280 hp. How the mighty had fallen in one year. Anyway-6,500 or so were built-and they do command a King's Ransom-but because of the engines not the name.       # 3. 1973 Pontiac GTO. I know the GTO soldiered on through 1974-but those 7,058 units were based on the "X" body ( read Nova ) Ventura platform. The engineers wanted to go back to the Goat's roots-a big motor in a stripped-down, light car. Since a 350 was optional in the Ventura and Pontiac engines are externally identical-a 400 would have been a bolt-in. The engineers wanted to put the 400 in the Ventura GTO.  And since the Ventura weighed 600 lbs less than a Firebird-it would have been a rocket. But the GM bean counters-killed it. A 400 powered 3,200 lb Ventura would have blown the doors off the 3,830 lb Trans-Am that was now the flagship-even with an SD-455, and it would have eaten the lunch of the 275 hp LS4 454 Corvette. Pontiac and Chevy brass couldn't allow that. So the GTO died a horrible death with a 7.6:1 350 V8 as it's only engine. Anyhow-the last "Real" GTO-i.e.-LeMans based and with an engine 400 cubes or more was built in 1973. 4,806 were built. Here's how bleak it was. T/A sales-quadrupled in '73 compared to '72, '74 doubled '73's sales,75 doubled '74's, and '76 doubled '75's!!  The Grand Am-which was touted to have the performance of a Trans-Am and the Luxury of a Gran Prix-sold 34,000 units-in 1973 alone. Anyhow-their not worth anything-the '68-72 models bring all the money-as with Chevelles. But if you find one at a reasonable price they have potential-there are a million ways to build power into a Pontiac V8 and any suspension or brake upgrades thar fit a Chevelle fit these cars.  # 4. 1977 Olds 442. Olds shamelessly put the "Cutlass" and "442" monikers on a variety of pieces of shit in the '80's-the low point being a front-drive, 4-cylinder Calais actually having 442 emblems on them-that's why Olds is no more. Anyhow-the last "Real" 442-based on the "A" body Cutlass platform and with an engine over 400 cubes-was sold in 1977. 12,000 or so were sold. The sad thing is no manual transmission was offered, and with 2.41:1 gears they were slugs. If Olds had put maybe 3.23:1 gears in them and or offered a 4-speed like Pontiac still did in the record-selling T/A-Pontiac sold 50,000 T/A's in 1976-and "Smokey and the Bandit" wan't released until April 1977-they might have had a real performer. Again-speed eqquipment for the 350 / 403 Olds is readily available and any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Chevelle fit these cars.  # 5. 1974 Road Runner / Charger. '74 was the last year that you could get a 440 with a 4-speed. In '75 the Charger was a re-badged Chrysler Cordoba with no manual transmission option, and the Road Runner badge was put on a Sport Fury with a 318, 360 or 400 V8, but again-no manual trans option. The Chargers bring money-because the body is unchanged from '71-and Richard Petty ran one in NASCAR until '79. For some insane reason-in '73 Plymouth engineers took the gorgeous '71-72 Road Runner and made it ugly. The '73-74 models nobody wants. Their ugly. You can buy them cheap, but their ugly.  # 6. 1974 AMC Javelin AMX. It'a funny-AMC, Ford, Chrysler, even Chevrolet killed the Z/28 for 2 years-everybody gave up in 1974. Musclecar buyers didn't go away-the Automakers stopped making cars that they wanted to buy. That's why Pontiac Trans-Am sales soared in the late '70's-if you wanted a musclecar with a big V8-you had one choice-a Trans-Am. Anyhow-in '74 you could still get a 360 or a 401 with a 4-speed or an automatic. Ironically-even though these are nicer cars-better interiors, standard front disc brakes, etc-the '68-70 Javelins still bring blood and a 1st born child. People don't care too much about these. Mastermind