The 1967 GTO is my benchmark for the golden era of American muscle because it represents the moment before things got complicated. Before the insurance surcharges made big-block cars expensive to own. Before the emissions regulations strangled the engines. Before the safety regulations added weight.

A 1967 GTO 400 with the Tri-Power option — three two-barrel carburetors on an aluminum intake — is a legitimate 360 horsepower in the factory trim. The four-speed manual with the Hurst shifter is the correct transmission. The red-line tires and Rally wheels are the correct visual package.

This is what American muscle was before the market and the government changed it. The cars that survive in original condition are time capsules of a very specific, very brief era.