The Chevy Impala models of the 1960s offered a long, sleek, and imposing appearance that few modern cars can hope to replicate. Although some have poked fun at the yacht-like size of two-door cars of this era, none can deny the head-turning presence of the sweeping lines of a classic Impala. These cars especially stand out today, with their lengthy proportions and big V8 engines contrasting strongly with roads filled by bland 4-cylinder compact cars.

Classic muscle cars were built for speed, whether it was at the drag strip, on a road course, or between stop lights on the street. These days, with many of them restored to immaculate condition and prices climbing higher for preserved examples, it's understandable that most of these cars live more relaxed lives than they did in the '60s and '70s. However, Chris Thompson still takes his 1969 Super Bee on cross-country road trips and often puts the pedal to the metal at the track. Every horsepower under the hood of this muscle car still gets used to the fullest.

Every classic car restoration project has to start somewhere. A very small handful are immaculately-preserved survivors that need minimal work, but the majority of unrestored cars from the '60s are a at least a little rough around the edges. Some, like this 1964.5 Mustang, developed substantial amounts of rust that might scare off less-ambitious buyers. But Ken Vela and Leisha Gremillion put in the time and effort to rescue this classic Ford and restore it to its original beauty.

Many of the great muscle car innovations were born from a desire to beat the competition at the drag strip. In the early '60s, automakers were cramming the largest and most potent V8 motors they had into ordinary production models, then stripping out weight, upgrading suspension components, and installing wider tires to create specialized track cars. Such was the case for Chrysler when its engineers took a 1963 Dodge 300 and dropped a Ramcharger 426ci V8 under the hood.