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Top-10 Blue-collar bruisers

Posted August 22, 2008

10. Ford Bronco — If you can shrug off $3.30 a gallon gas, this one is all yours. The hardcore adventurist might pick early examples (ie pre-1978), but the F-100/F-150 based proto-SUV is my pick. I’ve never been much of a fan of SUVs, but I’ve always found the Bronco a visceral, take-no-prisoners antidote to the banality of the Explorer/Escape. Plus, it has room for a gun rack, a few cases of cheap beer and a deer carcass. Just make sure it isn’t a mid-’90s white model with a blood-stained interior.

9. Dodge Daytona — With its NASCAR namesake, the K-car-based ’80s coupe was a cheap, edgy — if not fast — Mopar that brought some semblance of sportiness back to the sports coupe. I’d pass on base and V-6 versions, but the Shelby-tuned Zs are worth a shot. That is if you like frumpy, flaccid front-drivers from the ’80s.

8. Dodge Omni GLH-S — One largely undiscovered performance gem from the mid-’80s, it brought the concept of the hot hatch stateside. Since it was based on the ultra-cheap Omni (shown), it didn’t — and still doesn’t — command big bucks. It differed little from its garden-variety brother, but it managed 0-60 times under the 7-second range with a blown 2.2-liter four. In case you wondered, GLH stood for “goes like hell.” GLH-S meant “goes like hell — some more.”

7. Ford SVT Lightning — With its bread-and-butter F-150 sales through the roof, Ford likely thought a performance variant — something along the lines of the Taurus SHO — was in order. The result was a git-r-dun truck with a 240-horsepower 351 V-8. Later versions of the Lightning came with supercharged 5.4-liter V-8s producing nearly 380 ponies with a lowered, street rod look. Rumors have it that, in spite of high fuel costs, Ford will have a new ground-pounding pickup in the near future.

6. Dodge Ram Hemi — While four-door pickups were coming into vogue, one underrated performer was the Ram Hemi regular cab with the short box. Without the added heft of two extra doors and an 8-foot bed, the Ram was a 340-horsepower sleeper compared with the Lightning. Colorful versions like the Rumble Bee (shown) capitalized off the Scat Pack legacy from the ’60s.

5. Chevy Silverado 454 SS — Though only produced for a couple of years, the SS made an indelible impact on sport trucks. Instead of a mildly massaged small-block, Chevy pulled an ace out of its sleeve with the 454 SS. The rat motor was a bit light on horsepower (only 230) — at least compared with its LS6 forefather — but it made up for it with 385 pound-feet of torque. The truck was available in any color you wanted, so long as it was onyx black.

4. Chevy El Camino — Is it a car or is it a truck? Who cares? This was a performer that you could take to Lowe’s. It added a much-needed macho flavor to the bread-and-butter Malibus and Impalas it was based on through the years, and you could upgrade to SS packages for even more mustard. GM will be bringing back the El Camino — at least in spirit. It’ll be a version of the new Pontiac G8 sedan called — unimaginatively — the G8 ST. Will it be a legend like the El Camino?

3. Chevy Camaro IROC-Z — Named after the International Race of Champions, this new Camaro variant channeled the spirit of the original Z/28 (now fetching Porsche prices, in case you were wondering why it was left off this list). It boasted a tuned-port injection 305 or 350 making a then-impressive 215 horsepower. Of course, nothing screams cheap (by that, I mean affordable) horsepower quite like the IROC-Z scrawled across the side in slanted letters.

2. Ford Mustang 5.0 — Don’t worry so much about Mustang GTs retailing for at least 25 large. The 5.0 can be had for much cheaper, and if you’re a tuner, it’s not difficult to coax more than the advertised 225 horsepower from the venerable small-block Ford. Somehow, the bold-lettered 5.0 on the front fenders spelled certain doom should any unsuspecting Camaro driver wanting a race. Unfortunately, the later 4.6-liter modular V-8 just didn’t bring the same thunder that the stone-age tech 5.0 brought, and somehow seemed emasculated for it. Like it or hate it Taurus-inspired styling might be trite, but it’s cheap horsepower, and what else really matters?

1. Pontiac Trans Am — Burt Reynolds drove his infamous gold-trimmed black Trans Am into automotive infamy in 1977’s “Smokey and the Bandit,” one of the most colorful, hilarious movies to come from the ’70s. The best part, however, is the monstrous “flaming chicken” on the hood backed with a hood scoop advertising the 6.6-liter V-8 thumping under the hood. While it was only good for 200 horsepower, it was enough for a sweet soundtrack — and to make a fool out of Sheriff Buford T. Justice. Just remember to remove the T-tops for the cowboy hat.

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