While the last 100 years, give or take, have churned out plenty of amazing cars, there are still some unique rides that fly under the radar. So we were excited to see the responses when the following question was posted on the Summit Racing Facebook and Instagram pages:
What’s an Underrated Car That Deserves More Attention?
And we were NOT surprised to see the number of reader contributions quickly hit triple digits. From obscure pre-war classics to some interesting picks from the so-called Malaise Era, you certainly like your cars with a bit of Rodney Dangerfield flair.
As we always do, we pored over the responses and tried to whittle the list down to 10 of the best ones—though admittedly we had to make some concessions when talking about specific years, makes, and models.
Take a look at the Top 10 List below and see if you agree with the choices…if you don’t, then give us an earful in the comments section at the bottom of this article.
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10. 1968-82 Chevy Corvette Stingray C3
“They are starting to catch on more, but they are still very cheap platforms to buy for a fun build.”
Ethan B.
Quite a few folks offered the 1968-82 Corvette up as a solid choice, and we’re inclined to agree. Aside from the early 1968-72 chrome bumper cars (which typically carry significantly higher price tags), the later years of the Corvette C3 Stingray Generation can still be relatively affordable.
Available with T-Tops or (up to 1975) a ragtop, thanks to V8 power, an independent rear suspension, and plenty of aftermarket parts support, the Stingray Corvettes from the so-called Malaise Era still fly under many enthusiast radars.
For now, at least.
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9. 1974-78 Ford Mustang II
“Very underrated, sometimes to the point of hatred.”
John F.
Though John’s assessment sounds harsh, he’s not wrong. Some gearheads consider the Mustang II the pony car’s nadir.
But here’s the thing, it was a really strong seller for the Blue Oval at the time, and perhaps can be credited with keeping the Mustang nameplate alive during an era when many other performance cars (cough*GTO*cough) faded away. And aside from a short hiatus, the Mustang II still offered V8 power, a manual four-speed, and T-tops—as well as the potent King Cobra package during its Swan Song.
Also, don’t forget that the Mustang II gave hotrodders a revolutionary self-contained front suspension/steering/disc brake assembly that is still incredibly popular today. Plenty of reasons to put it on the list here.
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8. 1990-98 Eagle Talon/Mitsubishi Eclipse
“They’re ‘Cheat Codes’ on the dragstrip.”
Ross Esposito from RIPP Superchargers.
Any time someone mentions the Eclipse/Talon DSM twins, we’re reminded of that quote Ross offered during a past OnAllCylinders podcast. His point was, with all-wheel drive and a rev-happy turbocharged four, these cars could humble a lot of V8-powered American muscle in the quarter-mile.
Yet at the same time, the Eclipse/Talon twins arrived just as the import tuner scene was set to explode in popularity and, thanks to the demise of the Eagle brand coupled with the North American retreat of Mitsubishi, these cars are often left out of the performance discussion once the sport compact market matured.
If you want to learn more about what makes the Eclipse and Talon so special, check out this article.
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7. 1965-69 Chevy Corvair
“2nd generation Chevy Corvairs! Handle great, still cheap.”
Ryan R.
“Don’t know why they get so much hate.”
Chris H.
Though the misconceived handling controversy surrounding the Corvair has been widely debunked, the stigma has remained for decades. And that’s a crying shame because, as folks like Don Yenko would tell you, the Corvair makes an excellent race car. But even before any performance modifications, Chevy offered showroom buyers plenty of oomph—including one of GM’s first forays into turbocharging.
And the Coke-bottle styling of the Corvair’s 1965 refresh? *Chef’s Kiss*
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6. 1968-72 Buick GS
“I always got “Nice Chevelle.’”
Joe W.
The shadow cast by Chevy and Pontiac was immense during the musclecar’s golden era. Not only did GM crank out a bazillion Chevelle and Tempest/Le Mans coupes during their respective production runs, the LS6 SS & GTO were some of the few cars that made 426 Hemi owners nervous.
That meant that the other GM A-Body cousins often get overlooked. Oldsmobile Cutlass notwithstanding, the Buick GS easily warrants inclusion in the pantheon of great muscle cars.
Though the Gran Sport badge began a few years prior, most Buick faithful will say the GS hit its stride with the 1968 A-body refresh, culminating in the incredible 455-powered GS and GSX Stage 1 that debuted in 1970.
And in case you were wondering, the GS Stage 1 made plenty of GTO & Chevelle SS owners nervous too.
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5. 1985-89 Merkur XR4Ti
“World renowned, but somehow everyone here has no idea what it is.”
John J.
John, that’s because Ford failed the first rule of marketing a car to the American public: Give it a cool name.
Indeed, not only were buyers confused as to what a Merkur was (it’s “Mercury” in German, by the way), the XR4Ti alphabet soup that followed it was even more perplexing.
The worst part, it was a pretty cool car if you gave it a chance. Derived from the Ford Sierra in Europe, it came Stateside to be sold as a Merkur through the FoMoCo’s Lincoln-Mercury dealerships. It had a fully independent suspension and a turbocharged version of the venerable Lima four-cylinder.
How fast was it? The XR4Ti could cut mid-15 ETs—back in 1984!
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4. 1949-52 Crosley Hotshot
“1949 thru 1952 Crosley automobile, first with 4 wheel disc brakes.”
Tony W.
(Breathing excitedly into a paper bag.) We….gasp…will never….gasp…miss an opportunity to talk about Crosley.
As an upstart economy car manufacturer from The Queen City, Crosley Motors led with plenty of innovations, including four-wheel disc brakes and an overhead cam engine with a bevel gear-driven camshaft—in the 1940s!
More interestingly, its plucky Hotshot sports car beat the Corvette to the market by several years, and a Hotshot took the checkered flag at the inaugural Sebring endurance race back in 1950.
Sadly, changing consumer tastes and a booming 1950s economy meant the market for small cars waned, taking Crosley Motors with it.
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3. 1989-97 Ford Thunderbird/Mercury Cougar MN12
Look, we’re not being lazy. Raymond will do a better job at explaining why these cars rank so high on our list here:
“MN12 Thunderbird and Cougar, cheap to buy and they can be had with a 3.8 V6 supercharged engine and manual transmission or a 5.0 HO v8 in 1991-93 (and after that a 4.6 V8). It accepts bolt-ons from the Mustang and can also mix and match with the Lincoln Mark VIII. They also accept modern Coyote swaps.
“They definitely look good stock, but look even better with subtle body improvements, two-door and RWD.
“Why these still fly under the radar and get sold for pennies on the dollar in good shape is beyond me.
“I absolutely love them.”
Raymond S.
We should’ve sent a poet, Raymond.
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2. 1973-77 GM A-Body
“1973-77 GM A-Bodies. Full frame, rear-wheel drive, most had V8s in them, great starting point for someone to get into the hobby.”
Ryan R.
“The 1970-80s Olds Cutlasses were beautiful cars with power. I never see them have any recognition.”
Jeanmarc L.
While Jeanmarc may be alluding to the later G-body Cutlass Supreme too, there was a quiet murmur of appreciation for the GM Colonnade cars of the 1970s when combing through the comments.
But there’s a catch—thanks to gobs of parts support and the long-hood, short-deck silhouette, folks are no longer overlooking these Malaise Era coupes. The popularity began with the rediscovery of cars like the Chevelle Laguna S-3 and Pontiac Can-Am, but it now encompasses all the GM A-bodies from that timespan.
In other words, much like the Corvette C3 Stingray that kicked-off this list, the whole “under-rated” label may soon expire on these cars.
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1. 1978-83 Ford Fairmont
When talking about Fox Bodies, the Mustang is definitely the “Airwolf” to the Fairmont’s “Blue Thunder“.
Sure, the Mustang is more popular but, in some ways, the Fairmont is superior.
For starters, Blue Thunder…errr….the Fairmont came first, released a year prior to the Fox Mustang in 1978.
It’s also a slight bit longer which, depending on the type of performance build you’re doing, often has some advantages.
More importantly, given the aura of the Mustang, you’ve got a better chance of picking up a Fairmont on the cheap.
But best of all, there’s a ridiculous amount of parts interchangeability between all the Fox platform cars–including the Fairmont Sedan and wagon—which means you’ve got a smorgasbord of aftermarket performance parts to choose from.
In other words, you’re able to build a wicked-fast Fairmont and still have room for some friends and a weekend’s worth of autocross or track supplies.
So no offense to Ernest Borgnine, we’re putting the Fairmont at Number One on our list here.
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Honorable Mentions: Like, Literally Every AMC Model, Ever
Just stop it.
Every single time we assemble one of these reader contributions posts on overlooked, under-appreciated cars, engines, or companies, we have to endure the tedious task of filtering through dozens upon dozens of AMC comments—Every. Single. Time.
Problem is, we can’t have all these lists comprised entirely of AMC products. So once again, we find ourselves kicking out awesome suggestions like The Machine, SC/Rambler, and heck, even the Gremlin X and the SX/4.
…Which is especially heart-wrenching for us, because we really, really, REALLY like American Motors around here too.
That said, here’s just a bulleted list of just a sliver of the AMC mentions you offered up as the “Most Under-Appreciated” cars in history.
- “From a performance standpoint AMC did pretty good.” – Randy H.
- “AMC, either Rebel or The Machine.” – Geoff M.
- “Jeep Comanche Pickup” – B.J. N.
- “AMC Eagle” – Josh G.
- “The AMC line up. Gone but not forgotten. Doesn’t get enough love.” – Steve K.
- “AMC Eagle. It would be selling now that Subaru has them.” – Brent S.
- “Small body AMC cars: Gremlin, Hornet, Concord, and Spirit.” – Andrew P.
Oh, we’re not done yet…
- “AMC AMX, all years.” – Glenn Y.
- “68-70 390 AMX” – Donnie G.
- “AMC Javelin. They could be had with a 401 and a 4 speed.” – Brian E.
- “AMC Pacer” – Justin B.
- “AMC Javelin” – Richard M.
- “AMC Rebel” – David C.
- “AMC AMX” – Michael S.
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So, what’d we miss? Plenty of other awesome rides narrowly missed the top 10 here, including cars like the Falcon, 4th-Gen. Camaro/Firebird, and the Z31 300ZX. But did we overlook a serious underdog here? Let us have it in the comments section below.
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