After seeing that absolutely bitchin’ 1969 Impala SS that Mike Musto got to drive for Big Muscle, our gears started to turn. We haven’t seen big cars…really big cars…as muscle cars unless they were from the factory and perfectly restored. Why not? They were supposed to be the pinnacle of the model range, the flagship car, right? That, by default, would offer up some of the best options of the day, and of course some of the biggest motors available off of the lines. The downsizing trend of the late 1970s and early 1980s saw the full-size cars shrink down to what had been mid-size levels, but they were still big enough to qualify for full-size status, but as time went on the species died off, with the Ford Panther platform calling it quits a few years ago. With that in mind, we threw together a list of some of our favorite full-sizers. Power isn’t everything with this list….oh, who the hell are we kidding…

11. 1969 Mercury Marauder X-100

Mercury ran the Marauder name three times…once in the early 1960s on the Galaxie’s twin, and more recently on the hot-rodded Grand Marquis, but the second generation, and specifically the X-100 trim, is what catches our eye. The hidden headlight/loop bumper look is classy, the fastback look works on the massive Merc, and with bucket seats, a floor shifter, and most important, the available 429ci V8, it could back up the sporty appearance. Unfortunately, those rear fender skirts were standard equipment…

10. 1950 Oldsmobile Rocket 88

In the grand scheme of things, the Oldsmobile Rocket 88 doesn’t get nearly the due it deserves. Replacing the Oldsmobile 78 and it’s straight-eight engine, the concept of what a muscle car should be (a powerful V8 in a medium-sized chassis) was born here. The 303ci V8 was enough to turn the otherwise sleepy Oldsmobile into one of, if not the, first NASCAR track terror. Hell, it had a song written about it two years after it came out. Not many cars get that kind of praise.

9. 1996 Chevrolet Impala SS

By the 1990s, full-size cars were an endangered species. Horsepower levels were still at the bottom of the barrel and unless you had a connection to get an honest-to-God police car, you were stuck with a wallowing land barge that was embarrassing to be seen in. Chevrolet had a decent package with the B-body Caprice, but the 1991 restyle was…well, we will be nice and call it “fugly”. GM gearhead Jon Moss saw the potential, however, and worked some magic on the 1992 body. For the next three years, the Impala SS made owning a full-size car cool again…right up until GM axed the body in favor of more Tahoes. Way to go, GM, good call…

8. 1965 Pontiac Catalina 2+2 421

With the exception of 1966, when it was it’s own model, the 2+2 designation meant that you bought the most sporting version of the big-boy Catalina. Think of it as GTO XL…you could get the 389 and 421 V8s with or without the Tri-Power option, and towards the end of the 2+2 run you could even get the big 428 Pontiac as an option. And, of course, you could get those awesome Kelsey-Hays 8-bolts.

7. 1958 DeSoto FireDome

DeSoto was in serious trouble by 1958. Like the rest of the Chrysler lineup introduced in 1957, they were plagued with build quality issues, and it didn’t help matters that rumors were swirling that indicated that the brand would be shuttered. So, in the hopes of bringing in customers, DeSoto threw the proverbial kitchen sink at the lineup: The new 361, an early iteration of the Mopar B-series big block, one of the biggest color palette option lists available, and all to no avail. Three years later, and the brand was gone, with Chrysler Corporation HQ informing dealers via telegraph that Plymouths and Valiants would be better products to sell.

6. 1999 Ford-Roush Crown Victoria “Cobra Vic”

Not exactly a production car, but since the factory put them together, what the hell. It’s a Cobra-motored, manual-transmission-equipped special favor from Ford to Bob Bondurant, who wanted cars that he could scare the shit out of teach passengers in. They received upgraded cooling systems, roll cages, a handbrake, a driver’s side Recaro seat, and enough horsepower to really screw with the heads of fourth-gen F-body owners. If you have any kind of inkling towards a Ford product, want something roomy, and see one of these up for sale (there are 18 of them), BUY IT.

5. 1967 Lincoln Continental

Two words, folks: “suicide doors”. The 1967 Lincoln isn’t small, but it’s presence is huge. So is it’s weight, which for the 1967 four-door droptop was listed in the factory advertising at a boulevard-crushing 5,712 pounds. Good thing that the smallest engine available in the lineup was the 430ci Mercury-Edsel-Lincoln block. Big, bold, and in the right hands, brash: the picture car is actor Dax Shepard’s personal 1967 Continental, seen in the movie Hit and Run.

4. 1958 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser

Brute horsepower is not the Turnpike Cruiser’s reason for existing. Instead, this was the flagship of Mercury, and as it’s name indicated, was meant more for rolling around on the new highway system. It was everything that Mercury could throw at a car, from the “twin-jet” air intakes on either side of the upper windshield frame on coupes and sedans to the roll-down rear window. Chrome was added by the ton, power was enough to make the car move (and that’s about all you really needed) and all of the gadgets, from the automatic seat positioning system to the average speed indicator, would keep you entertained. We’d take the drop-top version, mostly to get rid of the “twin-jet” intakes. It would mean taking the continental kit, though…

3. 1971 AMC Matador “The Machine”

Confused about the name? Don’t be. After 1970, American Motors decided that using a name that had connotations to the Civil War might not be such a great idea and renamed the Rebel “Matador”. While AMC was content to refer to the Matador as a mid-size, the truth was it was on the same “Senior Car” platform as the top-of-the-line Ambassador. The Matador “Machine” is one of the lowest production muscle cars ever made (the max number suggested is 70), required a four-speed manual trans, and out of that minuscule production, only two have been found and documented.

2. 1970 Buick Electra 225

The beauty of the big-block Buick is that for people growing up, this was a more realistic introduction to power than getting a barely-used Road Runner. Instead of an irresponsible muscle car, you could just borrow Grandpa’s Electra 225, head out to some random hidden road, and plant your foot, and the big-block would proceed to spin the tires to your heart’s content. It wouldn’t be fast like a Gran Sport, but the power would still be more than enough to pin you to that overstuffed bench seat.

1. 1970 Plymouth Fury

Technically, we could say the entire 1969-1970 full-size Mopar line goes here, but we picked the Plymouth Fury for a couple of reasons. One, the models ranged from a Slant Six/three-on-the-tree stripper to the 440 Six Pack cars (two exist!), and we can’t forget the Pursuit models, which along with their Dodge Polara sibling were THE police car for nearly three decades. The C-body Mopars have legendary body strength, good power, enough room to shove several fat gangsters into the trunk, and a tow rating that could rival full-size trucks. In big-block form, the Fury could easily live up the reputation it’s name provided.