Bankers might not strike you as gear heads. “They crunch numbers all day. What do they know about cars?” But think about it this way: Successful finance professionals make a lot of money and have business relationships with people who buy cool automotive toys all the time.
Pardon the pun: Bankrate.com decided to give its two cents about the seven greatest muscle cars. And great news, GM fans. Four of them are from The General!
The 1967 Pontiac GTO is the first one that pops up. The website respects its rebellious nature within General Motors, a bad boy streak which began in 1964, but picks the ’67 model for its ram air-aided 360-horsepower V8.
Next up is the Camaro ZL1, circa 1969. Bankrate is fond of the rare car’s deceptively powerful and revolutionary aluminum-block 427.
Then, there’s the 1970 Buick GSX Stage 1. The uncharacteristically styled and unique luxury bruiser “produced a hefty 510 pounds-foot of torque.”
Chevy’s 1970 Chevelle SS 454 is last. Specifically, the 450-horsepower LS6 version with the four-barrel Holley carb. Bankrate compliments its styling, but gives it the highest praise of all by saying, “It was the last great gasp of the muscle-car era.”
Rounding out the list is the 1968 Plymouth Road Runner Hemi, the 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 and the 1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
