Contributed by Russ Muller Photography
American Graffiti asked, “Where were you in ’62?” Last time, my question was “where were you in ’71?” This month I ask, where were you in 1967? Lots of good things were going on in 1967, including my birth…Music was changing from the bubblegum sound of the early sixties to something more psychedelic. The Summer of Love, hippies, and getting high were some of the highlights (no pun intended). In the automotive world, cars were getting cooler, more stylish, and faster. Let’s take a quick look at three, one from each of the Big Three:
Dodge Charger
Introduced in mid-1966, the Charger was based on the B-body Coronet. It was designed to appeal to more mature buyers than, say, a Mustang, as pony cars were seen as something “for kids.” Available with either a 318 cubic inch V-8, a 383 or the 426 hemi, the Charger quickly became a formidable performance car. This Charger belongs to my friend Gerry. The car was ordered with a High Performance 325 horsepower 383 4-barrel, A-833 4-speed transmission, 3.23 Sure-Grip 
rear axle, Rallye suspension, tinted glass, variable speed windshield wipers, 11-inch heavy duty brakes, chrome road wheels, Music Master AM radio, and both console and stripe delete. The scheduled build date was April 19, 1967. It was approximately number 12,041 of 15,788 1967 Chargers built (according to information from the 1966-1967 Charger Registry), and Gerry was told that it is one of 601 4-speed cars made that year. It is a true survivor, sporting the original drivetrain with just over 76,000 miles, original paint and original interior. Everything, including the beautiful (but quirky) electro-luminescent dashboard still work.
Chevrolet Corvette
1967 was the last year for the C2 Corvette. One easy visual queue to identify a ’67 is the single reverse light, mounted between the taillights. Corvettes had a special relationship with NASA astronauts through the Apollo years. Thanks to Jim Rathmann Chevrolet in Melbourne, FL, NASA astronauts were given the 
opportunity to spec out a new Corvette and lease it for $1/year. Neil Armstrong had this car for a year, then traded it in on a 1968 convertible Corvette. The car itself is a Marina Blue coupe, built in the St. Luis assembly plant. It is equipped with the L-36 390 horsepower 427 cubic inch V-8, M-21 four speed transmission, 3.23:1 rear, air conditioning, power steering, power brakes, power windows, tinted glass, and AM/FM radio. The odometer reads 38,148 miles. The car is currently owned by a gentleman who has kept it in unrestored, original condition and brings it to various shows to share its space history.
Shelby G.T. 500
Okay, this one did not come directly from Ford. In 1967, Ford offered their Mustang with the 390 cubic inch engine. Ford also built a 428 cubic inch engine based on the same block, just with a bigger bore and stroke. Carroll Shelby wanted more engine than the 289 he had used in his early cars, so why not use the 428 in a Shelby Mustang? The engine was rated at 335 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque. That idea became the Shelby G.T. 500 in 1967. This particular example belongs to my friend Tara. It’s one of 2,050 fastbacks ordered as a G.T. 500 in 1967. It’s one of 1,376 ordered with the 428 Police Interceptor/4-speed 
combination and is one of only 255 with factory air conditioning. The car was ordered with power steering, power front disk brakes, fold down rear seat, AM radio, A/C, and tinted glass. The 9” rear came with 3.25:1 gears. It was a late production car, built by Ford in May of 1967 and completed by Shelby in July. This car was sold to a doctor in Venezuela, but before being exported the 428 was removed and a 427 side-oiler was installed. The 12.5:1 compression 427 was the race engine that Ford had previously put in the Fairlane Thunderbolts. The engine was conservatively rated at 425 horsepower and 480 lb-ft of torque and came with dual Holley 600-cfm 4-barrel carbs and a solid lifter cam.
Cool music, cool cars, and me. All in all, I’d say 1967 was a pretty good year…
