2012 Kuwait Concours d’Elegance – day 2 (part 2)
Muscle Beach, Kuwaiti Style
By Imthishan Giado
Muscle car enthusiasts, keep your defibrillators on standby. These are the cars competing for glory at the Kuwait Concours D’Elegance, and as you’re about to find out, they’re all mindmeltingly stunning.
The muscle car section is judged separately from the main Concours event, although it’s certainly held to the same rigorous standard.
Here are some of my favourite picks.
This 1970 Plymouth Barracuda, restored by exacting detail by its Kuwaiti owner is slightly less well known than the Mustangs and Camaros that you’re all familiar with, but no less worthy. Built on a shorter version of the B-Body platform that underpinned the full-size Charger and Challenger, it was designed for younger buyers chasing performance without needing a city block to park.
Of course, if it’s Chargers you want, it doesn’t get much better than this 1968 R/T, painstakingly restored by owner Abdul Rahman right here in Kuwait. It’s packing a 383 under the hood matched to the rock-of-ages 727 TorqueFlite transmission. For those Dukes of Hazzard fans among you, this is the car that featured in the famous series. The look stayed in production until 1970, and the only way to tell them apart is the tail lights; four brake lights for the early cars, and round hockey sticks for the 1970.
Maybe Sir’s tastes run towards the GM side of the fence? Got you covered, with this utterly evil looking 1972 Buick GS Stage 1. They say that in stock form, it produced 360bhp from its 455-cubic 7-litre V8. Fuel-efficient? Not likely…
The 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird was originally developed specifically for NASCAR racing, and with its wild aerodynamics and incredible – even by today’s standards – performance, remains one of the desirable muscle cars of the era. This immaculate car remains completely as it left the factory, right down to the vinyl roof and seats and the original Sublime colour.
Here’s the Superbird’s dad – the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona. If you’re thinking, “hey, aren’t they pretty similar…?” you’d be right. By the way, that big wing and rounded nose cone are completely functional – they keep it planted on the long NASCAR straights. Can you believe it only has a three-speed automatic?
You knew one of these would have be there. The real deal 1967 Ford Shelby GT500, seen here in period-correct Highland Green. You wouldn’t mess with it even today, thanks to the 428 Police Interceptor big-block engine that produced a ridiculous 460lb ft of torque and ‘just’ 355bhp. If you dared to build one up even further, 600bhp wouldn’t be out of the question…
More stories from Kuwait Concours
For a full set of images from the 2012 Kuwait show, click here
2012 Kuwait Concours d’Elegance – day 1 (part 1)
2012 Kuwait Concours d’Elegance – day 1 (part 2)
2012 Kuwait Concours d’Elegance – day 2 (part 1)
2012 Kuwait Concours d’Elegance – day 2 (part 2)
2012 Kuwait Concours d’Elegance – day 3
Jinnah’s Rolls-Royce 1924 Silver Ghost wins in Kuwait Concours d’Elegance
Kuwait Concours d’Elegance – Results and videos
Kuwait Historical, Vintage and Classic Cars Museum
King Hussein’s Porsche 959 at Kuwait Concours d’Elegance
2012 Aston V12 Zagato Unveiled (with video)
Win Ferrari F40 scale model signed by the guy who designed it!
