Sixties Sleepers: A Short Guide
Do car enthusiasts under 30 even know what a sleeper is? Judging by the insane addiction to decals, body kits and windshield murals witnessed over the last few decades, it's hard to tell. In case you're unfamiliar: sleepers are cars (and sometimes trucks) that are unassuming in appearance but will blow the doors off a competitor. "All go and no show", if you want a catchphrase. In the States, the Chrysler 300 series - specifically, the '55 C-300 and the '57 300C - were the first cars to have a traditional/luxury pedigree but a powerful, track-ready engine. A high-end executive hardtop pumping out 300hp was a novel concept in the Fifties, and with the introduction of the storied Hemi V-8, the 300 series would be America's fastest production car for years to come.
1955 Chrysler C-300
From there, everyone from amateur weekend warriors to Big 3 execs jumped into the business of taking nondescript cars and turning them into hot rods. Superchargers, turbochargers, blowers, the history has been laid out countless times. While the list of classic sleepers through the decades is long, there are plenty that tend to fly even more under the radar. Here are three examples from the Sixties that prove you can indeed make Grandma's daily driver a freak on the street.
1969 Chevrolet Kingswood wagon
Long thought of as the uncoolest of cars, at least until the minivan was conceived, the family station wagon was a ubiquitous sight across America throughout the postwar boom. Its size and status meant most tuners didn't even think of it as a potential road rat. Not everyone, though; some creative types saw the optional 454 V8 under the hood and got to work. All the '69 Kingswoods came with a 3-speed manual transmission as standard equipment, and while its weight might be detrimental there's plenty of non-essential parts to lose; hell, removing the second and third rows will save you over a hundred pounds easily. Aesthetically, yes it's still a station wagon but the Kingswood retains some of those classic Chevy lines that made it such an appealing brand in the Detroit heyday. You can still find decent examples for sale under $5K, just look out for high mileage.
1968 Ford Ranchero 500
It doesn't have the same rep as its hybrid cousin the El Camino, but the Ranchero (which beat Chevy to the "car/truck combo" market by 2 years) always had great style and also boasted some monster power plants over the years. As a mid-'68 option, Ford customers could get a Ranchero 500 with the 428 Cobra Jet V-8, one of FoMoCo's most powerful engines in the classic muscle car era. With a basic paint job and no additional insignia, no one would know the jalopy hauling 2x4s could also turn the quarter-mile faster than most Mustangs.
1961 Ford Galaxie Starliner
The Galaxie Starliner, which only lasted 2 production years, was the fastback version of Ford's popular Galaxie line. It had the fastback, aerodynamic design that was all the rage during the nation's space race salad days, but still had the sluggish 289 Y-block V-8 left over from the Fifties. In 1961, the Galaxie Starliner was offered with 3 versions of the new 390 they were putting into the Thunderbird, with the top line engine putting out 375 horsepower. For a nice looking but very non-intimidating car, it was a godsend for sleeper enthusiasts.
From the Buick Grand Nationals of the Eighties to the more recent Mercedes S600 (a V-12 with 493HP and 500 ft-lb of torque??) sleepers still exist and will continue to do so as long as car guys and gals appreciate substance and speed as much as style.
What are some of your favorite nondescript speed demons?
