5 of the most American vehicles to wear red, white, and blue
On this Fourth of July, we’re taking a look back at some of the most America-centric vehicles ever sold. These are the cars and trucks that leave no doubt as to their origin and purpose.
You might think that it would be easy to just drape the stars and stripes over any car, but the U.S. flag code frowns on that practice. That’s why one of the Corvette’s crossed flags uses a Chevy Bowtie and a fleur-de-lis rather than the U.S. flag. However, that hasn’t kept manufacturers from showing their patriotism in other ways.
As you’ll see by the last car in our list, it’s up to interpretation … and it runs deeper than a couple coats of paint.
Racing livery AMC Javelins
AMC had “American” right in its corporate name, so it’s no surprise that it raced its sporty Javelin in a livery inspired by the stars and stripes. The Javelins that Mark Donohue raced on the road courses all across North America wore bold swaths of red, white, and blue and a similar paint scheme was offered to the public. Donohue’s 1971 effort in a tri-colored Javelin like the one seen at the top of the page gave the brand its first Trans Am series victory in 1971, and George Follmer backed it up for the brand in 1972.
1969 AMC SC/Rambler
AMC offered another red, white, and blue racer at the same time as its Javelin pony car was tearing up road courses, but this one prowled the streets and drag strips. The Hurst SC/Rambler used a 390-cubic-inch V-8 that breathed through an aggressive hood scoop to churn out 315 hp. The wilder of the two patriotic paint schemes, the one shown here is known as the “A” trim, distinguished by its red flanks. The SC/Rambler package also included subframe connectors, larger diameter sway bars, and disc brakes, so don’t let anyone tell you that muscle cars were only about straight-line speed.
1972 Ford Mustang Olympic Sprint
Few events bring a country together like the Olympics, and Ford’s celebration of the 20th Olympiad included Sprint packages were offered for the Pinto, Maverick, and Mustang. The blue rocker panels and hood stripes are accented by red pinstripes, and twin stars-and-stripes shields adorn each quarter panel. Inside, white vinyl seats received blue cloth inserts with red piping inserts, while the door panels were all blue. The darker rockers really fit these bigger fastback Mustangs and give them a sleek look.
1975 GMC Indy 500 Edition
It may seem a bit strange that an open-wheel car race has an official truck, but the Indy 500 is one of America’s most loved and historic races, and pickup trucks are perhaps the most quintessentially American of vehicle classes. The resulting mashup gave us strobing blue and red stripe graphics on a white background—a rather flashy look from GMC, as if the brand had pulled a page from the early ’70s Mopar muscle playbook. That’s OK by us. They’re a rare sight today, but fans of GM square-body pickups have created some impressive homages lately, keeping these Indy 500 Editions alive for new fans.
Dodge Viper (any of them)
There’s something inherently American about Dodge—the mid-range brand from the smallest, scrappiest member of the Big Three—building a bespoke engine and chassis for a no-nonsense sports car as rowdy as the Viper. Even though Dodge did have input from Lamborghini on casting the huge aluminum block, the resulting engine, which grew to more than 500 cubic inches, could hardly be more American. It’s basically a race small-block V-8 with two extra cylinders, and it managed to power the Viper to lap records across the globe. Weak sales proved downfall of the unapologetic and unforgiving Viper, since Dodge refused to offer an automatic transmission (to its everlasting credit). Even though the Viper is no longer in production, the fact that the final generation of the Viper was its most gorgeous and highest performing offers some solace.
As with any list, there are always some holdouts that don’t get their due. There are plenty of Bicentennial editions that we could have added to this list, but which ones would get the nod? You tell us: Which car or truck was (or is) the most unabashedly American?
#003 Corvette Grand Sport and any Heritage Edition
Yes immediately thought of 96 grand sport
Did you forget the Chevy “Spirit of 76” version that was a one year offering. In celebration of our 200 years.
Agree….Impala, Nova and Vega….inside and out….
Yes, the Spirit of 76 was actually on the 1974 models. My father came close to purchasing a new 74 Impala Sport Coupe Spirit of 76, white with white painted wheels.
I had a 1974 Nova Spirit of 76 that was definitely Red white and Blue.
It was actually called the “Spirit of America” package not “Spirit of 76” and was offered 1974 Chevy Impalas, Novas and Vegas.
https://novaresource.org/ads/74soan.gif
The Dodge Viper? And Dodge “inherently American”?. Tell that to Stellantis and Mercdes Benz.
Somebody in your roganization has his or her head on backwards.
Viper was before them.
It has got to be the AMC SC/Rambler.
By the way, AMC did offer the tri-color Javelins as an option from the factory!!!
Hagerty missed Chevrolet Spirit of America Series Vega, Nova, Impala. I had a 74 nova.
Hagerty missed Chevrolet Spirit of America Series Vega, Nova, Impala. I had a 74 nova.
You have my sympathies.
1973 CJ-5 Super Jeep. Iconic, All-American to the core, and yes even V8 muscle.
1974 Spirit of America Impala, Nova, and Vega by Chevrolet! C’mon, guys!!!
Of the choices, the SC/Rambler is the most patriotic of the group while being available to a much broader public audience than race specific cars.
The Mustang subtly screams USA but doesn’t have the big impact. For a factory decal package it’s a beaut.
I love the squarebody trucks but looking at those strobe stripes everyday would give me headaches, lol!
Viper? Pointless on this list. I’m not a Corvette ‘fan’ but I do like some of them. That would have been a better ending, at least it is America’s sports car!
Happy 4th of July my American friends. Have fun, keep it between the ditches!
I agree with everybody about the Viper. What the hell is it doing here? I do not understand this. Why was the 1974 Spirit of America Nova not included? It was very American.
There is no way in Hades that the Viper belongs in this list!
I am almost certain that Ford has offered various Mustangs through the years that sported more obvious Red, White, and Blue color schemes that the 1972 that you chose here?
Little know Ford Fact Mustang along with several others used the same white base but Red stripes and a red maple leaf. Both AMC and GMC did similar colours for other Canadian and international events
We are indeed kissing cousins. Canada Day on July 1 and Indépendance day July 4.
Maybe these days things are a little different but there are still parties that start on July1 through to July 4 at boarder towns and auto towns. This year Detroit/Windsor we’re big.
As a kid I loved the AMC Javelin paint scheme. I even painted my bike to look like that.
I ran the same paint scheme on a pinewood derby car. It was fast!
Around the time if our Bicentennial, several manufacturers had patriotic offerings. They seem to have been retired shortly after the celebration.
I like the Viper as much as the next guy, but the color scheme is red, white, and blue, how? If you’re going to put a Mopar in there, how about the Spirit of 76 Plymouth Duster? It was tastefully done, but that Mustang paint scheme sure is nice also.
1976 Chevy Nova with the bicentennial paint scheme. My dad had one and it was really cool. Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of it. I have been looking for another on and off for years…
Actually, that was the “Spirit of America” package on 1974 Novas (and Impalas and Vegas), not 1976.
https://novaresource.org/ads/74soan.gif
1976 Novas has the “Medalist” package to commemorate the 1976 olympics. There was a “Gold Medalist” Nova and a (silver) “Medalist” Nova for 1976.