Inches Per Dollar: Biggest Engines for the Least Money

Mecum

“There’s no replacement for displacement.” Ever heard that one? With today’s turbos and computer wizardry the old adage isn’t really true anymore, but in the old days, bigger really was better. For people who want monster displacement on a miniature budget, we scoured our price guide to see which classic vehicles have the largest displacement engines (in cubic inches) for the least amount of money (by condition #2, or “excellent” price).

We picked one vehicle from each major American brand with an engine 400 cubic inches or larger and a sub-$20K #2 value. Most of them come out in the $20- to $30-per-cubic-inch range. For reference, on the opposite end of the spectrum, one of the worst deals in displacement per dollar is the Porsche 356A GS/GT Carrera Speedster, which has a 97-cid engine and a $1.7M value, which comes out to $17,525 per cubic inch. With that out of the way, check out the cheap choices from the Big Three below.

Curious how we come up with our values? You can read more about the methodology behind the Hagerty Price Guide here.

1975 Oldsmobile Cutlass 4-Door Hardtop Sedan

1975 Olds Cutlass Sedan School
Oldsmobile

Engine: 455cid/190hp

Condition #2 value: $11,400 ($25.05 per cubic inch)

By 1975, the Olds Cutlass was in its fourth generation, and GM’s “colonnade” styling had taken over the A-body platform. Models included the Supreme, Salon, S, 4-4-2 and Hurst/Olds, while V-8s ranged from an economical 260 all the way up to the tried-and-true 455-cid Rocket V-8.

As classic cars, none of them are particularly expensive in #2 condition, but some of the higher-output coupes will stretch past 20 grand, and the Hurst/Olds tops $30K. The most size per dollar goes to the base Cutlass sedan from 1975 fitted with the 455, though by then it was only putting out a rather malaise-y 190hp.

1971-72 Buick Estate

1971 Buick Estate Wagon
Buick

Engine: 455cid/310hp (1971) or 225hp (1972)

Condition #2 value: $9300 ($20.44 per cubic inch)

In Buick-land, “Estate” refers to the many comfy, powerful station wagons built by the company from 1940 all the way up to the mid-1990s. Buick built the 1971-76 version on the same platform as its Electra 225 hardtops, and all of them are a cheap way to get 455 cubic inches. The Estate, however, is the only one coming in at four figures in #2 condition. Fast wagons don’t have to be expensive these days, after all.

1967 Pontiac Catalina 2-Door Hardtop Coupe

1967-Buick-400cid-engine-edit
Mecum

Engine: 400cid/290hp

Condition #2 value: $10,000 ($25 per cubic inch)

The third generation of the full-size Catalina debuted in 1965. It still came with Pontiac’s signature stacked headlights and deep-set grilles, but the body sides are more curved, and two-door models have a fastback roofline. There is a Catalina “2+2” model, which Pontiac marketed as a “big brother” to the GTO, but the vast majority of these cars were more pedestrian two-doors and four-door sedans. All came with either 389-, 421-, or 428-cid V-8s.

The 400cid/290hp two-barrel-carbureted coupe is the cheapest way to get into the 400 cube club if you’re a Pontiac fan. Indeed, it has one of the cheapest dollar-per-cube ratios of any classic car.

1978 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham 4-Door Sedan

1977-Cadillac-Fleetwood-Brougham
Cadillac

Engine: 425cid/180hp

Condition #2 value: $11,500 ($27.06 per cubic inch)

The “Fleetwood” name has a rich, long, and sometimes confusing history with Cadillac, but it started with coach-built cars in the prewar years and often designated Cadillac’s larger and more expensive offerings. For 1977, though, the new Fleetwood Brougham fell victim to the downsizing that took place across GM’s product range and is lighter, shorter, and narrower than its predecessor. Its engine displacement shrank in both bore and stroke, too, but at 425 cubic inches, it’s still a beast. A somewhat tired beast that only wheezes out 180 hp, but still a beast, and one that can be had for under 12 grand.

1967 Chevrolet Impala 4-Door Sedan

1967 Chevrolet Impala 4 Door Sedan
Chevrolet

Engine: 427cid/385hp

Condition #2 value: $14,200 ($33.26 per cubic inch)

For 1967, full-size Chevys got a facelift around the same basic shape as 1965-66 but with distinctive tweaks. The Coke-bottle shape was amplified, and both front and rear fenders got a sharp-looking (literally) pinch line along the top. The ’67 Impala also retained the model’s top spot on the Chevrolet sales sheets, with 575,600 units moved. In addition to good looks, the Impala had versatility. Chevrolet sold two- and four-door hardtops, a four-door sedan, six- and nine-passenger wagons, and convertibles, not to mention the Impala Super Sport (SS). Engine choices varied just as widely.

The 400-cid V-8 in the fourth-gen Impala is actually still a small block, while big-block offerings included the 396, 409, 427, and new-for-1970 454. Unsurprisingly, values for ’60s Impalas vary widely as well, but the sweet spot in terms of cubes per dollar is the ’67 sedan powered by the L36 V-8, which in Chevy-speak denotes a 385-hp 427.

1970 Chrysler Newport 4-Door Sedan

1970 Chrysler Newport Beach
Chrysler

Engine: 440cid/375hp

Condition #2 value: $10,600 ($24.09 per cubic inch)

The 1969-73 Newport came with the “fuselage” styling that Chrysler embraced in this era. A full-size available in four body styles, it also came with 360-, 383-, 400- or 440-cid V-8s. It was a relatively luxurious and expensive car in its day, but these days you definitely don’t have to have a house in Newport to drive a Chrysler Newport. No matter what the body style or engine, all 1969-73 Chrysler Newports in #2 condition are worth less than 20 grand. The 1970 440 sedan is just the one with the most engine per dollar.

1969 Plymouth Belvedere 4-Door Sedan

1969 Plymouth Belvedere at the lake
Plymouth

Engine: 440cid/350hp

Condition #2 value: $13,000 ($29.56 per cubic inch)

At the height of the muscle car era, Plymouth’s Belvedere line was Chrysler’s intermediate-sized choice, and other Mopar favorites like the Satellite, GTX, and Road Runner all rode on the same basic platform as the Belvedere. Choices of options for Belvedere were therefore complicated, but many collectible muscle cars resulted, and Richard Petty won the 1968 Grand National championship in a blue Belvedere. Some Plymouths of this era can be downright expensive, but a basic Belvedere sedan with a 440-cid/350hp V-8 can be had on a budget if you can find one.

1974-77 Dodge D300 1 Ton Club Cab Pickup

1977 Dodge D300 440 engine
Mecum

Engine: 440cid

Condition #2 value: $14,500 ($32.95 per cubic inch)

Dodge has built a lot of cars with monster engines under the hood, but a lot of the classics are pretty pricey. The cheapest entry into Dodge’s 400 cubic inch club is actually a truck, specifically the D300 1-ton with the Club Cab body, powered by a 440 with outputs of 220, 230 hp depending on the year.

1966 Mercury Montclair 4-Door Hardtop Sedan

Marauder-V8-Angled
Mecum

Engine: 410cid/330hp

Condition #2 value: $11,200 ($27.32 per cubic inch)

Mercury offered the fifth-generation full-size Montclair as either a four-door sedan or two-door hardtop, and for 1966 it got a new 410-cid V-8 shared with the Park Lane. After 1968, the Montclair model disappeared as Mercury consolidated its full-size offerings. Most versions of the 1965-68 Montclair are very affordable today. Even the 428cid/345hp version of the ’66 sedan is worth just $12K in #2 condition.

1959 Lincoln Capri 4-Door Sedan

1959 Capri 430 engine
Mecum

Engine: 430cid/350hp

Condition #2 value: $17,200 ($40 per cubic inch)

Named for the Mediterranean island where Roman emperor Tiberius got up to no good, and not to be confused with the later Ford and Mercury Capri, the Lincoln Capri was a full-size luxury car built from 1952-59. The last 1958-59 models, distinguished by their canted headlights and scalloped fenders, were absolutely gigantic, with a 131-inch wheelbase and a curb weight of well over 5000 pounds in sedan form. They’re quite a bit of car for the money then.

1967 Ford Custom 500 4-Door Sedan

1967 Ford Custom 500 Sedan
Ford

Engine: 428cid/345hp

Condition #2 value: $12,100 ($28.27 per cubic inch)

Confusingly, Ford used the “Custom” nameplate for some of its factory offerings going back to the 1930s. During the mid-1960s, the Ford Custom was the most basic full-size two- or four-door Ford you could buy, with rather limited creature comforts and trim. Many found their way into fleet use as taxis or police cars. Today, most versions of the 1965-68 Ford Custom are cheap, but the 428cid/345hp cars offer the most engine per dollar.

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Comments

    Engines in theses cars like this are rare to start. Then they are often gone as we used to buy the old Pontiacs for the 428 and drop in a 350 Pontiac to sell the car for what we paid for it.

    Cadillac 500 were also popular. The engine was used by a number of people in the 80’s and 90’s by dropping them in A body cars. They even made an intake at Edelbrock for them. the key is not to rev over 4500 RPM.

    We went after the B-Bodies for their 421’s, 428’s & 455’s There were some of the Big Pontiacs with the Tri-Power option but most were found in the A-Body platform.

    Reading the description of the 1967 engines left me disappointed. Not in the car but in the poor quality of the research for the article. I’ve owned a small block 400, in a 1974 Monte Carlo. These engines (400, 409 & 454) were not around for the 1967 model year.

    I thought the same thing, the ambassadors and matadors were available for a few years with the 401. The wagoneer and cherokee had them also, but the value is so high it changes it’s equation to this article.

    Enjoyed the article. I have found that typically Hagerty values are fairly often a bit “hefty” ( could that be because insurance premium dollars are based on car values) but relative to this article the values actually seem a bit light. Four door cars with rare options (including massive gas guzzling engines) seem to be rising in desirability and thus value. Old car enthusiast geezers not unlike this writer can pile multiple car show attendees into a four door with relative ease!

    My dad had a new 65 Ambassador with the Rambler 327 and a loaded 71 Ambassador with the 335 hp 401 and trailer towing package. He pulled 17 -21 ft camp trailers with them (in an age before SUVs). He loved playing around and would smoke the tires with the trailer hooked up. The AMC unitbodies were very rigid for the day and light. The Ambo was probably 500-1000 lb lighter than most cars on this list so the car was a blast, plus a pleasure to drive. Probably would smoke most of the cars on this list

    We now have a mild 401 in a 67 American Rogue convertible and a 70 Rebel Machine

    the biggest engine amc ever made in a production vehicle was a 401. probably the matador would qualify here. 401s were available from ’71-’74, afaik.

    I had a ’67 Montclair with a 410. If that actually had 330HP it was either a seriously overweight car or I’m the Easter bunny…

    Well the reality is the gross horsepower rating probably meant it was somewhere in the low 200’s more likely with a bunch of torque.

    My friend Mr. Google tells me that 15 to 20% is typical powertrain loss, which would put the power at the wheels at around 270, which isn’t too shabby.

    It was a 4000 lb car, but so are modern 3 Series Beemers.

    The most interesting stat is that the 330 hp peaks at 4600 RPM, and I’m guessing that engine didn’t spend a lot of time anywhere near the power band

    “Bimmer” is the correct term for a BMW car, while “beamer” and “beemer” are nicknames for BMW motorcycles.

    FYI

    Agree with “Bimmer”. I always thought the other pronunciations came from yuppies in the 1980’s as they discovered that brand.

    As a classic BMW motorcycle owner I approve this message. This distinction is important to me as it separates us from the car buying yuppies, who mostly emulated Malcolm Forbes and bought Harley-Davidson’s

    I know that BMW aficionados always bring this up, but I’ve never heard anyone say “Bimmer” in conversation. I travel in car, not motorcycle, circles.

    Good going. As a 72 y/o woman with a 2014 BMW 1150RT BEAMER with over 70K original miles, all mine, I only learned about Bimmer maybe 15 years ago. That came from a woman who drove one.

    It’s kind of hard for me to believe, but the last engine I bought was nearly 20 years ago. I was looking for a 389 to put into the ’66 GTO clone my daughter and I were building. Now at the time, one could find a small block Chevy under every bush, but a period correct, rebuildable, decent condition Poncho powerplant (at least in my neck of the woods) was pretty scarce. I finally located “a Pontiac motor” at a salvage yard in Oregon – the guy knew I wanted a 389, and he wouldn’t reveal what, exactly, he had. I bit and showed up at his place. He revealed a 1970 GTO Judge all crumpled up in a heap out back. It had rolled down the Interstate median maybe 7 or 8 times, but the motor and trans were essentially unharmed except for some accessory and external items. “It’s a 455”, he told me, “not what you wanted, but for $750, it’s yours”. I decided that if I had to make a ‘sacrifice’, it was preferrable to take a big c.i.d. engine from a Judge than a 326 from a Tempest. And boy, have I been happy I did. That thing is a torque monster! A few mods – all pretty much modern versions of stuff I used to do in the ’60s and ’70s – and it turned out to be a great combination of cruiser and bruiser.

    in 1970 the GTO had 3 engine choices… a 400 , a 400 Ram Air and a 400 HiPo. not sure how he had one with a 455 , because they didn’t come that way.

    Quoted from the Northern California GTO Club “The base engine for the 1970 GTO was a four-barrel carbureted 400 rated at 350 hp. Other available engines were the 400 cubic inch Ram Air III and 400 cubic inch Ram Air IV. The Ram Air III was rated at 366 hp and the Ram Air IV was rated at 370 hp. With GM finally lifting the 400 cubic inch corporate engine limit for the intermediate-size cars, new to the 1970 GTO option list was a 455 cubic inch engine rated at 360 hp.”

    Yes, and the 455 used the same block as the 400. Apparently, that block has plenty of meat to spare! I’m still partial to the 400, mostly because that’s what’s in my 70 GTO.

    New Jersey exempts gas-powered vehicles built prior to 1995 with a GVW of 8500 lbs. or less. (N.J.A.C. 13:20-7.2).
    Didn’t check other states.

    A lot of these cars are going to be hard to find. First off, very few of most of these cars had the big block engines and most were scrapped for their engines. Many of them were pretty nice cars that were parted out.

    I was thinking along that line too. Where could 90% of these cars be found that would not be in need of a total restoration? And why would you put big money into restoring them?

    I’m sure if you wanted a clean 4 door family sedan with a 427 or a 440, you could buy one for the money they are talking about at an action. How much would you pay?

    I bought a 68 chevy wagon just for the 427 under the hood , ran real nice in my 56 chevy 4 speed 2 door post.

    I imagine a lot of us are guilty of scrapping a nice car for the engine and transmission, I sent a very nice ambassador wagon to the scrap yard for a 401. Feel bad about it now, I drove it for a couple months before pulling the engine and transmission and it was nice. I remember the rear facing seat in the back, and how cool it was to go fishing and kick back and sit in that seat .😁

    “For 1977, though, the new Fleetwood Brougham fell victim to the downsizing that took place across GM’s product range…”

    You say that like it’s a bad thing!

    That downsizing resulted in the best GM cars of the post-WWII period.

    Absolutely. The downsized GM B/C were the rare car Detroit did right in the 1970’s. Of all the cars I’ve had, the one I miss most is my Olds 98 from that period.

    I got the privilege to buy a 77 Olds Delta 88 with a 350 -2V chevy motor in it from the factory. MY mother in law “had to have an 84 Sedal De Ville” that was a total POS. It was even in the appropriate color of LEMON yellow.
    The olds only had 30K miles on it when I bought it from her. I gave her FULL retail plus LOW mileage NADA book on it and it was a very good piece of transportation for about 5 years. I sold it at 120K for not a whole lot less then I paid for it. Wish I could buy another one like that.

    Totally agree. I bought a 1979 Fleetwood Brougham and may be the best car I’ve had. The 425 is a great, bullet proof real Cadillac engine although it’s pretty weak on acceleration but will cruise at 85 plus all day. And the ride is incredible and it actually handles pretty well thanks to the downsizing and firmer suspension with rear sway bar.

    If a person likes Mopars, all fullsize Chrysler Newports and New-Yorkers since 1970 right up to 1978 came with big blocks, ( 400CI and 440CI ), unless they were California cars (360CI) . These Newports and New Yorkers are very plentiful and cheap. Just keep the short block, put on aluminum heads, intake, Edelbrock carb and a decent cam and you have a real screamer al day long for your hot rod. U can see them do that on Roadkill with a motorhome 440CI. there really good short blocks.

    A ’67 Impala sedan with an L-36 427 for $14.2K? Not gonna happen. Same with the 428/345 Ford Custom. If a 440 was available in a garden variety Mopar B platform (NOT a Roadrunner, GTX, Charger or R/T) in 1968, I never heard about it.

    You guys need to either up your research game or cite sources for some of your more outlandish claims.

    Police cruisers. 440 dodge was common here in Ontario. Most Ford pursuits back then were 390, but a few 428s were floating around. Haven’t seen either one in the last 20+ years and if there were to be a 440 cruiser show up at moparfest in anything close to #2 condition for less than $20000 Canadian I would be surprised. a “possibly restorable” parts car with a good 440 would likely go for 3 or 4 grand.

    I do recall seeing a few ’68-9 Satellite/Coronet cop cars. Are you telling me they were outfitted with 440’s? News to me — I had thought they would have come through with 330 HP 383’s.

    Andy, you’re absolutely correct. The “cop cars” were 383 equipped. The only regular production B bodies in ’68 which had 440s were the Belvedere GTX and Coronet R/T. That’s what set them apart from the Road Runners and Super Bees. In mid ’69, the SixPack/SixBarrel was born, and it was a 440 in a B body. Also the Chrysler Newport 440 was 350 horse, not 375. Different cam, exhaust manifolds, and a single exhaust. We had one. Most were 383 cars. Having said all that, outside “regular production,” mopar did strange things. I personally saw one, count-em, one, ’69 Dodge Coronet 4 door with a 440 and dual exhausts, which I presume was a 375 horse version. An old man (to me, then. I’m probably older now than he was) special ordered it because he wanted to pull a trailer, and ma mopar delivered. Go figure.

    I’ve seen one too – with the build sheet to prove it. My boss got a ’69 Coronet 500 sedan with a factory 440 4-barrel with 18k miles on it at Barrett-Jackson about 20 years ago. Only thing on the car that wasn’t stock was a set of 15-inch steel rims with Polara wheel covers. He still takes it to shows here in SoCal.

    Dodge did offer a package choice in the 1969 coronet from the 225 slant six all the way up to the 426 hemi. All about the wallet.
    Most common were the 225 and 318 as a drive off the lot deal.
    I had a 1968 coronet all original two door hardtop ( non post) car had 78k on it. Bought it off an elderly man for $75.00 in the 80’s ” unheard of today” it had a 225 3 on the tree and blew away a 69 Camaro with a built 350 with a 400 turbo auto trans in it.

    440’s were available in B Bodies from era. Garden variety grocery getters too. You would never suspect a thing. Not a badge on the whole damn car.

    You left out the 425cu/375 hp Oldsmobile. They were available in all of the levels of the full size cars. In ’65, we had a new Starfire and it was wild. I went head to head with a ’65 421 Pontiac Bonneville and walked away from it. We were both dumb ass kids with our parent’s new cars but what a rush!

    Kind of an answer to a question no one asked. Sure I’d stuff a 430 Merc. Maraurder spec. in a two seater T-bird just for the fun of it and stay period correct. A- ‘why the hell not?’ – project even though there are countless other combinations that make more sense. The nostalgia of those days when guys hunted through junkyards looking for big block power in a wrecked station wagon. Poke and stroke ain’t no joke. Today the mountain motors are interesting. The extreme pro-stock class has 800+ cu.in. engines delivering over 2000 horse on racing gas. A modern throwback.

    Yeah, I’d have to agree. My grandfather’s last car was a 1967 LTD hardtop with 390 auto, and I’d love to add one to my collection. Unless you have a personal connection like I do, most people aren’t hunting 4 door sedans strictly to get a low-buck, big-inch cruiser.
    The fact that so many sedans and wagons were scrapped, robbed of their big engines, or sacrificed to the demo derby, and yet their values remain quite low, shows the market isn’t exactly hot to scoop up anything but probably the best-condition examples that remain.

    My parents had a 1970 T-bird with a 429 with 360 hp. They also had a 1970 Chrysler Town and Country wagon with the performance pack and a 440 with 375 hp. Those old high compression engines had pretty decent power. My Dad also had a 1973 Mercury Marquis wagon with a 460, but it was a slug compared to the Town and Country.

    4 door sedans, which most of these are, have little collector value or interest. Who cares if they are cheap. No one wants them.

    I’d rather have one of these 4 doors at a reasonable price, both because they are rarities and because the rest of you have run up the prices on all the two door ‘muscle’ cars, many of which are misrepresented clones. There are more Chevelle SS’s running around than GM EVER built.

    The term is “sleeper”. And who says nobody wants them? Every show has a million two-door hardtops and convertibles (the only cars with a chance of recouping restoration costs), but I always gravitate to the four-doors, which are most likely “survivors”.

    Yeah, no one would want one of the few built 426 Hemi four doors, and yes they were actually built, I wouldn’t mind owning one

    My father worked for a Mopar parts wholesaler in Chicago. In the fall of 1966 he was looking for a station wagon with a manual transmission. Couldn’t find one on the lots but he found at the Mopar parts depot. It was a Coronet Deluxe with a floor shift manual. Thinking he’d hit pay dirt, he checked the sticker for the specs. First he saw that the car stickered for over four grand, then he saw (he swore he saw anyway) that almost $1000 of that sticker was for the Hemi option. Dad was not known for embellishing so if it’s BS it wasn’t intentional. I’ve never seen a wagon in the 66 Hemi production figures so he was probably mistaken.
    Anyone out there know?

    Absolutely !! 4-door sedan ? {Yawn} Back in the day, you didn’t want to be caught dead in Grandma’s car or a taxicab. “And, that’s the truth”… as Edith Ann would say.

    Just because you pulled it out of the junk yard or field and made it move under its own power (‘driveable’), does not make it any more than junk. Big difference between that and #2 condition which in my book is almost perfect.

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