From the earliest days, the vehicles built by Chrysler Corporation earned a reputation for advanced design and fine dynamics (think of the 1928 Plymouth's hydraulic brakes and high-compression straight-six engine), and those traits found new relevance in the 1960s, when even Chrysler's economy-minded platforms were engineered to offer better-than-average performance from the start. The innovative Valiant spawned the compact and sporty Barracuda -rapidly eclipsed by the Mustang- but this A-body fastback would evolve to contain ever-more-powerful V-8 engines, and in E-body Barracuda, 'Cuda, and Challenger forms, would peak with the legendary 426 Hemi. The Dart, which graduated from "senior compact" to midsize B-body, would spawn the sporting 340-powered Swinger and Demon, and even the F-body Aspen and Volaré of the 1970s had era-appropriate performance-themed variants. All these vehicles and more are covered in Marc Cranswick's Mopar Muscle: Barracuda, Dart & Valiant 1960 to 1980 . This new 176-page hardcover takes a refreshingly broad view of Chrysler's fast fleet, covering everything from the economical Slant Six Valiant up through the 21st century Hemi V-8-powered cars. In the appendix, the author makes special note of hot variants like Mr Norm's Dart GSS, the drag racing Dodge and Plymouth "Mopar Missiles," and even Chrysler-powered exotics like the Swiss-built Monteverdi and France's Facel Vega. Readers will enjoy Cranswick's detail- and specifications-packed text, his inclusion of notable characters, and this book's wealth of period and modern illustrations. It's a great historical overview worthy of your shelf.

- Mark McCourt, Hemmings Muscle Machines.