The Best Of American Muscle Cars

When you think of a car that is born tough, incredibly masculine and delivers high-performance, actually you are thinking of a muscle car. All these attributes and many such others are known to be a part of the classic muscle car, and those who own one can readily agree with all the above. Since a long time, the muscle cars are thought t be some of the classic examples of the era when American automobile production had reached its peak.



These classic American cars, with all their sensual aerodynamic design and remarkable suitability for events such as drag racing, have helped them to attain a fame that has earned it a place in the history. Moreover, these cars are regarded as one of the signature vehicle design movements of modern automobile history.



The design of the classic American muscle car is all about power and appearance blended together to produce a stunning vehicle. It is contrary to the conception that classic muscle car emphasized power over appearance. A look at the classic muscle car can stop you in your tracks and a drive will take you to a different world.



And this is why the American muscle cars developed a craze among car enthusiasts. Looking at the design elements of the muscle cars, you will find that these vehicles have bigger engines than conventional cars, and are in fact bigger than the average sports car, and are bounded by the toughness of the frame that other cars can only envy. A typical Muscle car is the one which is made in the years between 1964 to 1973.



Among the most popular models of the American muscle cars are the Dodge Charger, the Chevrolet El Camino, and the Plymouth Road Runner and the Ford Mustang. In addition to these cars the Ford Fairlane 500, Ford Torino, the Mercury Montego, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, Pontiac GTO, Firebird, and Tempest, Olds 442, American Javelin, Plymouth ‘Cuda, and Dodge Challenger and the Charger are some of the highly adored American Muscle cars. Presently, the only Mustang and Corvette have retained their designs whereas the Dodge Charger has restructured as a four door muscle car along with its sibling, the hot Dodge Magnum wagon.



The American muscle cars won the record of topping the popularity charts just after their brief introduction to the market. The market penetrating factor was the popularity the racing trend among the youth, which was the only emerging segment in terms of spending power at that time.



Riding on the racing euphoria, the muscle car manufacturing companies began to design tougher cars that appealed to the sense of aesthetics that the youths had and combined it with technical and performance features that made them suited for street racing.



Meanwhile the implementation of the new designs and technical upgrades resulted in doubling the costs of the car, many companies eventually developed “budget muscle” models that compromised some of the performance and design aspects in favor of reducing costs. This was the right move as of now, both the classic muscle car and budget muscle car designs were accepted into the market and began to drive their way into the American youth’s mind.

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American Muscle Ford Dodge And Chevy

Back during the 1950s through the mid 1970s, Detroit automakers produced several cars that were out and out “muscle” cars. These types of vehicles shared the same characteristics: they were two door coupes with souped up engines, responsive transmissions, an aggressive exterior design, and a sporty interior. High fuel prices and changing tastes eventually limited sales to the point where only a few models were produced beyond that period of time. Today, muscle car mania is back, despite even higher gas prices. Thanks to the Ford Mustang and to a lesser extent to sedan and wagon models from Dodge, there is new interest in a category long given up. The future is bright for the muscle car segment as one more manufacturer, Chevrolet, considers bringing back one of its darlings of yesteryear, the Camaro.



Besides the Ford Mustang there were a whole host of vehicles produced that at one time or another might have been considered a muscle car. In addition to the Mustang, the Ford Fairlane 500 and Ford Torino did duty; the Mercury Montego was another model; Chevrolet produced the Camaro and Corvette; Pontiac the GTO, Firebird, and Tempest; Olds the 442; American Motors’ had its Javelin; Plymouth had the ‘Cuda, and Dodge produced the Challenger and the Charger. Today, only the Mustang and Corvette survives although the Dodge Charger has returned as a four door muscle car along with its sibling, the hot Dodge Magnum wagon.



Interestedly, it took Ford’s redoing of the Mustang for the 2005 model year to stir the current muscle car era craze. Styled after Mustangs built in the 1960s, the current Mustang embraces a retro look while incorporating contemporary technology. The result has been that the Mustang currently sells its entire 150,000 model capacity without incentives.



The Mustang has been inspiring DaimlerChrysler to go ahead with a retro cruiser of its own. The Dodge Challenger concept car, appearing at auto shows across the USA, has been a huge hit and Chrysler plans on bringing the V8 hemi powered model back in 2009. In addition, General Motors is considering giving its blessing on the Camaro, another car also making the rounds of the USA auto show circuit.



So, isn’t it silly to bring back such gas hogs? Back during the early 1970s, the then current crop of muscle cars averaged only 10-12 miles to the gallon around town and 15 or 16 miles per gallon on the highway. Thanks to computer technology and efficiency, even the Corvette returns a highly respectable 28 miles to the gallon the highway. So, although fuel mileage will certainly be lower than many other models, the new group of muscle cars will still better the previous generation cars with fuel mileage 80% or more above the cars from the 1970s.



Fortunately, we still live in a fairly free country and what the consumer wants, the consumer gets. So, V8 powered muscle cars mated to 6 speed manu-matic transmissions, with sport handling, bucket seats, and better fuel economy will likely appeal to many. No, they won’t be exact duplicates of yesterday’s muscle cars, but they will provide the nostalgia and power that motorists seek. I can’t wait!

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3 American Performance Cars

Bear with me as I step back in time to formulate what I believe are three terrific American built performance cars: the Ford Mustang, the Dodge Challenger, and the Chevrolet Camaro. Currently, only the Mustang is in production with the Challenger coming back by 2009. GM hasn’t committed to building the Camaro just yet, but the company is likely to make a decision in favor of the car and its sibling, the Pontiac Firebird, by this summer. So, what is it about American performance cars that set them apart from the rest? In one word: muscle. Read on as I compare and contrast these three vehicles and share with you my feeble attempts to explain the culture behind the cars.



So, you think I forgot the Chevy Corvette and Dodge Viper when talking about performance cars? No, I did not. Both models are performance cars as well as race cars. On the other hand the Mustang, Challenger, and Camaro are mass produced performance cars with muscle. There is a difference in the way a typical race car handles, rides, and performs vs. a muscle car.



Typically, a muscle car was a coupe version of some of the larger cars that were pervasive on U.S. highways in the 1960s and 1970s. The Mustang and Camaro, however, were designed separately [although they both heavily borrowed parts from other models] and these “pony” cars were a category all to themselves. For comparison’s sake, they join the Dodge Challenger, a performance version of Mopar cars of its time. All three were compared by critics of that time and all three will once again be compared in a few years when production has been ramped up.



Ford Mustang — Step back in time with me to April 1964 to an era when America was heavily involved in the space race, Lyndon Johnson was president, and General Motors ruled autodom. Ford, for its part, had been nipping at GM’s heels for years, but the failed Edsels of the late 1950s had cost the company dearly. Still, it was the time of the New York World’s Fair and Ford used the fair and television technology to promote its newest offering, the Mustang. A 2+2 coupe borrowing parts from the Fairlane and Falcon, the 1964

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