The Classic Muscle Car: History In Brief

Classic Muscle car is a term used to refer to a variety of high performance automobiles. However Merriam-Webster definition is more limiting, "any of a group of American-made 2-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." This term generally points out to a 2-door rear wheel drive mid-size cars, and sometimes full-size cars equipped with large, powerful, V8s, and sold at an affordable price for street use and both formal and informal racing. They are distinct from two-seat sports cars and expensive two plus two GTs intended for high-speed touring and racing. Developing on the American phenomenon and developing simultaneously in their own markets, muscle cars also emerged in their own fashions in Australia, South Africa, the UK, and elsewhere.

According to the 1967 June issue of Road Test magazine, a "muscle car" is "Exactly what the name implies." It is a manufacturing of the American car industry adhering to the hot rodder's philosophy of taking a small car and putting a BIG engine in it. The Muscle Car is Charles Atlaskicking sand in the face of the 98 hp (73 kW) weakling. Author of the book Muscle Cars, Peter Henshaw, says that the muscle car was designed for straight-line speed, and did not have the "sophisticated chassis", "engineering integrity" or "lithe appearance" of European high-performance cars. However, there are varied opinions as to whether high-performance full-size cars, compacts, and pony cars qualify as muscle cars.

Manufacturers have showcased performance hardware in limited-edition models. Chrysler led the way with an inspired blend of Hemi power and luxury-car trappings that fast became the new star of NASCAR. With 300 horsepower it was rightly publicized as 'America's Most Powerful Car. Capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 9.8 seconds and reaching 130 miles per hour, the 1955 Chrysler 300 is also recognized as one of the best-handling cars of its era. Later in the next two years "Rambler Rebel" was the fastest stock American sedan, according toMotor Trend.

Muscle cars attracted young customers with their parents into showrooms, and they bought the standard editions of these mid-size cars. To develop the "halo" effect of these models, the manufacturers modified some of them into turnkey drag racers

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The Perfect Bare-Bones Muscle Car

In 1968, the first muscle cars were moving away from the true spirit of muscle cars, which was a fast car that was affordable for the common man. So the folks at Plymouth Cars, a division of Chrysler, even though they already had a high-performance car out in the market (the GTX), went back to the drawing board. They wanted to build a car that was not only fast and powerful but one that wouldn't burn a hole in an ordinary worker's pocket. These goals were met, and then some. This new car that was able to do the quarter-mile at 14 seconds and costs just under $3000. This is how the Plymouth Roadrunner was born.

Plymouth paid Warner Brothers a large amount of money just so they could use the name and image of their famous fast-running cartoon character. They even spent $10,000 (an exorbitant amount in the 1960's) just to develop a horn that made noises like the "beep-beep" sound made by the Roadrunner in the cartoons.

When the boys at Plymouth said they were going back-to-basics with the Roadrunner they weren't kidding. True to the essence of muscle cars, anything that wasn't essential was left out. The interior was very sparse, with just a basic cloth and vinyl bench seat; they used a bench seat because the shifter was just basically a metal rod protruding out of the floor. The shifter only had a rubber boot to cover it and there was an a centre console to raise it. And in the earlier models there wasn't even any carpeting. There weren't many options when it came to the Roadrunner, just the basic AM/FM radio, air-conditioning (except for the one with a 426 Hemi engine), and automatic transmission, power steering, and front disc brakes; it's was as basic as you could get.

Plymouth concentrated on the thing that really made a muscle car, the engine. Although they put a smaller Hemi engine in the Roadrunner, it could still go as fast if not faster than the high-end GTX. This is because the Roadrunner had a better power-to-weight ratio; since everything that was not needed for the car to go fast was omitted, it made the car lighter than the GTX.

The Plymouth Roadrunner was truly a testament to the saying "less is more."

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The Origin of True Muscle Cars

Muscle car is the name used for a wide variety of high performance cars. Generally, the term muscle car pertains to the American front wheel drive mid-size cars that were manufactured in the late 60s and early 70s. These cars were equipped with powerful and huge V8 engines or the 2 straight-4 engines that share a common crankshaft. These cars were sold at an affordable price for drag racing and street use.

With this in mind, muscle cars can be easily distinguished from the usual 2-seat sports car and the expensive GTs that were projected for road racing and high-speed touring. Muscle cars were a result of the American automobile wars between the late 1960s and the oil crisis in the 1970s.

Those cars were made with huge engines that consumed considerably huge amounts of gas generating close to 500 horsepower. Although handling was poor in many models, the price was considered affordable and the design was quite aggressive. It is important to point out that the cars that remain from this era, are worth a considerable amount of money when they are in good shape. A few of the iconic muscle cars include the Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Charger, Pontiac GTO, Corvette and the Chrysler Hemi Cuda.

Aside from building originally and historically on American soil, these cars were also manufactured in the fast developing countries such as South Africa, Australia and the United Kingdom. However, the American models usually hold the most value for collectors.

One drawback to these cars is that they were made for straight-line speed and they did not have a sophisticated chassis. Also, they did not have the veracity in engineering works or the desired flexible look of high-performance European cars. However, there are different opinions as to whether high performance compacts, full-size cars and pony cars can be considered as muscle cars.

The debate about the estimation of the origin of these muscle cars is still on going among car enthusiasts but it was the 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 that acquired the interest of car aficionados when it came to power and speed.

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1969 Mustang Recognition

1969 was the second re-styling since the Mustang was introduced in 1964. Especially with the introduction of the 2005 and newer Mustang, the 69 Mustang body style is arguably the most popular body style of all. Despite the 6 cylinder still being the standard engine for the Mustang it was widely available with V-8 engines from the small block 302 all the way to the husky big block 428. The basic 3 models still remained the Coupe, Sportsroof and Convertible. There were of course the ever present upgrades available to coincide with Lee Iaccoca's master plan such as the Mach 1, GT, Boss and the luxury Grande. Notably this was the last year the GT would be available for some time.

Certainly the easiest way to identify the 69 model is by the plastic grill with inset headlights. This was the first year of the plastic grill and the only year of the classic Mustang the headlights were inset into the plastic grill. This inset style has become the standard for the modern Mustang that is so poplar today. Another dead giveaway is the fake reversed air scoop behind the doors. If all you get is a rear view the easiest way to tell from the back is the 3 tail light lenses protruding from inside the tail panel. Again, this was the only year for this tail lamp in the classic Mustang. Notably also, this was the last year to find the key switch on the dash. in the 1970 model the key switch was moved to the locking column. Any of those ways will certainly be a sure sign you are looking at a 1969 Mustang. Plus you'll look really smart to all your Mustang buddies. Have fun!

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60s Muscle Cars Are Just As Popular Today

If you are a fan of 60's muscle cars, you probably already know they are just as popular today as they were in yesteryear. If you take a look at some of the retro-futuristic designs of today's muscle cars, they bear an uncanny resemblance. Take the newest models of Ford Mustangs, for example-they resemble the street-racing 60's muscle cars that everybody loved and vintage car collectors still love today.

There are other models of newer vehicles that have taken the best features of these vintage street-racers and implemented them into newly released models that are more fuel-efficient. Those that restore the original classic cars will often choose 60's muscle car models as their prized project. For those that are not quite that handy, but might have the urge to drive one of these American icons, it is possible they will purchase a new Mustang, Camaro, Charger, or Thunderbird, instead.

There are some people that just love the original classics and if this is you, the popularity of the 60's muscle cars has probably made you attend a few classic car shows or wish you could undertake a vintage car restoration. There are many clubs that are devoted to these classic cars and there are members all over the country that read the forums, articles and search the websites devoted to these American classics. There are so many ways that the Internet has improved the exposure to experts on these larger horsepower vehicles and it has increased the ability to connect to others that share your same interests.

When it comes to those that are interested in 60's muscle cars, their parts, engines and aftermarket restoration parts, you can find plenty of resources to offer anything you want to purchase or need to know. If you have not thought about the connection between yesterday's street-racing classics and today's newest models, it is interesting to compare their features. You might be surprised that some of today's "muscle cars" still have a lot of power, but fuel-efficiency has improved, as well as handling. The new Ford Mustangs have 8-cylinder power, which some people might not realize exists in today's models!

There are some vintage car enthusiasts that like "muscling" 60's muscle cars around the track and certainly many of the popular American models were pace cars or leading contenders in their class. Despite the fact they were made for street-racing power, they are just as impressive on the racetrack, whether you are talking about today's retro-futuristic vehicles or the original classics, like the 60's muscle cars, that started it all. There have been changes over the decades, but there is little mistaking the racing and sporty heritage that today's powerful models are based on. Even classic car collectors will agree on this fact!

Follow the 1966 Ford Mustang history through its exciting, diverse history and explore the site for true Mustang enthusiasts. For all things Mustang, from concept to current visit Ford Mustang history

FordMustangHistory.org - We Don't Make the Cars, We Just Tell the History Behind Them

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