Muscle car....?????

[MOPARENT]

I think the terms "muscle cars" and "classic rock" both came about around the same time...late 80's?...at least, that's when I started realizing I was getting old!!

 

[Ron H]

The first time I heard the expression was in 1976. A good 4-5 years after the "Muscle car" era. I still believe the first muscle car was the 64 GTO. It was marketed as "Working man's sports car." And the era began. Ending eruptly in 72.

The reason I believe cars before the first GTO are not muscle cars. But family coupes with big motors? Is because the GTO along with a handful of other did not have low performance options. No 4 door option for GTO, Chevelle SS, Roadrunner ect. No 6 cyl option for Buick GS, Superbee, 442 ect. It was muscle or bust! Purposefully built for one thing. Thrill!

Well splitting more hairs, the GTO was a relabeled Lemans you could get in a 4 door...the Sport Fury, a relabeled Fury, only came in a 2 door or convert. The RR, a relabeled Satellite, came in 4 doors. Well someone get's all the credit and all I've read on the start of the 'muscle car' goes to the '64 goat...my 1st car I talked my mother into co-signing when I was 17 was a '67 GTO convert, all optioned out, for the hefty price of $1000. If I could rewind the tape on keeping that one!

 

[Cojohnso1]

Well splitting more hairs, the GTO was a relabeled Lemans you could get in a 4 door...the Sport Fury, a relabeled Fury, only came in a 2 door or convert. The RR, a relabeled Satellite, came in 4 doors. Well someone get's all the credit and all I've read on the start of the 'muscle car' goes to the '64 goat...my 1st car I talked my mother into co-signing when I was 17 was a '67 GTO convert, all optioned out, for the hefty price of $1000. If I could rewind the tape on keeping that one!

I agree. Very argumentative. And Lemans you could get as 4-door. Not GTO. (That I know know of) We of course will not be able to settle this debate.

 

[Hey-O]

 

[44070dart]

I agree with the 64 GTO being first muscle car ..I think it's the intermediate body style that gave the GTO the nod, but later it could be ordered with a 2 bbl. I tried to by this 2 bbl. model last year, we were a grand apart and I offered to split the difference and he got pissed. Should have spent the grand. The muscle cars of today are faster, but have one drawback in my opinion, it was done before and done well. What an era for a motor head to be of age. Thanks mom and dad.

 

[Hey-O]

Three-years before GTO, Chevrolet released the mid-year 61 Impala SS 409.

 

[Cojohnso1]

Three-years before GTO, Chevrolet released the mid-year 61 Impala SS 409.
View attachment 781621

It's not a muscle. It's a Chevy.

 

[BeatersRus]

erm the 409 was a Brutal powerhouse,id say it deffo qualified.
esp seeing as it came out of the 348 truck design/if i recall correctly.

also there was the early max wedge 413 cars,
that were amazing everyone with their automatic transmissions.

then you had the 406 ford,in galaxies and such...

but yet none of those cars were well known..easy to order up,or find on a lot.

id say the Gto was the first fully and Publicly promoted supercar/musclecar.
that was the success of the car,was its publicity.
in actuality,the performance wasnt as hot as thought.

just like with the Dukes of hazzard.
publicity made every 2cnd gen charger in sight known and wanted.

and mopar wasnt missing the advertising ploy point,
which is how we ended up with the craziest promotionals from them
including hey,a warner brothers bird on our cars.

 

[Hey-O]

It's not a muscle. It's a Chevy.

Who owned GTO, Ford? I'm done.

 

[Ron H]

I agree. Very argumentative. And Lemans you could get as 4-door. Not GTO. (That I know know of) We of course will not be able to settle this debate.

Yes - could 'deebate' this all day. I liked the '57 Chrysler 300...imagine way back in '57 a 390hp motor from the factory. Course, it was a rich guy's ride. Remember a cop show that was out in the late 80's or early 90's maybe and the star detective drove a 'new' black '57 vert, someone said no way a cop could afford to have that car. lol More in line was Peter Gunn in his Plymouth Fury's or Mannix in his Cuda's...sorry guys...I'm getting off the point.

 

[Pops1967GTX]

 

[Cojohnso1]

I also believe that Plymouth and Pontiac carried their respected parent companies thru what I also believe the greatest performance wars in US automotive history. Muscle car era of the 1960s.

And in the end. What thanks did they get?

 

[1967coronet]

Like YY1 it was the early 80s when I began hearing the term (muscle car ).
I know the goats got credit in 64 but the 61 chevy impala ss 409 4spd cars were a pretty hot ticket at the time.

 

[khryslerkid]

These cars required some Muscle

 

[Runcharger]

Musclecar term started in the 80's I think. Supercar was what they were originally called.

 

[Photon440]

Pontiac used the term for their 1964 GTO.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

FWIW I had a personalized plate MUSLCAR on my first Challenger R/T back in 78.... And yes, I caught some flak about Challengers being "Pony cars" But IMO a "Pony Car" carries a small block. not a 440.....

 

[MIKESPOLARA]

If I remember correctly, I'm 61 so correct me if I'm wrong, in 1967 when I bought my 65 Grand Sport 401 4 speed, a buddy of mine coined it a street car. Anything stock was referred to as a stocker or a daddy's car. I don't recall the term muscle car being used until after the '73/74 gas crisis when everybody was trying to dump their gas guzzlers.

If you are 61 you would have been 6 in 1967

 

[Cojohnso1]

Pontiac used the term for their 1964 GTO.

I remember referred as "Working man's sports car." I did not hear the term "Muscle Car" until mid 70s.

Certainly doesn't mean that's when it's started. But I thought I've heard others agree that the term was after the '71 High performance year.

But I do believe the '64 GTO was the first Muscle Car. No matter when the term was adopted. Purposely built and marketed as such. What differed? There was no 4 door, or lower performance option. It was Muscle or bust. Unlike any before.

JMO.

 

[Jerry Hall]

I was 20 in 1967, it's always been muscle cars to me, and I can't say that I would want to change it.