Muscle Cars...

[cr8crshr]

I found these 2 articles on muscle cars from back in the day. Those of us who were growing up and driving during that time period will remember the great ones and the not-so-great ones, but we will still appreciate what they gave us to experience. Enjoy the read!!! cr8crshr/Bill

Muscle Cars That Didn’t Get the Spotlight — But Should Have

Everyone and their dog remembers the Dodge Charger, the Plymouth Barracuda, and the Chevrolet Chevelle, to name but three iconic machines from the heyday of the muscle car era. But what about the unsung heroes? ... Read more

autos.yahoo.com

American Misfits: Classic Cars That Didn't Live Up To Expectations

Believe it or not, being designated a muscle car isn’t an automatic entry into the “cool” club. Some tried, failed, and live on as inside jokes and quips. Today, we look through a handful of ... Read more

autos.yahoo.com

 

[Budnicks]

interesting read, but;
IMHFO

I don't consider most of the big full-size cars,
with a big engine a "muscle car"
yeah they had a big engine like some of the likes of an
Impala's 427 or 375hp 396
or a big Wagon or huge-lux cruiser with a 429, 454, 455, 470, 500 (caddy)
427, 440, 401, 390, 396 or 383
or a Galaxies with a 7ltr 427, Monacos or Fury II or III S23 w/440s or 440-6
fast maybe, cool hell yeah, but not a "muscle car"

'to me' & by defintion
a Muscle Car is, will forever be defined as
in my mind 1961-1972, I know they were called different things too,
started the phrase was coined "muscle car" for really in 1964, with the GTO
affordable formula, for the youth market, with a 2 dr midsize car with a big-block
hadn't really tapped into that market prior
(yeah I know, the Max Wedge cars & others were before it too)

The Formula;
**American, Big 4, if you count AMC
**midsize
**2 dr hardtop or coupe,
many with bucket seat, & a console but not mandatory
**BB engine 'usually', a hot small-block maybe, but not usually
383, 413, 440, 426, 396, 427, 454, 455, 421, 389, 400, 406, 425
**sure-grip or possi-trac, locker etc., some 4 speeds some autos, wasn't mandatory
many of the auto cars were faster than the manual cars were
**special rims & tires packages
Magnums, Roadwheels, Rallys, MoPar recall wheels, SS Wheels (spokes GM Pontiac Olds Buick),
even a same deal in convertible, but still all 2 dr "midsize cars"
Midsize cars;
Chargers RRs GTXs SuperBees Superbirds Daytonas R/Ts, Javelins Rebels
Chevelles Malibus, GTOs 442s Cutlass (or the likes) Buicks Skylarks/Specials GS GSX

not any full-sized
NOT Impalas, Caprices, Caddys, Olds 88 or 98 etc.
(even if the early 55 Olds Rocket 88 was with a 3 2bbl combo, but it's also a full-size)
not the big Buicks, not Rambler or Marlins
not Grand Prixs, not Catalinas or Bonnevilles, even if they had a BB powerful engines
yeah even a Riviera GSs, weren't "muscle cars"
(even when some should be, they're not midsize)

Another is,
sportscars; or even the 2 seaters AMX, or like Vetts or a Cobras

Pony Cars like;
Mustangs Mavericks Falcons Fairlanes, Camaros/Firebirds Formulas TransAms,
'cudas (esp. A body 1st gen), 'E body' Challengers/'cudas
even thought they had huge engines/BBs or Hemi's, 2drs, they were more a sportscar
or a Pony Car to compete with the Mudstains (Mustangs)

or Compacts;
Corvairs, Nova, Chevy II, Vega, Astros, early Tempests (pre-64),
Darts/Valiants Demons/Dusters scRamblers h
Pinto, 240z-280z etc.
even if some had hot v8 transplants from tuners, like Shelby or Baldwin Motion etc.

Later the lil' front wheel drive, crap-boxes also are "Compacts";
most after 1972
certainly aren't/weren't not in that era of, midsize cars from the USA
even the GLHs aren't no matter how some think or want them to be "muscle cars"
82 & on Charger, Shelby's even, or even the early one like the Stinger Corvairs,
still not any 'muscle car'...

**Org. "muscle cars", some even called "super-cars"
or tuner cars,
Like from;
Baldwin Motion or Mr. Norms or Dick Landys or Nickeys or Yenkos or Bobcats etc.

my $1.25

 

[DeltaV]

interesting read, but;
IMHFO

I don't consider most of the big full-size cars,
with a big engine a "muscle car"
yeah they had a big engine like some of the likes of an
Impala's 427 or 375hp 396
or a big Wagon with a 427, 440, 401, 390, 396 or 383
or a Galaxies with a 7ltr 427, Monacos or Fury II or III w/440s
fast maybe but not a "muscle car"

to me a Muscle Car is, will forever be defined as
in my mind 1961-1972, I know they were called different things too,
started fraze was coined for really in 1964, with the GTO
affordable formula with a 2 dr midsize car with a big-block
(I know the Max Wedge cars & others were before it too)
The Formula;
**American
**midsize
**2 dr hardtop or coupe,
**BB engine 'usually', a hot small-block maybe, but not usually
**sure-grip or possi-trac, locker etc.
**special rims & tires packages
even a same deal in convertible, but still all 2 dr "midsize cars"
Midsize cars;
Chargers RRs GTXs SuperBees Superbirds Daytonas R/Ts, Javelins Rebels
Chevelles Malibus, GTOs 442s Cutlass (or the likes) Buicks GS GSX

not any full-sized
NOT Impalas, Caprices, Caddys, Olds 88 or 98 etc.
(even if the early 55 Olds Rocket 88 was, but it's also a full-size),
not the big Buicks, not Rambler or Marlins
not Grand Prixs, not Catalinas or Bonnevilles, even if they had a BB powerful engines
yeah even a Riviera GSs, weren't "muscle cars"
(even when some should be, they're not midsize)

Another is,
sportscars; or even the 2 seaters AMX, or like Vetts or a Cobras

Pony Cars like;
Mustangs Mavericks Camaros/Firebirds Formulas TransAms,
'cudas (esp. A body 1st gen), E body Challengers
even thought they had huge engines/BBs or Hemi's, 2drs, they were more a sportscar
or a Pony Car to compete with the Mudstains (Mustangs)

or Compacts;
Corvairs, Nova, Chevy II, Vega, Astros, early Tempests (pre-64),
Darts/Valiants Demons/Dusters scRamblers h
Pinto, 240z-280z etc.
even if some had hot v8 transplants from tuners, like Shelby or Baldwin Motion etc.

Later the lil' front wheel drive, crap-boxes also "Compacts"; most after 1972
certainly aren't/weren't not in that era of, midsize cars from the USA
even the GLHs aren't no matter how some think or want them to be "muscle cars"
82 & on Charger, Shelby's even, or even the early one like the Stinger Corvairs,
still not any 'muscle car'...

**Org. "muscle cars", some even called "super-cars"
or tuner cars,
Like from;
Baldwin Motion or Mr. Norms or Nickeys or Yenkos or Bobcats etc.

my $1.25

You grew up on the west coast & I grew up on the east coast; and yet we are in agreement.

You didn't mention manual transmissions as a muscle car prerequisite.

 

[66 Sat]

I think the definition of "muscle car" has expanded A LOT over the years and around the world.
According to your very narrow definition a 1970 Hemi Cuda is not a muscle car but a sports car.
That may be correct but to the average joe outside of the US, anything tough looking with a mean sounding V8 from say 1960 to 1975 is a muscle car.

 

[Billccm]

Muscle car in John DeLorean speak was a grocery getter stripper car with the biggest motor available.