the classic muscle car era, was roughly a ten year run from about 1964-1974, most people define the classic muscle car as a FACTORY AVAILABLE reasonably light weight,& large engine combo,package, basically started with the 1964 G.T.O. option Pontiac
and generally ended with the last 455 engine TRANS AM FIREBIRD
http://www.motortrend.com/classic/roadt ... index.html
http://musclecars.howstuffworks.com/cla ... ss-396.htm
http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c3/themon ... dex9.shtml
now there were fast cars before those like the D300 Chrysler hemi cars and 409 impalas, and plenty of cars built in the last 15 years or so will be as fast as the old classic muscle cars, but they don,t have the same feel, sound or in most cases ability to smoke the tires at will, do to better current tires and suspensions.
AND most modern cars are not nearly as easy to work on,nor are the wide assortment of performance parts available over the dealer counters.it was a rather unique and looking back wonderful time for gear heads
the links below will provide info on a time I sure miss a great deal, a TIME when you could buy a really nice car for in most cases well under $6000, and in some cases under $3000 that had a big engine,high horsepower combo and ease of maintenance, we will never see again. when your young all it takes is a 15 minute ride in a 440 Plymouth road runner ,or hemi cuda, 455 Pontiac GTO,427 ford fairlane, 427 corvette,401 AMX , or shelby cobra, the sounds and smell of tires spinning, hot engine oil and long black marks on the pavement, the way the car jumps as you slam thru the gears, and fishtails a bit, and if your a gear-head ,grease monkey kind of guy your hooked for life like no heroin addict ever was
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_car
http://www.timelessrides.com/wiki/muscle-car-history
http://the60sofficialsite.com/The_Rise_ ... arasi.html
http://www.musclecarclub.com/musclecars ... cars.shtml
http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_g ... r_era.html
"Power, speed and performance - those are the three major traits of a muscle car. When first produced, muscle cars were just pretty darn amazing because they combined the efficiency of a lightweight, mid-sized body with the performance of a high-power V8 engine and special design features that further increased the cars' acceleration capabilities. Because muscle cars topped all other vehicles in terms of power, speed and performance, they were ideal for racing.
Muscle cars were produced from the mid-1960s into the early 1970s, but the production of such beasts fell drastically due to a number of factors. First was the controversy over whether it was wise and responsible to make such powerful vehicles available to the general public, primarily due to road racing. Because muscle cars were often used irresponsibly, liability relating to them was pretty high which forced insurance companies to increase rates for insuring muscle cars. Emission control requirements intended to curb pollution also played into the picture making it near impossible for automakers to produce muscle cars that met the standards they had to adhere to.
Needless to say, the muscle car industry changed quickly due to these influences. Demand decreased because many "would-be" buyers of muscle cars couldn't fathom paying the enormous insurance rates for a high-power vehicle and automakers had to meet the challenges presented by pollution control standards.
Since muscle cars were produced for a limited number of years, they are valuable items for collectors and are still highly desirable to those who enjoy racing or desire a quick, powerful, mid-sized car. Since the decline in the production of muscle cars, some automakers have attempted to bring the muscle car era back to life by producing powerful vehicles that resemble the legendary muscle cars, but in my opinion, they don't hold a candle to classic muscle cars like the GTO, the Road Runner or the Chevelle SS.
It will be interesting to see how the history of muscle cars plays out. Will present day automakers renew production of true muscle cars that are fast and powerful? Will there be enough demand to make muscle car production worth it to them? Or, will muscle cars continue to be limited to those classic models that were produced in the 60s and 70s?
Classic muscle cars are pretty amazing pieces of machinery. One that is restored and in cherry condition is really worth a lot of money. As time goes on, there are fewer muscle cars available which makes them even more valuable to classic car collectors and muscle car enthusiasts."
and generally ended with the last 455 engine TRANS AM FIREBIRD
http://www.motortrend.com/classic/roadt ... index.html
http://musclecars.howstuffworks.com/cla ... ss-396.htm
http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c3/themon ... dex9.shtml
now there were fast cars before those like the D300 Chrysler hemi cars and 409 impalas, and plenty of cars built in the last 15 years or so will be as fast as the old classic muscle cars, but they don,t have the same feel, sound or in most cases ability to smoke the tires at will, do to better current tires and suspensions.
AND most modern cars are not nearly as easy to work on,nor are the wide assortment of performance parts available over the dealer counters.it was a rather unique and looking back wonderful time for gear heads
the links below will provide info on a time I sure miss a great deal, a TIME when you could buy a really nice car for in most cases well under $6000, and in some cases under $3000 that had a big engine,high horsepower combo and ease of maintenance, we will never see again. when your young all it takes is a 15 minute ride in a 440 Plymouth road runner ,or hemi cuda, 455 Pontiac GTO,427 ford fairlane, 427 corvette,401 AMX , or shelby cobra, the sounds and smell of tires spinning, hot engine oil and long black marks on the pavement, the way the car jumps as you slam thru the gears, and fishtails a bit, and if your a gear-head ,grease monkey kind of guy your hooked for life like no heroin addict ever was
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_car
http://www.timelessrides.com/wiki/muscle-car-history
http://the60sofficialsite.com/The_Rise_ ... arasi.html
http://www.musclecarclub.com/musclecars ... cars.shtml
http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_g ... r_era.html
"Power, speed and performance - those are the three major traits of a muscle car. When first produced, muscle cars were just pretty darn amazing because they combined the efficiency of a lightweight, mid-sized body with the performance of a high-power V8 engine and special design features that further increased the cars' acceleration capabilities. Because muscle cars topped all other vehicles in terms of power, speed and performance, they were ideal for racing.
Muscle cars were produced from the mid-1960s into the early 1970s, but the production of such beasts fell drastically due to a number of factors. First was the controversy over whether it was wise and responsible to make such powerful vehicles available to the general public, primarily due to road racing. Because muscle cars were often used irresponsibly, liability relating to them was pretty high which forced insurance companies to increase rates for insuring muscle cars. Emission control requirements intended to curb pollution also played into the picture making it near impossible for automakers to produce muscle cars that met the standards they had to adhere to.
Needless to say, the muscle car industry changed quickly due to these influences. Demand decreased because many "would-be" buyers of muscle cars couldn't fathom paying the enormous insurance rates for a high-power vehicle and automakers had to meet the challenges presented by pollution control standards.
Since muscle cars were produced for a limited number of years, they are valuable items for collectors and are still highly desirable to those who enjoy racing or desire a quick, powerful, mid-sized car. Since the decline in the production of muscle cars, some automakers have attempted to bring the muscle car era back to life by producing powerful vehicles that resemble the legendary muscle cars, but in my opinion, they don't hold a candle to classic muscle cars like the GTO, the Road Runner or the Chevelle SS.
It will be interesting to see how the history of muscle cars plays out. Will present day automakers renew production of true muscle cars that are fast and powerful? Will there be enough demand to make muscle car production worth it to them? Or, will muscle cars continue to be limited to those classic models that were produced in the 60s and 70s?
Classic muscle cars are pretty amazing pieces of machinery. One that is restored and in cherry condition is really worth a lot of money. As time goes on, there are fewer muscle cars available which makes them even more valuable to classic car collectors and muscle car enthusiasts."
