Muscle cars

Muscle car is a term used to refer to a variety of high performance automobiles.[1] The 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."[2] The term generally refers to 2-door rear wheel drive mid-size cars, and sometimes full-size cars equipped with large, powerful, V8s.




Muscle Car Definition
The definition of a muscle car is a mid-size model car, with V8 engines, generally produced between 1965 and 1973. Most muscle cars were current mid-size models being produced by car manufacturers, and they added a large V8 engine, special trim, and usually better handling and performance options like suspension, braking, etc. A good example of this is the 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle

The Rise of Muscle Cars

As automobiles became more accessible and widespread, American automobile manufacturers became increasingly concerned with performance as a way of distinguishing their cars from the competition, since during the 1950s, competition between the Big Three--Chrysler, GM and Ford--was ramping up. The performance war during this decade was won by Chrysler with the introduction of the Hemi engine and the C-300 model. Though the 300-horsepower engine raised the bar for performance vehicles, it was mild compared to what was coming.
The Muscle Car Era



In 1964, Pontiac formally began the muscle car era with the introduction of the GTO. Though this car had only 25 more horsepower than the C-300, its 389-cubic-inch engine was packed into a much smaller and lighter car. The result was a fast and affordable performance vehicle. Its popularity began a long competition between the Big Three to create the most powerful production vehicle. The next few years would see the introduction of many more powerful models, creating the golden age of the muscle car.
The Decline of Muscle Cars

Muscle car production continued strong in the late 1960s and into the early 1970s, but pressure from political action groups and rising fuel prices began to hurt the muscle car's image. The OPEC oil embargo and environmental concerns made the continued production of these gas-guzzling, high-displacement engines impossible. Also, Ralph Nader's book, "Unsafe at Any Speed," caused a national backlash against these dangerous cars. By 1975, most muscle cars had been discontinued or heavily downgraded, effectively ending the muscle car era.


Muscle car resurrection

In 2004, Chrysler debuted the true ancestor of the muscle car, 300C, as a 2005 model. Its styling is heavily borrowed from the original 1957 300C model.In 2005 Ford, as a precursor of this movement, introduced the new Mustang designed to resemble the original 1964.5 model.In 2008 Chrysler re-introduced the Dodge Challenger. It has strong design links to the 1970 model (i.e. featuring long lines not seen in vehicles and quad headlights).
In 2009 Chevrolet released the new Camaro which bears some
resemblance to the 1969 model.
In 2010, Dodge re-introduced the Charger as a 2011 model. The Charger was first reborn in 2006 as a muscle car with its own unique stylings. However, the 2011 version of the Charger took
many styling cues from the 1968-70 Charger, thus making the new Charger look more original than the 2006-2010 model.