Muscle-cars : The golden age



 

 

 

A little story about amazing Muscle cars, or how the Coyote managed to catch the bird…

To get more details about all the models, click on the superBee ! To see the cover of all muscle brochures, click on the la Charger !

 

 

 

 

 

 

The muscle-cars are now in vogue, I will try to summarise in two pages the history of these monsters. Let's start with a definition which is perhaps questionable :
To claim the name Muscle car, the model must satisfy all the following points :
- Come from the medium size.
- Be equipped with more than 300 HP serial or accessory engine.
- Have a nickname (4-4-2, Charger, GTO…)
- Have a presentation which identifies it immediately.
If we look back at the history we can find models with standard bodywork modified for the performance : The Hudson Hornet 1951 (6 cylinders in line) equipped optionally with a Twin H-power was unbeatable against the V8 engines of competitors. In 1949 the Oldsmobile 88 was using the body coming from a "small" Oldsmobile and equipped with a big V8 engine of 98 models with a heavier body.
For both of these cars we can find a characteristic element of MC : It's the optional engine for the Hudson and a big engine in a medium body for the Oldsmobile.
During the second half of 50's, the race for a power reaches an important threshold with the Chrysler 300. The 300 HP limit was reached by a car of a (small) standard production for the first time.
But this model was destined to rich "Golden boys" more than to Mr and Ms Smith's son, hungry for strong sensations.
In the beginning of the 60's, almost all the constructors of middle and lower class cars were suggesting 3 different sizes :
- The compact, whose body could be modified and equipped with a good engine which made it a small sport car (Mustang, Cougar, Barracuda)
- Medium size : equipped with a 6-cylinders-in-line engine or a "small" V8
- Full-size : whose stoutness (5.4 meters - 17 feet, nearly 2 tonnes - 4400 pounds) obliged the constructors to considerably increase the engine capacity and power to allow the cars to keep the rank against the models from the 50's.
50.Dodge offered in brochures for private customers civilian versions of Nascars cars which are equipped with the famous hemispheric V8 engine but these cars were not very practical and they were not diffused too much.
In 1964, Pontiac gave a possibility to its clients to equip the medium size model Tempest with a full size engine. This option is called GTO, the name which automatically reminds the GTO of Ferrari. The next year the GTO is less discreet and becomes a full model.
The other constructors couldn't wait passively, everyone offered its model with more or less success. Unquestionably it's the Chrysler group which will put the biggest effort into proposing many models for Dodge and Plymouth. .To read the continuation, click on the bouton "muscle the continuation"