The Definition of "MuscleCar"

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LJS30

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Okay guys I made this thread because I noticed some discussion in another thread regarding the definition of what is muscle and what isn't. So please define what constitutes muscle in your opinion. The way I see it my 74 Dodge Dart with a mild 318 isn't necessarily hard core muscle, but it's been modded a bit and isn't exactly an economy machine either. So how much horsepower does a motor have to put out before truly becoming "muscle"? 300HP? 400HP? 500HP? A trailer queen that is so modded that it cannot be driven on the street? Or is muscle any cool looking American iron that has been modded a bit, goes pretty quick, and sounds cool?
 
i think it´s not all about the horsepower, i´d explain a musclecar as a less is more mean machine with potent engine, period perfect wheels, not overloaded interior, overall good condition but must not be perfect. No trailerqueen :-D
 
I don't like trailer queens at all. I want to drive my car not tow it. My idea is any 70's and perhaps some 80's American cars that pounds the ground and looks like it will peel the asphalt up. Like my friends 72 Grabber Maverick.

29133560140_large.jpg
 
The definiton is not so clear as it used to be.

Used to be any car that came from the factory with performance in mind.


But now a days with all the swaping going on and all the clones its not quite the case any more. All though I have to say I find it hard to call any thing after 72 a muscle car.
 
i think a musclecar is a car from the 60's to 70's era but that is my 2 cents
 
Back when I was kid with my 70 GTX, my insurance agent said the definition of a muscle car was any car that had 1 horsepower for every 10 pounds of weight...at least that's what they based the premiums on back then.
 
?? that weird my car would only weighs 2800 pounds with that 383 goin in i guess my car is gonna be a super musclecar LOL
 
The first true muscle car was the Pontiac Tempest with the GTO package. 389 with tri power. The idea was to start putting the big motors of the full size cars into intermediate body styles. Do not confuse them with Pony cars from the same era as these were the compact(buy 1960's standards) body styles.
Muscle cars:
Roadrunner
Super Bee
442
Chevelle
Torino
Cyclone
Cougar
GTO
GS/GSX

Pony cars:
Barracuda
Challanger
Cuda
Camaro
Nova
Firebird
Mustang
Dart
AMX


This is a generic and short list but it gives an idea of what constitutes a "Muscle Car".
On the pony car list, naturally not every model line up makes the list but that was the body style the hot rods were based on.
The e-bodies were the biggest of the Pony cars and could go either way.

Funny story, some years back I was at a training meeting for work, we had to fill out index card with some hobbies/interest. Well I put "working on muscle cars". We had to give our card to the person next to us and they read it. Nobody new what a muscle car was and I tried to explain a little and someone yells out "like a mustang", then the class instructor says "more like a Roadrunner".:-D It was priceless. 8)

This is just my opinion and not based on any facts other then what I have read in books over the years. Please feel free to comment on anything here.
 
to me a muscle car is mainly a stripped down type of car that came from the factory with just performance in mind. a slant six car or 318 car isn't a muscle car in my book. even with modifications its not a muscle car its then a modified car in my opinion.

340 dart- muscle car
318 dart- no muscle car
slant 6 dart- no muscle car

318 dart with a 440 transplanted-no muscle car. its a modified car.
 
I Would Say That Anything That Was Packaged As A Performance Car, Be It A Small Or Big Block Car, It Would Have To Been Built From The Late 60's To The Early 70's. You Need To Remember That The Term Muscle Car Was Invented By The Car Magazines Of The Day & Not The Manufactures Of The Day.
 
Hagerty's definition of muscle car is,"Muscle cars are typically 1960s and early 1970s two-door vehicles powered by large V-8 engines and built with special emphasis on performance. These vehicles are generally factory built by U.S. manufacturers." Sounds goo to me.
 
Simple: Factory intermediate car with a big motor. NOT a Camaro or Mustang or Duster because they are "pony" cars and far too small. It needs to be something like a GTO, Road Runner, Chevelle, ect. Medium car, BIG engine. Personally, I think it is fun to stuff big power in a small car and what I end up calling it is F.A.S.T.
 
For Dodge and Plymouth Muscle cars would have been Part of the Scat Pack and rapid transit system from the late 60's and early 70's.As far as A bodies go that would have been the Dart GTS 340,383,440 ,Demon340,Swinger340,Cuda Formula S Duster 340.They were factory muscle cars marketed towards the muscle car /performance market.
 
cheap striped down big engine
American made

I personally think Pony cars are a sub category of muscle cars, typically a smaller car.

I also think muscle cars can be made, but no a 318 or /6 doesn't really cut it. Unless you are talking about factory muscle cars they go with the general consensus.
 
I would definately say most of the 60's cars were american muscle and the first year or two of the 70's. After that it was all junk until the 90's it started to get a little better. But that doesnt mean you cant make a muscle car from the 70's and 80's just junk the whole drive train and suspension and start over. But thats my opinion some people like no horsepower and lots of emissions but its not my thing.....
 
The term "musclecar" is sort of relative, but to me a musclecar is a car equipped with extraordinary horsepower with one purpose in mind, getting from point A to point B as fast as possible.
 
what do you call modern day cars with a 100 less cubic inches, that can outrun the so called "muscle cars".
 
Galactic_eyes said:
I don't like trailer queens at all. I want to drive my car not tow it. My idea is any 70's and perhaps some 80's American cars that pounds the ground and looks like it will peel the asphalt up. Like my friends 72 Grabber Maverick.

29133560140_large.jpg
Click to expand...

Thats a hot maverick!

To me,muscle car is anything between 60's to 75
where the factory built the car with track racing in mind.
For example in aus,an e49 rt could be had with a
160 litre fuel tank... So it could last the bathurst race,
you could option your like that,from the factory.

An we made the fastest four door car back in
the day in 1971,it was the ford gtho phase3.
An to me,that car,even though it
has 4 doors,was a muscle car ;)
 
71dodge said:
?? that weird my car would only weighs 2800 pounds with that 383 goin in i guess my car is gonna be a super musclecar LOL
Click to expand...

I'm thinkin it weighs more than that but someone correct me if I'm wrong, that just seems to light.
 
As for the definition of musclecar... to each his own, everyone will say a different thing.
 
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