What Are ‘muscle Cars’?

The name ‘ muscle car’  is a colloquial way of calling medium-large coupe vehicles, with a large engine under the hood, rear-wheel drive and a sporty and muscular appearance.

Although it is not written, a   pure muscle car has a great atmospheric V8 and an interior without much fanfare in design and finish. Rather, they are cheap construction vehicles with a large engine, necessary if you want to enjoy an entire eight cylinder without having to shell out large amounts of money.

Although it is not common, four-door vehicles have also been called by this name, because they share the same principle of ‘cheap but powerful car’.

History of the muscle car

The great manufacturer of this type of vehicle has always been the United States, more specifically General Motors, with models that have gone down in motorsport history, such as the Dodge Charger, Chevrolet Camaro or Ford Mustang.

All of them, apart from having powerful engines and a challenging appearance, met an essential premise: a low price. This was very important, since the forerunners of this type of vehicle were the young people of the 60s.

After the stoppage suffered by the automobile world by the Second World War in the 40s, the 50s resurfaced with force, and it was in the 60s when young Americans began to ask for cars different from those that their parents had.

One of the great advantages of these models, in addition to their price, is that they offered adolescents the possibility to compete with their friends and feel that longing for freedom.

The model that put the first brick in this trend is the Pontiac GTO in 1964, a four-seater and two-door car that captivated the youngest with its appearance, performance and price.  It was perfect for racing between traffic lights but had a certain level of good sense for everyday use.

It did not take long for the rest of the brands to join this trend, and models that would go down in history and for which large amounts of money are spent today, such as the Ford Mustang, Plymouth Barracuda or Chevrolet Impala , arrived on the market .

Until 1970, everything was smooth sailing in the world of muscle cars , the number of sales did not stop increasing and there were more and more options on the market. This brought to light the dark side of these cheap and powerful cars: poor security.

Accidents were very numerous due to the suspension and tires not keeping up with the powerful engine. That, coupled with the high level of contamination that came out of their exhaust pipes, made the governments soon take measures and limit that uncontrolled power.

In addition, the oil crisis began to take center stage and they imposed high taxes on this type of vehicle. The brands soon changed their strategy and began to have more modest powers with moderate consumption.

Current muscle car

Today we can also enjoy this type of vehicle, with several interesting models on the market. The most famous in Europe is undoubtedly the Ford Mustang.

The Mustang, a model that also falls within pony cars , has been on the market since its birth in 1964, with a short six-year hiatus in 1993, but which served to return to the party with even more strength.

The latest version, which arrived in 2015, is the most refined model to date, combining power with dynamism better than ever. The suspension system and traction controls are designed for a European audience, where we not only value pure power on the straight, but also appreciate a more effective cornering.

It has not lost its two-door coupe essence, its large hood, rear-wheel drive and a challenging look. In addition, to expand its sales options, it  incorporates a 2.3-liter supercharged engine as an access engine to significantly reduce consumption. But don’t be alarmed, the magnificent V8 is also available.

Following very closely is the Chevrolet Camaro, a model that has followed in the wake of the Mustang since 1967 and which has maintained its production to this day, with a break in 1993 of no less than nine years.

As a good muscle car , it also enjoys a two-door body, rear-wheel drive, and a huge grille that will take your breath away .

In 2015, Chevrolet presented its sixth generation, a lighter vehicle than its predecessor and which , like the Mustang, has a turbocharged smaller displacement engine, in this case 2.1 liters and 276 hp. But, for the more purists, it has also kept a great 6.2-liter V8.

These two models take almost all the prominence of the European muscle car market together with the Dodge Challenger, which also has its audience, although to a lesser extent.

In the world market, especially in the North American, the list is much more numerous, but, although they have made their modifications to suit the European customer, they are cars with a too small audience. Hopefully they continue to make history with new models; representatives of the American power.