1964 to 1975 Muscle Cars

Muscle cars are very popular. They were even more popular from 1964 until 1975 and are making something of a comeback. A muscle car is usually a mid-size car which has been customized and has a very powerful engine. There has been some discussion as to whether high performance full-size cars, compacts, and pony cars qualify as muscle cars. Here are a couple of cars that may have actually been called pony cars in their era, but will always be muscle cars to most car fanatics.

In 1964, the Dodge 426 Hemi Lightweight made a huge hit with an engine that produced over 500 bhp. It was one of the top drag racers in that era. In 1965, AMC introduced the Rambler Marlin fastback to compete against the ever popular Ford Mustang and the Plymouth Barracuda. The Rambler Marlin was a flop, so AMC introduced the Rebel and according to Motor Trend, it was the fastest stock American sedan in the early sixties. In 1969, the Chevy Chevelle COPO 427 could run a 13.3 second quarter mile at 108 mph. In that day and age, the Chevelle was one of the most feared muscle cars. In 1970, Plymouth introduced a smaller, more affordable muscle car, the Duster. It ran a 6.0 second 0-60 mph time and ran the quarter mile in 14.7 seconds.

The muscle car decline was mostly due to the automotive safety lobby by Ralph Nader. The automobile insurance industry increased their rates and then, with the rise of gas prices, many people decided to trade muscle for safety and economics.