The History Of GM Muscle Cars

Cars have been around for a very long time, but in the early 1960s a new breed of car came onto the scene. However, the muscle car had its origins a few years earlier.

The year was 1949 and the car was the Oldsmobile Futuramic 98. The car was appealing to look at and had a V8 with an overhead-valve 303 engine. It had dual exhausts, chrome valve covers and a lot of horsepower. General Motors had a reputation for making good cars and now they were giving them power and performance. Competition has been the driving force of the automotive industry from the time the first car was made. Racing simply moved the competition from the track to the street. It started out with rumrunners who helped to create the racing community. Then, drag racers brought it to the streets. General Motors responded to this demand with the 1964 Pontiac GTO, which is widely considered to be the first of the true muscle cars. General Motors had been producing monster cars for some time. The 1958 Pontiac Bonneville Sport Coupe had a 370 cubic inch engine and the Pontiac Ventura had the massive 389 cc engine and awesome six pack carburetor.

In 1964, Oldsmobile released the Cutlass with a 394 and called it the 4-4-2. The 1966 Malibu Super Sport would be one of the last cars with multiple carburetors. But in 1967, a new car would come on the scene that would change the face of muscle cars forever: The Corvette. One of the most popular and classic cars ever made, the Corvette was named after a boat but had nothing else in common with one; instead, it was pure street racing power.

General Motors has had a long history of making cars that get noticed and their muscle cars are no exception. In fact, without their focus on the power and performance of muscle cars, who knows what direction this all-American company may have taken.