Muscle Cars, Then and Now

The 1949 Olds Rocket 88 and Hudson Hornet were the unintended forerunners of a class of cars that did not emerge fully for almost a decade and a half. When General Motors installed a high compression engine in the new Rocket 88, it inseminated the American Muscle Car. It is said that with the building of the second car, auto racing was born, and the need for speed began. Hot rods, rebuilt older cars, modified in body with souped up power plants were the car of choice for the young of the drive-in era of the 50's. In 1955 Chrylser brought this high performance to the showroom when it introduced its 300 series, which they recently reintroduced with a new version of the original Hemi engine.

By the 60's all the manufacturers were squarely on the bandwagon, producing and aggressively marketing high performance sporty cars. The youth oriented society loved them and made them part of the culture. They were the topics of songs and movies, and part of the sexy image of the heroes of the time. The decade began with a modified Dodge Dart and its 431 ci engine. Ford, not to be outdone, modified a Fairlane into the Thunderbolt. The 1964 GTO by Pontiac really got the ball rolling. Everyone jumped into the pool with both feet.

Fuel shortages, safety concerns, and governmental regulation soon slowed things down and by 1974 the production muscle car era ceased to be. While there were attempts at revival by the reintroduced Mustang, Camaro and Corvette, and even the much touted '87 Grand National by Buick. The popularity never fully regained its former glory. Sales were down and the labels began to disappear. In 2005 Ford redesigned the Mustang and in the past few years the fabled names have again resurfaced, but to a more limited degree.