| Whether they are creeping slowly down the town | | | | and even lower powered models for starting |
| strip, fish tailing down country roads, or driving | | | | enthusiasts. |
| down the long stretches of desert highway, the | | | | Why did they decline? |
| American car rumbling under the power of a large | | | | Like the fall of the Roman Empire, the death of |
| engine just seems to fit. In fact, while the true | | | | the muscle car came from a variety of sources. |
| origin of the modern automobile can be debated, | | | | The automobile safety and emissions standards |
| the muscle car is something that's wholly | | | | which Ralph Nader started crusading for in the |
| American. | | | | 1960s started to become law - mandating |
| What is a muscle car? | | | | standards, which better for people and the |
| The exact definition of what a muscle car is can | | | | environment, limited the viability of the muscle car. |
| be a bit fuzzy, but most typically revolve around | | | | The OPEC oil embargo of 1973 saw large scale |
| a V8 engine reserved for a larger sedan or even | | | | gasoline rationing, price controls, and gas station |
| a truck being placed into a medium sized sedan. | | | | lines, helped to make them impractical and move |
| These sedans were typically two door vehicles. | | | | the American buyer towards smaller cars. The |
| These smaller, but by no means small, cars paired | | | | muscle car was becoming more difficult to |
| with progressively larger engines meant vehicles | | | | produce and more expensive to own, a two front |
| which could unleash a great deal of power in a | | | | approach that largely spelled doom for the breed. |
| relative short time. | | | | When did they come back? |
| A brief history Though this practice was fairly | | | | The trend towards smaller cars lasted through |
| common amongst the bootleggers during | | | | the remainder of the 1970s and into the 1980s. It |
| Prohibition, the earliest credited muscle car to be | | | | was then when gas prices eased back towards |
| produced by an automobile manufacturer is usually | | | | historic lows, the Japanese economy found itself |
| cited as the 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88. The | | | | in hard times, and Americans rediscovered a love |
| Rocket 88 came with a new high-compression, | | | | for larger cars. Granted, those larger cars were |
| overhead valve V-8 dropped into a light weight | | | | sport utility vehicles, but they started a |
| body, resulting in the speed and power | | | | horsepower love affair. This affair bled over into a |
| combination which would become standard. | | | | re-ignition of the muscle car, perhaps first with |
| A few other manufacturers produced them | | | | the Dodge Magnum RT, a blend of sports car and |
| throughout the 1950s, with many more producing | | | | a station wagon, and then drifting into the rebirth |
| the cars and engines separately, resulting in the | | | | of the Dodge Charger and the Pontiac GTO. |
| hot rod trend. It wasn't until the 1960s when | | | | Alas, the rebirth was short lived, ending because |
| most American manufacturers started to make | | | | of similar issues as the first era - high gas prices, |
| cars which rolled off the assembly line fitting the | | | | increasing emissions standards, and a move by |
| muscle car definition. By the end of the 1960s, it | | | | consumers towards smaller and more efficient |
| seemed that every American automobile maker | | | | vehicles. Whether or not the muscle car will make |
| was producing at least one, with competition | | | | a third resurgence has yet to be seen. One thing |
| pushing down prices and increasing demand. The | | | | that is certain is that Americans seem to be |
| golden age swept in fully, and saw the market | | | | drawn to powerful vehicles no matter what part |
| become strong enough to fragment, dividing itself | | | | of the country they call home. |
| into high power muscle cars, affordable pony cars, | | | | |