HTX

iTrader: (1)

In the 70's the muscle car was defined as an american made car with an american made v8 engine that cranked out serious torque to the rear tires. Less was considered more with simple designs and simple engineering. The only things that mattered was going fast!

Today people seem to have trouble defining what a muscle car is. For example The corvette is loosing its reputation as a muscle car as it creeps closer and closer to the world of exotics while some imports are creeping closer andto closer to the muscle catagory. Another example is that Some people argue wether or not CTSV's are muscle or sport-luxury.

No matter how you look at it today's muscle cars and the 70's muscle cars are not the same. Too much has changed.

So my question is... Has the muscle car gone extinct or has it evolved? What is your opinion?

Nine Ball

iTrader: (38)

The Corvette has never been considered a "Muscle Car". The Corvette is a "Sports Car", and does fit into the category of other sports cars like the Porsche 911, Ferrari's, etc..

Camaro/Firebird/Mustang were also not musclecars, they were considered "Pony Cars" back then. The term muscle car was mostly meant to describe mid/full size 2-door sporty versions of cars, like the Chevelle, GTO, Torino, Fairlane, 442, etc...

retardedpenguin

iTrader: (2)

Muscle cars died along time ago, when it died just depends on how you look at it.

TEXASLESS

I agree with both Nineball and Tardpenguin above^ Brings a better question. What does the modern day Mustang, GTO, and Camaro classify as ?

I have Ideas...Politically Correct and with the Pussification of the U.S. PussPony ?

Any others?

need4fun2469

I think the mc has evolved into what we have today. A lot of cars are producing more hp from the factory then the cars of the 70's did.

HTX

iTrader: (1)

What nineball said is very true however many people consider pony cars to be muscle cars.

http://www.musclecarclub.com/musclec...finition.shtml

There is one source of debate.

luvmeZ28

iTrader: (3)

I can't help but think about all the whiners and their "new camaro's rear window is too small" when I saw this.

cambirdracing

iTrader: (4)

I don't believe that you can classify the newer cars as muscle cars. "Real" muscle cars died in 1972. The newer ones, yes they outperform the older ones by a long shot, but are they really musclecars? The debate continues. I would rather have a 1st gen Camaro than a 5th gen as a play toy. But then again, I would rather have a playmate as a playtoy.

ElkySS

iTrader: (6)

i consider pony cars to be a class of muscle cars. i also think that the term "muscle car" has changed over the years. if we go by the old definition, the ctsv and g8 are real muscle cars but by todays definition, so are camaros and mustangs. niether definition puts the vette in muscle cars

ElkySS

iTrader: (6)

by the new definition, muscle cars are far from dead. the horsepower wars are in full swing again

99CamVanillaTop

iTrader: (2)

Cars wont be built the same with all the safety and emmisions. I know id be damned if i drove anything without atleast an A/C in this texas heat. If you convert what it used to cost for vehicles back in the day to our cost nowdays you get way more for your money right? And yeah my next car is gonna be a 09+cts-v. 4 Doors 556hp v8 supercharged.......and fits the family.

2TR

I think the discussion should be settled like it always has been...at the strip. I whoop your *** and I can call it whatever I want, loser!

v8sten

iTrader: (5)

died, i dont think so. evolved or changed, greatly. what would you consider a nova, falcon, or dart? would you consider those a muscle car? back in the day those were the cobalts, cavaliers or escorts. look at the s10 would you consider those muscle trucks? those are popping up more frequently. from what i have seen, people build what is easy to get and can go faster with less money. today its corvettes. 10 years ago, it was fox body mustangs. 15 years ago the quintessential muscle, pony car was what everybody was building. back then you could get a very nice 69 camaro for a couple grand. its not like that today. to find a decent 69 camaro rolling shell would be a minimum of $5k. not everybody has that kind of expendable cash laying around, but they do have a monthly car note to pay for their 2010 Z06 Vette.

So I do not think the "Muscle Car" has died, just greatly evolved.

Slash8915

iTrader: (21)

I think today's average Joe considers a muscle car to be something that is a car, has a V8 or better, is RWD, and is by an American automaker. By those specs, a Vette IS a muscle car. But we know better.

Jake_the_Snake

iTrader: (5)

my personal definition of muscle car requires that the car must handle like ****, so the vette is def out. to me, a muscle car is a rwd v8 designed to do one thing: go fast in a straight line. plenty of modern cars fit that description. the fact that they're not old doesn't mean anything. if anything, they're faster, more efficient, and more durable than their predecessors. nothing wrong with that

1965GP

iTrader: (2)

It is fitting to say that true muscle cars died in 72.... The GM A body (GTO, cutlass, chevelle, skylark) had all ballooned up for '73 saddled with emissions and safety add ons. The charger and roadrunner took on their more refined look for the 70's and not really sure what ford was doing.

Still- the 'muscle cars' of today are much bigger than the cars they are trying to look like. This became painfully obvious when I got in our 69 firebird last week. I would say that the muscle car was brought back from the dead to replace the pony car market.

texas94z

Spot on.

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (25)

Change, it is what happens, through the smog era and fuel crisis, fuel injection ect, the die hard gear heads are still here.

Although some are confused, like homosexuals, it used to be if you were gay, you were in the closet, but now it is something that the world has tried to make OK, same for liking 4 cylinders, you might like them, but to many out there, it is the same as being a guy that likes men, it is just gay no matter how you look at it.

The ******* is always there, everyone has one, and they are opinions, no two are the same, American iron is what some consider "muscle", that means 1974 and older, everything after that is junk to some. But now with the fast and queerious lovers that screwed up the street scene, it is making things dies out for allot of the car enthusiasts, it is life and the muscle car era of time past is basically dead for the large majority, but many keep it alive and make sure that it never goes away.

ANTICOP RAM AIR

iTrader: (7)

When all the baby boomers are dead and buried, it will be my (our) generation talking **** about our childrens cars and tell them about the all mighty LSx (or whatever) era while they charge their **** in the garage wondering how we ever drove something that exploded 48000 times a minute.. lol

Greed4Speed

iTrader: (7)

This is like debating if rock and roll is dead. It sure isn't what it was in the 50's, 60's or 70's (modern country is more 70's rock than country anymore), but it isn't dead and neither are muscle cars. So I agree with the evolution statement. Muscle cars have evolved. I cut my teeth working on old cars. I remember having to mess with points and drum brakes, and I for one am glad for the progress.