Tuesday, July 18, 2006


Classic American Muscle Car Artwork















Check out this awesome Muscle Car Artwork by Vince Crains. Whaddya think of it?

Pete


Classic American Muscle Car Artwork
*VIDEO* Muscle Car History

This video documents the history of some of the most powerful production cars in the world—the muscle cars, with a history all their own.

The first Chrysler 300 sold in 1955 and more than 30,000 GTOs sold by Pontiac in 1964 are just a few of the muscle cars featured. In 1962, Chevrolet offered two V8 engines for the 409, one 380 horsepower, one, naturally, 409 HP.

Of course, along with the legendary muscle cars come the legendary drivers, with names such as Carroll Shelby in the forefront. In the early 1960s, Detroit started putting large engines in small cars. The result was widespread competition among the Big Three—spawning such vehicles as the Pontiac GTO, the Chevy Camaro and the Shelby Mustang. Dodge and Plymouth built the fastest muscle cars, with virtually unbeatable HEMI powered engines.

The Competition Facts: * The Camaro ZL-1 engine was all aluminum.

* Ned Jarret won the 1965 NASCAR Grand National Championship driving a Ford Galaxie.

* For insurance reasons, Ford advertised that the 428 Cobra Jet engine produced 335 horsepower when it actually produced over 400 horsepower.

* Wilson Pickett recorded Mustang Sally in 1966. HEMI Power Facts:

* The Max Wedge 426 engines produced 425 horsepower.

* Plymouth built its last Barracuda in 1974.

* The Firebird has been produced from the original muscle car days to the modern era without interruption.

* The first Special Vehicle Team Mustang Cobra was introduced in 1992.

* The Dodge Viper is powered by a 450 horsepower V10 engine.

* The American Muscle Car Association was founded in 2001.

Just click on the the word HERE below to watch this video. There can be a short 30 sec ad before it, but the video's worth it!!

Pete

MUSCLE CAR VIDEO CLICK HERE


source: oncartography

Classic Muscle Cars


Little History Of Big Cars


Everyone out there loves a muscle car. From the roar of that huge engine to the flames on the hood, it is hard to resist looking when you hear one rumbling by.

Most people don't really know the history behind the “muscle car”, like who created the first one and when were they introduced on the market? Almost every historian and car buff credits Pontiac with the first “muscle car” which was a variation on the Tempest, the 1964 GTO.

This first muscle car offered a huge V-8 engine that boasted 389 cubic inches and a floor-shift manual transmission instead of on the column. With a newer, sleek look and trim inside and out that was to die for, who could resist the car that was born that year.

These cars sold like hotcakes and had great performance fit for the street or the races, allowing them to completely dominate every race that they were placed in.


It wasn't long before other auto companies wanted a piece of the action, and more styles of muscle cars were born. While some of these other muscle cars bragged about bigger engines and more options, the youth market in America didn't care. The muscle car was all the rage because they embodied rebellion, style, and “coolness”.

But, with every era comes an end, and in the later 1960's there was an uprising about the prices and weights of these muscle cars, which prompted the auto manufacturers to create a “budget muscle car”, which carried names like the “Road Runner”.

Though they were wildly popular, the muscle car didn't quite sell as many as their manufacturers would have liked, but their rise in popularity has not been matched since. No other type of car in history has been able to create such an air of personality as the muscle car has. But, toward the mid 1970's, these smaller, budget muscle cars once again got a boost. The competition in the auto industry was heating up once more, and the muscle cars produced during this time boasted some of the biggest engines ever thought of, like the 450 big block.

Although this created yet another spike in sales and popularity, concerns about the safety of these cars gave way to more protests and problems. With some of the other industries, like the insurance agencies, protesting the larger muscle cars and refusing to insure them, the sales of these powerful icons plummeted.


Then, another crushing blow to the muscle car, the oil problems that plagued the world in the late 70's and early 80's ended the muscle car altogether, and auto manufacturers removed them completely from the market.

But, even today, the muscle car is still sought after by car buffs, collectors, motor-heads, and rebels in general. They are sought out, fixed up, and rumbling down the road in every town across the United States, and even all over the world.

Author: Gerry Askew


Classic American Muscle Cars 1964 Pontiac GTO