3TV
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Joined: 8/17/2007
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quote:
ORIGINAL: joshua99ta
not to bash on anybody that has posted a late model vehicle..... but they don't exactly fit in the muscle car era......... thats why I didnt post any pics or info on my trans am. however they maybe called muscle cars by most I don't look at them as muscle cars.... more like super muscle cars on steriods.
joshua99ta raises a good point. The term "Muscle Car" is not that precise of a term. I frequently call my Challenger a "Muscle Car", but technically it is a "Pony Car". I would feel fairly comfortable saying that the following cars are true "Muscle Cars".
Ford Thunderbolt
Buick Skylark Gran Sport
Dodge Coronet
Plymouth Belvedere
Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu SS
Oldsmobile Cutlass 442
Pontiac Tempest Le Mans/GTO
Buick Riviera Gran Sport
The Dodge Charger and Plymouth Cuda are in a grey area, between "Muscle Car" and "Pony Car".
The following cars are technically "Pony Cars"
Ford Mustang
Mercury Cougar
Chevrolet Camaro
Pontiac Transam
Dodge Challenger
AMC Javelin
I found this elsewhere: Despite the immediate success of the original Mustang, many (including some within Ford) feared that the bubble would soon burst, and other manufacturers were relatively slow to respond. The first competitor was the Plymouth Barracuda, which actually went on sale on April 1, 1964, about two weeks before the Mustang. The Barracuda was not a direct response to the Mustang, which had not yet debuted (although Chrysler was certainly aware of the upcoming model), but a low-cost way to expand the sporty appeal of the Valiant. Chrysler's precarious financial situation meant that the Barracuda was compromised, with insufficient distinction from the Valiant and styling that drew mixed reactions; its sales were a fraction of the Mustang's. Some mentioned that if the Barracuda was successful, as well as the similar fastback Rambler Tarpon introduced as planned before the Mustang, the term for this class of automobile might have been "fish car," rather than "pony car." However, the Mustang, unlike the Barracuda, featured a completely unique body style from the car on which it was based (the Ford Falcon), making it the first true pony car.
Initially, General Motors believed that the restyled 1965 Corvair would be an adequate challenger for the Mustang, but when it became clear that the Corvair itself was doomed, the more conventional Chevrolet Camaro was introduced, going on sale for the 1967 model year, at the time the Mustang was entering its second generation. They were presently joined by the Camaro-based Pontiac Firebird, the Mercury Cougar, and, in 1968, the AMC Javelin. Dodge joined the party belatedly, while the last to arrive was the 1970 Dodge Challenger, an enlarged version of the Barracuda.
So where does that leave modern "Muscle Cars"? Good question. Are the new Challenger, Mustang, and Camaro "Muscle Cars", or are they "Pony Cars"? I certainly would not call them "Super Cars", which are where the Corvette, Viper, Lamborgini, and other true "Super Cars" fit in. However you care to define them, I suspect that history is going to repeat itself with these cars from the big three. The Challenger is going to be the biggest, heaviest, and the best looking. The Camaro is going to be the best performer. And the Mustang is going to outsell the other two.
3TV
< Message edited by 3TV -- 11/29/2008 8:14:15 AM >
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'09 Can-Am Renegade 800 R: ATVTorture.com project ATV
'08 KTM 950 R Super Enduro
'08 Dodge Challenger SRT8
'04 Jeep Wrangler Sport
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MUSCLE CARS - 
....you win....
lwb tho 
o well and sorry i couldnt restrain myself from showing it off joshua
he wins! 
