Muscle Cars – Part III…
When did the Muscle Car Era start? Well, some say 1964! I say it started in 1957! When cars were equipped with BIG engines, fuel injection, multi-carburetors, and superchargers!
Examples:
- 1957 Corvette 283 FI –
- 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk with supercharger
- 1957 Chrysler Hemi with dual carbs
- 1957 Oldsmobile J2
- 1957 Thunderbird with supercharger
and the list goes on and on.
1957 Ford T-Bird-Convertible
1957 Ford Fairlane Skyliner Convertible
The mid-1960’s could be called the Second generation of Muscle Cars, when the manufacturers put BIG 380+ cubic inch motors into intermediate bodies.
Examples:
- Oldsmobile 442 – Pontiac GTO – Plymouth Road Runner – Dodge Charger – Chevrolet Chevelle – Ford Fairlane
1968 Oldsmobile 442 Coupe-OI-00108
Later they start had to put even BIGGER engines into smaller bodies like the Mustang, Camaro, and Cudas. They were stuffing for 427-455-426 Hemi into lightweight cars. This was the height of the muscle car era 1967 to 1972. In the mid 1970’s it all ended with restrictions put in place by emission standards and government regulations.
So, ended a great or in my opinion the greatest time in automotive motive history. Almost 50+ years later these cars are revered and sought after by car Buffs all over the world. Some of the cars built in 1957 reached the lucky status of “a true muscle car”!
Now a new era of Muscle cars has arrived with Mustangs, Camaros, Dodges with high tech equipment, suspensions, super chargers and computers have reignited the muscle car fever. The new Factory muscle cars are high-tech pieces of art. It starts with a streamlined body and is mated with a chassis and suspension all controlled by computers for a different ride and handling. The motors are small cubic inches but are Boosted with superchargers and computers with high-tech ignition systems to put out large amounts of horsepower and torque!
This is the Third Era of Muscle Cars!
Keep them Rolling! Bill
