Regarded by many as the first true muscle car, the Pontiac GTO stands out today as one of the finest of its era. Pontiac first unveiled the GTO as an options package for the LeMans in 1964, but it soon became its own full fledged model within a few years. By the end of its…
Spanning 50 years, the Ford Thunderbird is one of the most iconic cars in American history. First introduced for the 1955 model year, Ford marketed the Thunderbird as a personal luxury car that featured outstanding performance from big-block V8s. The original run of the Thunderbird lasted for 10 generations from the 1955–1997 model years, before…
Corvette History First Generation 1953-1962 The Chevrolet Corvette first appeared in 1953 as a unique American entry into the sports car market dominated by European makes. Although not a muscle car by definition, the Corvette used muscle car powertrains and has represented American performance for almost fifty years. 1953 Chevrolet Corvette Comments: The first Corvette…
Fairlane/Torino History 1955-1961 Introduction: Introduced in 1955 as Ford’s fullsize model, the Ford Fairlane was reborn in 1962 as Ford’s entry into the hotly contested intermediate muscle car market. With lighter weight than the fullsize Galaxie but with the same powerful engines, the Fairlane, and its spinoffs the Torino and Cobra, were a force to…
Galaxie History 1959-1972 A predecessor to the muscle car era, the Galaxie was Ford’s full-size competitor. Although it outpowered the similar Chevy Impala at first, it never sold as well due to its uninspired styling, poor aerodynamics, and heavyweight. Ford kept trying though and continued to install larger and larger engines, reaching a pinnacle with…
Coronet History Introduction: The Dodge Coronet was Dodge’s entry into the midsize segment. It first appeared in the mid 1950s, disappeared, and then reappeared in the mid 1960s. With R/T trim, and packing some serious power, the Coronet was a true muscle car sleeper. 1953 Dodge Coronet Comments: The Dodge Coronet underwent a tremendous change…
When it comes to muscle cars that defined the 1960s, it is impossible to leave out the Mopar “Wing Cars.” Prior to 1969, aerodynamics in racing series like NASCAR wasn’t considered to be a make-or-break aspect of car design. Form over function dictated the design of most muscle cars at the time. All of that…
Dodge Dart History 1960-1962 Introduction: The Dart was Dodge’s entry in the growing compact market. Introduced in 1960, the first generation Dodge Dart was actually just a small fullsize car. It was “reborn” in 1963 as a true compact. The Dart lineup would continue to evolve, and included Demon and Swinger models as well as…
Super Bee History1968-1971 Introduction: During the late 1960s, it is no secret that MOPAR was under a lot of pressure from the competition. Cars like the 1968 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 and Pontiac GTO were tearing up the strip. While their full-size muscle cars, like the Plymouth GTX, were selling well, they wanted to target a…
Dodge Charger History1966-1974 The Dodge Charger was a response to the fastback fad started by the Mustang and the Barracuda, but on a much larger scale. Based on the midsize Dodge Coronet model, the Charger was launched in 1966 and quickly became a sales hit with its dramatic fuselage styling of 1968. From the beginning,…
Chrysler 300 History 1962-1972 Some MOPAR purists insist that the Chrylser 300 Series or “Letter Cars” were the first muscle cars. That is debatable as the 300 Series were fast, large, luxury coupes instead of cheap all out intermediate size performance. However, there is no denying that the elegant if somewhat unconventionally styled Chrysler 300…
Dodge Challenger History 1970-1974 Introduction: Dodge was the last one to the pony car party, but it spent its time wisely, perfecting its entry, the Challenger. The Challenger debuted with an engine lineup that ranged from a docile slant six to the powerful 440 Six Barrel and the awesome 426 Hemi. Other pony cars could…
