Editing GTO muscle car myth

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Recently I read an article by an auto magazine writer, who was writing about the Chrysler 300 "letter series" of muscle cars. He imparted many interesting thing about those cars. He then said the weren't muscle car because they were loaded luxury cars, he determined that a true "muscle car" had to be more affordable to more people.


So do any of those similar thinkers or those, who on the general "say so" of supposed auto aficionados, believe their claim that the "muscle car" never existed until Pontiac invented the GTO, have an answer for the 1955 and on, Plymouth-Fury, Dodge D-500 and Desoto-Adventurer? These were all were called Super Sports way before Chevrolet eventually, smartly and to good advantage, copyrighted that moniker for there own line of muscle cars.

Matter of fact I always felt the SS's even predated the GTO's. Someone please give us some research on this.


Many people do not know the name super sport was a body package not a power package that GM offered in the early 60's, you could buy a Chevy II super sport with a inline six in them (there are a few around that have been documented ) 


'''The term Muscle Car ''' 

To define the beginning of the "Muscle Car" was the breaking of the number of cubic inches per pounds rule The Big 3 had. The Tempest received the larger engine and became the GTO.

I believe the rule was 1 cubic inch per ten pounds.  The GTO did not weigh 3800 pounds with the 389 engine. Maybe this rule I speak of is a myth?

This was a GM management rule not a big 3 rule.


Where did that put the aluminum-nosed Dodge Polara, Valiants and other factory Mopar drag cars? Or even the Super Duty Pontiacs?  they definitely met that requirement, and some were street legal and all were ordered through the dealerships.

'''Most of '''  These Mopar drag cars you mention, less than 100 of each car model was built as I recall.

The 421 Super Duty cars were heavy and easily were over the 1 CID for each 10 pounds. Of the light weight Super Duty cars, some models had not even 50 built.  How can that be called a muscle car that the average guy could buy? 

The GTO was mass produced on the assembly lines, these special drag - street cars you mention were some times assembled by outside contractors.... 1968 Hemi Dart and Boss 429 Mustang were such cars.

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