GTO muscle car myth
From Crankshaft Coalition Wiki
(→References: minor clean up) |
|||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| − | + | An article was published by an auto magazine that mentioned the Chrysler 300 "letter series" muscle cars. The writer imparted many interesting things about those cars. But he then said they weren't true "muscle cars" because they were expensive and loaded with luxury items; his theory held 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 up Chrysler 300, Plymouth Fury, Dodge D-500 and DeSoto Adventurer? These were sometimes called "super sports" long before Chevrolet copyrighted that moniker for their line of muscle cars ''(could use more detail on Chevrolet's intellectual property rights to the term "Super Sport".)'' | |
| − | + | The SS Chevies predated the GTO. 1961 Super Sports were originally performance cars but soon became appearance packages with optional engines. You could buy a Chevy II Super Sport with an inline six in it (there are a few around that have been documented)! ''(link to documentation here)'' | |
| − | |||
| − | + | ==The term "Muscle Car"== | |
| + | Early high performance cars were expensive and usually called "Supercars" by the auto press. | ||
| + | The beginning of the "Muscle Car" era is accepted as the GTO introduction in 1964. The GTO allowed Pontiac to continue its performance image after GM banned racing participation (due to media attention during Senate anti-trust hearings). The LeMans received the 389 CID engine against GM internal policy limiting intermediate cars to 330 ci and became the GTO option. The risk taken by Pete Estes and John DeLorean with their careers was justified by sales of about 50,000 highly profitable cars against a target of 5,000. Both eventually became Chevrolet Division heads. | ||
| − | + | Once the sales success was shown, the GM rule of 1 ''rated'' HP per ten pounds was created to placate the Board of Directors. Hence small HP rating increases for clearly upgraded engine options. See the 400 RA3 at 366 HP versus RA4 at 370 HP in 1969 & 70 even though head and camshaft changes were significant. | |
| − | + | ||
| − | + | Where did that put the aluminum-nosed Dodge Polara, Valiant 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. | |
| − | + | For most of these mentioned MOPAR drag cars, less than 100 of each car model was built. ''(confirm and expand)'' | |
| − | + | The 421 Pontiac Super Duty cars were heavy and easily were over the 1 CID per 10 pounds. Of the lightweight Super Duty cars, some models had less than 50 built. How can that be called a muscle car that the average guy could buy? | |
| − | + | ||
| − | + | ||
| − | + | ||
| − | The 421 Super Duty cars were heavy and easily were over the 1 CID | + | |
| − | + | ||
| − | + | ||
| + | While the GTO was mass-produced on the assembly lines, these special drag/street cars (like the 1968 Hemi Dart and Boss 429 Mustang) were sometimes assembled by outside contractors or specialty subsidiaries. For example Kar Kraft, a Brighton, Michigan-based racing subsidiary of Ford, extensively modified the Mustang for fitment of the 429 Boss engine to become the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boss_429 Boss 429]. Shock towers, inner fenders, and front suspension mounts were modified. In addition, the battery was moved to the trunk, a sway bar was added to the rear end, and a hood scoop was installed. | ||
==1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88== | ==1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88== | ||
| − | The 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 is often considered a precursor to the muscle car era. Oldsmobile placed GM's first post-war OHV engine in its existing A-body platform, resulting in a light, powerful vehicle that became the | + | The 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 is often considered a precursor to the muscle car era. Oldsmobile placed GM's first post-war OHV engine in its existing A-body platform, resulting in a light, powerful vehicle that became one of the cars to beat in the late '40s and early '50s on the NASCAR circuit. |
| − | + | ||
==Related articles== | ==Related articles== | ||
Your Privacy Choices