When you think about a fast car the first thing that comes to mind is a little red sports car made outside of the US. Although 30 years ago they thought of muscle cars that were made in America.Originally a muscle car could be described as a monster V-8 stuffed into a mid-size Detroit sedan with whatever suspension mods were available. Times have changed. Now we describe a muscle car as any car with massive horsepower from any country. The only American made cars that come close to the old muscle cars is the Dodge Chargers and Magnums that have Hemis. The dictionary definition says that muscle cars are high-performance automobiles made primarily in Detroit from 1964 to 1974. The muscle car era is thought to be started in 1964 by the Pontiac Motor Company. John DeLorean and Jim Wangers took the division to new heights when they took the Pontiac Tempest body and put in a 389 cu.in. engine, and gave it a new name: Pontiac GTO.The GTO was the first car specifically designed and marketed for performance at an affordable price. The success soon caught on and the explosion began into the muscle car era. The big manufacturers in Detroit started to compete for the most speed, style, and performance at an affordable price.The 1970 Chevelle SS 454 is considered to have had done this by producing 450 horsepower from a 7.4 Liter engine. When you look back to the 1970's TV shows like Dukes of Hazzard and Starsky and Hutch, you think of the muscle cars that starred in them. Those cars that made the shows, especially the 1969 orange Dodge Charger with the confederate flag on top from Dukes of Hazzard. Also the 1976 red Ford Gran Torino from Starsky and Hutch with that unique white stripe that people are still copying today.Muscle cars also made a big impact on the movie world. Smokey and the Bandit wouldn't be the same without that legendary 1977 black Trans Am. Gone in 60 Seconds was known for Toy Halicki writing, directing, and starring in it. The movie was about a group of guys that were assigned to steal 48 cars in 36 hours for $400,000. Out of those 48 cars Elenor, a 1973 yellow Mustang fastback, was the car that made the movie. Elenor starred in a 45 minute car chase scene that really made the movie famous.The 1968 classic, Bullitt, featured the famous 1968 highland green Mustang fastback. The movie has one of my favorite car chase scenes that lasts 20 minutes between the mustang and a black Dodge Charger.Many of the movies that have been remade from the 1970s are these muscle car movies. They have also done well in the box office. This is because people love seeing muscle cars, especially when they are in car chases and crashes. We need to bring back the muscle car so that generations to come can enjoy the classic cars that our parents grew up with.The muscle car era started to die out in the mid 1970s when gas prices started soaring and legislation demanded that engines run cleaner. The only muscle car from the era that is still surviving is the Ford Mustang, which just celebrated it's 40th anniversery in 2004. The Camaro and Trans Am were also surviving until 2002, when their models were discontinued.
