The history of true muscle cars was short unfortunately, but these cars made such an impression on the public, that they are even more popular today than 40 years ago. Even though muscle car era spanned only for about ten years, it left a huge impact in the automobile history and they are eagerly sought after by serious car collectors from around the world.
By definition, a true muscle car was built from 1965 to 1973, has a large V6 or V8 engine, and a medium sized chassis. These cars had a distinctive look: sharp, aggressive and masculine. Most muscle cars were created wide and low and were not always the best handling vehicles. Not only did they look good, but they were extremely fast and powerful. Within this short period of time, there was a war going on between the major manufacturers to create the fastest and meanest muscle car in the country, and many times these wars were carried out onto the drag strip as well.
A few years after World War II, thousands and thousands of soldiers returned to their home countries and thus the Baby Boom Generation was born. Cars were typically cheap and were neither fast nor attractive. Cars were merely a utility tool and not intended for recreational purposes.
This all changed in 1964, when Pontiac introduced the GTO package with the Tempest which came with a V8 engine. Not only was this vehicle fast and powerful, but Pontiac wanted to make it affordable as well, for the common man. The GTO package spawned its own line and soon became the benchmark car in the industry.
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Ford introduced its own muscle model in 1965, the Mustang, and in less than two years sold more than 1.5 million models! In the later years heavier cars made their appearance, such as the Plymouth Road Runner and Super Bee, but were not as popular as the legendary GTO.
The end for these cars came in the mid 70s as insurance companies were raising their premiums on these cars, due to the amount of accidents people were having in these unusually fast vehicles. The gas crisis also forced people to move away from muscle cars, as they were extreme gas guzzlers.
Although the era ended decades ago, these cars are still highly prized and loved. The value of these classics will only continue to rise in the future and investing in one is as sound a financial decision as you can make today.