Muscle Cars: An Era of Roaring Machines and Audacious People

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Looking up, you see that it is almost your turn. After getting off the hood of the car, you open the door, and sit inside the vehicle. As you firmly grasp the wooden steering wheel, the scent of unleaded gasoline fills the air, the rigid feel of the leather racing seat brushes skin, and the warm touch of chrome on the shifter radiates through the car. Sliding the key into the ignition, you turn it and hear the low grumble of the HiPo 302 cubic inch engine. You shift the car into first gear and begin to creep forward to the drag strip. You pull up to the starting line and wait. Looking over to the right and seeing your opponent eagerly awaiting the race in his red 1968 Camaro brings excitement. Overhead on the loudspeakers an announcer calls, “Up next, is a 1968 Camaro going against a 1965 Mustang Fastback. The Camaro is fitted with a 327 cubic inch engine and puts out about 210 horses while the Mustang has a 302 cubic inch high powered engine which cranks out 230 horsepower. This, ladies and gentlemen, will be a race of the ponies.” A shift into first gear sends a shiver of anticipation. You look at the light tree ahead and wait for it to turn green. It starts to count down. The first set of lights goes up. You begin to rev the engine to 2000 RPM’s. The second set of yellow lights goes up. The engine revs up even more. The car shakes slightly and the engine growls even louder. The third set of yellow lights goes up. The engine revs to 5000 RPM’s. The green lights go up. A quick dump of the clutch and the engine roars like a lion as it sprints down the track. The front end of the car lifts up and slams back down as the speed rapidly increases. The car screams as you shift into second gear. Looking over to the right, you glimpse the...

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...terpretation in the strictest sense. There are many more classes of muscle cars such as full sized muscle, personal luxury, two seat sport cars, and pony cars. Notable examples of full sized and personal luxury include the Pontiac Grand Prix, Chevy Impala SS, Buick Riviera, or the Ford Galaxie. Some famous examples of two seat sport cars include the Chevrolet Corvette or the Ford Thunderbird. One of the most famous subsections of muscle cars however is the pony car; a vehicle that is similar to the muscle car, except for the fact that it usually has a smaller and lighter chassis. Some famous examples of pony cars include the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, AMC AMX, Dodge Challenger, Mercury Cougar, Plymouth Barracuda, Pontiac Firebird, and many more. However, what all of these vehicles had in common was their significant impact on American society past and present.

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