End of the muscle car era..

[Mustang_Charly]

There were still some good designs.. but in 74 the bottom really dropped out.

Case in point:

 

[bravenrace]

I think what happened in the thread on the other forum is that some put more emphasis on the beginning of the end and others the end of the end, if that makes sense. I always considered muscle cars as an era to have pretty much ended in '71, because that's when they went into decline. Others look at it as some year after that, considering when the era bottomed out, say '73. I pick '71 because I see muscle cars as high compression, premium fueled rockets, not low compression, regular gas smog motored vehicles. There were absolutely some fast cars built after '71, but as a group that's how I look at it.

 

[KBMWRS]

:stu

Well stated. :thu

 

[bravenrace]

Well thank you very much (although you called me stupid! :wth). People don't often say that to me. :shrug

 

[KBMWRS]

Well thank you very much (although you called me stupid! :wth). People don't often say that to me. :shrug

Don't take it personal...its the icon we use to agree with some-one.....stupid just refers to...'ya that guy' :thu

 

[jmbour66]

73

 

[bravenrace]

Don't take it personal...its the icon we use to agree with some-one.....stupid just refers to...'ya that guy' :thu

No worries, I didn't take it personally. :stu

 

[tarafied1]

If your thinking about a cars potential performance, Pure Stock and F.A.S.T. drag racing has a lot of early 70's stuff. The record holder in F.A.S.T. is a 71 429 SCJ Mach 1 Mustang.
if you look at the racer profile page you see a lot of late 60's early 70's stuff competing. With the exception of a 74 Trans Am, and a 72 Buick GS, I don't see anything else after 71.
http://www.fastraces.org/members/fastraces/fastraces.nsf/top-menu-items/ghp28

 

[Midlife]

A more interesting question is when the muscle car era began...

 

[Anonymous]

I would guess 1965 as a result of the Trans Am series. The ole saying "Win on Sunday, sale on Monday" comes to mind. Course a Mustang looked like a Mustang and Camero (Ka-ma-e-ro) like a Camero which was pretty much the same on the track. Thank goodness the Camero was most often seen in the mirror of the Mustang.

 

[lethal289]

A more interesting question is when the muscle car era began...

or even what year was the absolute pinnacle

 

[KTJMcG]

A more interesting question is when the muscle car era began...

How bout the 63 Tempest with the 326 which evolved into the GTO in 64.

 

[tarafied1]

I googled "top ten muscle cars" and got a couple similar lists, here is one from MSN:
10. 70 Buick GSX
9. 68 Pontiac Firebird
8. 69 Dodge Charger
7. 70 Boss 302
6. 65 Pontiac GTO
5. 70 Hemi Cuda
4. 70 Chevelle 454 SS
3. 69 Z28 Camaro
2. 66 Shelby Cobra 427
1. 67 Shelby GT500

the order varys and the specific models also vary like the Boss 429 vs. the Boss 302 and stuff like that but in general the late 60's dominate the various lists. 68, 69 & 70 seem to be most "popular"
This is subjective I know but I would tend to agree and say 69 was the pinnacle.
The GTO is credited with being the first "Muscle Car" but the factory lightweight Drag cars go back to the early 60's

 

[Midlife]

Wasn't there a Mopar wedge-motored car in 1958? What about the first few 300's?

 

[Anonymous]

I wonder why Mid's favorite "muscle car" wasn't on the list?

 

[tarafied1]

Is that a 69 or 70 BC?

 

[Anonymous]

Those rims only came on the 70 BC model. The 69's had a cap that went in both directions.

 

[tarafied1]

ahhh, yes I missed that. Thanks

 

[GrabberOrange69]

or even what year was the absolute pinnacle

The pinnacle was hotly debated a few years back on one of the magazine car forums (HotRod?)- The answer they got was 1970; SS454 Chevelles, HEMI E bodies & 6 pack cars, still get the Boss 429 and 428 & 429 SCJs, etc...