#MUSCLE CAR TUNING MANUAL#

The original sticker price of these vehicles was often well over $4,000.Įxamples of American sports cars from the 60s and 70s include:.American sports cars weren’t typically targeted at young buyers.They are built to hug the road through corners and turns in addition to performing in a straight line.A classic American sports car only seats two people in the two front bucket seats.In short, they don’t meet at least two-if not four-of the criteria established on the 14-point checklist. Is a corvette a muscle car? No, it does not qualify-nor does any American Sports Cars for that matter. What is an American Sports Car? Photo: Mecum Auctions What are some examples of a pony car?Įxamples of pony cars from the 60s and 70s include: Because of their smaller stature, Pony Cars were often used in Trans-Am racing during the 60s and 70. When it comes to muscle car facts, the first Pony Car is largely credited as the 1964 Ford Mustang, which was 182 inches long, 2,445 pounds at the curb, and had a 108-inch wheelbase. They typically feature long hoods with shorter decklids. Pony cars differ because they are shorter in length, lighter in weight, and have a shorter wheelbase. While pony cars were built during the muscle car era, they weren’t built on a mid-sized platform. Okay, here we go: What is a Pony Car? Photo: Mecum AuctionsĪ pony car doesn’t fully align with the muscle car definition outlined above. Let’s look at these muscle car subcategory names individually and share what makes them different, shall we? All of these vehicles have their own individual subcategory names. All of the following automobiles include the 14 characteristics from our muscle car definition listed above.īecause there is a lot of confusion, several classic American vehicles are mistakenly called muscle cars. Here are some of the best examples of muscle cars from American Motors Corporation, Buick, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Mercury, Oldsmobile, Plymouth, and Pontiac-including several of the fastest and most powerful muscle cars ever produced. Here is the 14 point checklist on what defines a muscle car: Our muscle car definition combines 14 characteristics including origin, pricing, target market, drivetrain, class of vehicle, body style, the purpose of the vehicle, passenger capacity, and performance options.

#MUSCLE CAR TUNING MANUAL#

They feature a high-performance built V-8 engine, automatic or manual transmission, rear-wheel drive (where both wheels spin), a 4v carburetor (or higher), dual exhaust, and a sticker price of around 3,000 (USD). These vehicles were built on an intermediate body style in the mid to late 60s and early 70s and are either an option package or a specific model with two doors and front and rear seats. Our muscle car definition is a vehicle that originated in America, was targeted at young buyers, and was purpose-built for straight-line performance. Meanwhile, let me know what you think about this rendering in the comments box.What is a Muscle Car? The 1964 Pontiac GTO was the first muscle car and embodies the muscle car definition. More details should become available as the next-gen Mustang continues to be tested. It remains to be seen if Ford will take Chevrolet's route with the Corvette and add electric motors to higher-performance variants of the Mustang, but the iconic pony will definitely get batteries and a charging port during its seventh stint on the market. However, this generation should also mark the arrival of the first-ever hybrid Mustang. 'What will happen under the hood?' is obviously the biggest question on everyone's minds right now and the simple answer is that the S650 Mustang will still feature turbocharged four-cylinder and naturally aspirated V8 power. Expect the global debut to occur in the first quarter of 2023 and production to commence just in time for the 2024 model year. Originally rumored to go into production in 2020, the seventh-generation Mustang has been pushed back to 2023. And needless to say, the S650 will most likely break cover with sharper headlamps, a larger front grille, and a more aggressive design overall.Īnd you can definitely look forward to a muscular hood and beefed-up rear haunches (though I wouldn't hold my breath for the Ferrari-inspired upper rear fenders we can see here). It's far from wild and retains many details from the outgoing Mustang S550, which might very well be the path Ford has followed for the redesign. Sure, it's difficult to accurately predict the styling cues adorning a heavily camouflaged car, but this digital rendition takes a safe approach by following recent changes that FoMoCo made to its global design language. Designed by 'Ace' of ModernMuscleCars and first showcased on the Mustang7G forums, the rendering gives us an early look at the upcoming Mustang.

Muscle car tuning