"Gripping the wheel, his knuckles went white with desire. The wheels of his Mustang scorching down the highway like a slug from a .45...true death. 400 horsepower of maximum performance...This is Black Sunshine." (taken from White Zombie, "Black Sunshine")

That is what a muscle car is all about. A total smoke-billowing assault on unsuspecting pavement. Medium to large cars with monstrous engines going fast in a straight line. Stoplight to stoplight. Who's got the fastest ride from green to red? That's what man made muscle cars for.

People have been "tricking out" their cars for speed since the beginning of automobile history. T-buckets, lead sleds, the "little duece coupe," all are part of automobile history. But the one phrase that, seemingly, everyone knows is "muscle car." But what makes a muscle car a muscle car?

When someone speaks of a muscle car they are usually referring to vintage icons of street legend that came about in the mid-60s to the mid-70s. Words like Mustang, Chevelle, Z28, SS, GT, Hemi all were coined from that era. The American automobile manufacturers produced many of these tarmac-tearing monstrosities in that time-period. Mid to large sized cars with large and very powerful engines to make the car as fast as possible in a straight line. And not just fast, quick to boot. (Yes, there is a difference.) Ford had the Mustang and Torino. Chevy produced the Camaro, Nova, Chevy II, and Chevelle. But Mopar (then, Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth) led the way with icons named Barracuda (later shortened to 'Cuda), Charger, Challenger, Road Runner, Super Bee, GTX, the list goes on. Keep in mind, this is, in no way, a complete listing of muscle cars from the 60s and 70s. Consider it a sampler platter.

All of these cars had one key point in common. They all were readily available with over-sized engines and could, without a doubt, burn the rear tires off the car. Handling was something to be desired. Besides, who cared about going around corners? All that mattered then was how much sooner you could hit the next red light before the guy next to you. And how much tire tread you could leave on the blacktop in the process. Big cars. Bigger engines. My Torino GT can take your Chevelle SS, then get whooped by the guy down the road with the Hemi 'Cuda. Yeah. That's what the muscle cars were all about.

Learn more about this author, John Kothrade.
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