Muscle cars were in a class all their own; the cars that dreams were made of. They came rumbling out of Detroit with character and style in the mid 1960's and would become a passion for generations to come. Back in the day when you could easily tell a GM body style from a Ford from 100 yards, they stood out in the crowd. The American muscle cars joined racing design together with production cars and turned them into some of the most sought after cars ever made.

These beauties were factory designed to be built for pure power. The complete opposite end of the spectrum from the cars that were to follow, beginning in the mid 70's, the last great hoorah of American automobile engineering. The exact definition of a muscle car is disputed by some, but there are two things nearly everyone agrees on; to qualify as a muscle car it's a two door and it came from the factory with a V-8. Some of the hottest of these old muscle cars today are the ones with the shortest original production run.

The title of the first muscle car goes to the Pontiac GTO, fondly nicknamed the Goat. The GTO was a Tempest option package in 1964. All attitude, the Goat sported Hood scoops (Although non-functional), a dual exhaust and a 389 c.i. engine, with other additional options. A three barreled carburetor aptly called the Tri-power and a four speed manual transmission were among the other options. The GTO had a special edition called The Judge from 1969 to 1971. Production was halted on the Judge in January 1971. A few of the Judges got the optional 455 c.i engine but most were 400 c.i. The GTO was once again an option package in 1972, this time for the LeMans. The GTO option was halted altogether after the 1974 production year.

General Motors had their share of the muscle cars beside the GTO, which have become classic cars today; most notably the Chevelle SS, Impala SS, the Pontiac Firebird, and the Olds 442. The Chevy Camaro and Pontiac Firebird (same GM basic body design), with their short and squat backs were reminiscent of a big cat gathering its haunches for a burst of speed.

Anyone familiar with American muscle is familiar with the name Carroll Shelby. Shelby Mustangs were as sought after then as they are today. The fastest production car ever built in 1962 was a Cobra Roadster designed by Shelby. It clocked 0 60 in 3.9 seconds. Shelby designs were found in street and track stangs from 1965 until 1970, when his relationship ended with Ford. The Cobra 427 Roadsters were

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