If you don't like muscle cars, you are nothing but a pure, 100% pinko red communist. The only thing more American (and therefore awesome) than a muscle car is a muscle car with a built-in charcoal grill for cooking bison steaks.
@compunaut I think it's more the look than the power. A 4-cyl, 80hp IROC Camaro is still a muscle car because it's a bitchin' Camaro! As for Jags, you can't tell me this isn't a muscle car. Nice to look at, massive engine (in this case, a V-12!), and only good at going fast.
@cpierce I never liked the bubble-back Jaguars but the roadster XKEs were one of the most beautiful cars ever made. Its hard to believe its made in the same part of the world as the horrible stubbed-toe econoshitboxes.
Have a 1972 Olds Cutlass Supreme convertible. Not sure if it's a true 'muscle car'; it was purchased to be 'just a driver' (and has always been treated that way) but I love the damn thing
@compunaut '72s are kind of considered the trailing phase of traditional muscle cars; the insurance nannies and the government trolls finally piled too many regulations and requirements on them... but they were still pretty cool cars.
@mfladd I drive a 2002 Z28 T-top. I tell my husband it's a chick car because it's pretty & shiny, and RED! He argues it's a muscle car. Goes like a bat outta hell, and has a sweet spot right about 80 on those big open roads, but it's never struck me as a "guy car."
@JoetatoChip I never understood where that came from. I live near Buffalo and seems like over 50% of all vehicles are trucks. I use mine for the rough winter, pulling my camper, taking out my ATV or just moving stuff making it in my mind a versatile vehicle.
@JoetatoChip Don't forget... with chrome truck nuts. I guess there's nothing else to do after your GF has cut off the real ones and placed them in her purse...
... very, very dumb. There is a d-bag in my neighborhood with a Camaro, aka Redneck Chariot, with F'ing loud engine noise. He also has a lead foot. Everyone in a mile radius knows when he's on the road by the deafening roar as he drives by our houses. I hope he dies in a fiery car wreck.
@sjk3 So go ahead and blame the car, not the asshole. Its easier that way and then you get to consider anyone driving a Camaro to be a "redneck charioteer" without bothering to know anything else about them...
@sjk3 I feel your pain except we have Harleys, and the owners are grown adults who would call the cops if they could hear a stereo in half the distance that their motorcycle engine noise travels. Or they would be the first to call the cops your car was loud. Not to mention stop signs are optional when they are with their friends in a group and the first one stopped and proceed, and it is d-bag season again. I am not sure why the noise ordnance does not apply to Harleys.
While I admit "muscle cars" look and sound pretty sweet, I could never own one. There is something to be said for having the ability to actually USE the power the car is capable of. This is why I like roadsters and old British sports cars. Or of the modern set, the Mazda miata/mx5, and Toyota 86/scion FRS/Subaru brz. Small, skinny tires, sufficient power, and you can take it to the "ragged edge" (where driving really gets fun) in real world conditions.
@earlyre My Dad had an MGA 1500; I drove it once (after 15 I was too tall to even try in that car). It wasn't that fast, or that quick, but it felt fast. It was fun to drive. But it was an illusion. Skinny tires, stiff but not good suspension, buzzy engine, gives you all the feels without the reals.
I never drove a Miata; they were made for shorter people...
It must be a generational thing as to what we consider "muscle cars." Growing-up I considered them to be cars like the Olds 442, Mercury Cyclone, Dodge Roadrunner, or, that horrible (but so cool to a kid) Plymouth Superbird. I wanted every one of them (and still do!).
Cars like the Camaro or Firebird just never occurred to me to be that (no slight intended).
@Cheddy And forgot but technically Mustang/Camaro/'Cuda/Challenger were called Pony cars (after the Mustang 'created' the class). Usually shorter wheelbase than the intermediate size big engine muscle cars from the mid-60s on, along with a more sporty body style than the two-door intermediate coupes.
@duodec Right you are on both counts! I should have phrased that differently about the Superbird. It was very cool. I blanked on the Dodger version, wasn't it called a "Super Bee" or something?
My dream car is still my '71 Challenger; first car, purchased (by me, not parents) in 1979, driven for quite a few years (I paid for everything including the increment in insurance on the family plan), then stored when I couldn't afford to fix its first hard problem at 170K miles. I've been collecting parts and trying to fit little bits of work in on it between 60-70 hour work weeks. The engine is going to a machine shop this summer for refreshing.
Muscle cars are cool. Even Chevys.
Unfortunately any car can have the misfortune of being owned and driven by an asshole. High powered cars make it easier for the assholes to make their limitations obvious to the surrounding folks, but thats all. Myself, I mostly notice Honda drivers, of which a majority around here seem to be microencephalic twits who think they own the road and all must yield to their asshole-y magnificence. But I try not to generalize that to all Honda drivers. Maybe its something in the water. Maybe its just that there are so many Hondas that the absolute number of assholes driving them is so noticeable.
@duodec as a Classic mopar Fan myself, Let me present the Mailbox i Painted up for my Brother's "new-to-him" House, Moving home(NWBuckeyeland) from DFW. Plum Crazy, with a White Bumblebee Stripe. That IS Plum Crazy,(I bought a touch up rattlecan from a dodge dealer) not just some random purple i'm calling Plum Crazy. Since those Pics were taken, i added a Mopar "m" Decal inside the Stripe, and clear coated the whole mess.. and it Photographs WAY better than it looks up close... went too heavy on the color coats, fair amount of orange peel, and bleeding of purple onto the white, where the masking didn't Fully Seal... Oh well... it's Imperfect just like the cars were, you can tell it was done by a human.
I had a Bitchin' Camaro. This photo is one of the very few I have of her. She was a 1968. I bought her as a junker and had her restored from the ground up. She was my daily driver for eleven years. I had to sell her when we were buying a house- and she was getting near to needing a new motor, which I couldn't afford. Broke my damn heart to let her go... lord, I loved that car.
@duodec Heh. I wish. But my muscle car days are over. I did, however, just run a successful fundraising campaign to get me a fancy power wheelchair... so I guess in a way, I'll still be hot rodding around? ;)
@Pony Paint it a high performance Camaro color, and put a spoiler on the back. Maybe get some engine emblems for it too ;) Bet you could find smartphone-compatible engine rumbles to enhance the experience too.
My father has a 1964 Impala Super Sport convertible, he purchased new. I refuse to sit the back because I'm fairly certain it's where I was conceived.
The only thing it got was a repaint and restored ragtop. Everything else is original, including the leather interior and radio. It will be mine some day. Oh yes, it will be mine.
Dad had a 1970 Plymouth Duster when I was young. Black with a black stripe. Had made custom seats from an old ford and hand sewn the fabric. Sold it to a retired police officer who took it down south. Not actual car.
If you don't like muscle cars, you are nothing but a pure, 100% pinko red communist. The only thing more American (and therefore awesome) than a muscle car is a muscle car with a built-in charcoal grill for cooking bison steaks.
@cpierce how much 'muscle' does it take to qualify?
@cpierce My dad prefers Jaguars, and my brother Ferraris. Those are also bad-ass cars. Are they still Communists?
@compunaut I think it's more the look than the power. A 4-cyl, 80hp IROC Camaro is still a muscle car because it's a bitchin' Camaro! As for Jags, you can't tell me this isn't a muscle car. Nice to look at, massive engine (in this case, a V-12!), and only good at going fast.
@cpierce
Chris Maynard
Manifold Destiny: The One! The Only! Guide to Cooking on Your Car Engine
http://www.amazon.com/Manifold-Destiny-Guide-Cooking-Engine/dp/0375751408#nav-search-keywords
@cpierce I never liked the bubble-back Jaguars but the roadster XKEs were one of the most beautiful cars ever made. Its hard to believe its made in the same part of the world as the horrible stubbed-toe econoshitboxes.
Have a 1972 Olds Cutlass Supreme convertible. Not sure if it's a true 'muscle car'; it was purchased to be 'just a driver' (and has always been treated that way) but I love the damn thing
@compunaut '72s are kind of considered the trailing phase of traditional muscle cars; the insurance nannies and the government trolls finally piled too many regulations and requirements on them... but they were still pretty cool cars.
@duodec '68 Olds 442 is my dream car.
Making it harder to breathe.
I had a 1969 Camaro RS Convertible as my first car. She was in rough shape, body wise. But the engine and convertible were nice in High School.
@mfladd I drive a 2002 Z28 T-top. I tell my husband it's a chick car because it's pretty & shiny, and RED! He argues it's a muscle car.
Goes like a bat outta hell, and has a sweet spot right about 80 on those big open roads, but it's never struck me as a "guy car."
@LaVikinga In case you are driving by, "bat outta hell" need a ride.
@Pavlov -1
@Pavlov | You've got that confused with puckup trucks.
(I live in Iowa)
@JoetatoChip I never understood where that came from. I live near Buffalo and seems like over 50% of all vehicles are trucks. I use mine for the rough winter, pulling my camper, taking out my ATV or just moving stuff making it in my mind a versatile vehicle.
@JoetatoChip Don't forget... with chrome truck nuts. I guess there's nothing else to do after your GF has cut off the real ones and placed them in her purse...
My dream car right now is a town n country minivan
@MsELizardBeth Have you seen the new Pacifica minivan? Jim Gaffigan is in the commercials. It looks pretty sweet!
@cpierce the stow n go seating is where it's at
This is my dream car.
@TheCO2 F-82s rock.
@TheCO2 Ok, gotta show love for the Twinstang.
... very, very dumb. There is a d-bag in my neighborhood with a Camaro, aka Redneck Chariot, with F'ing loud engine noise. He also has a lead foot. Everyone in a mile radius knows when he's on the road by the deafening roar as he drives by our houses. I hope he dies in a fiery car wreck.
@sjk3 So go ahead and blame the car, not the asshole. Its easier that way and then you get to consider anyone driving a Camaro to be a "redneck charioteer" without bothering to know anything else about them...
@sjk3 I feel your pain except we have Harleys, and the owners are grown adults who would call the cops if they could hear a stereo in half the distance that their motorcycle engine noise travels. Or they would be the first to call the cops your car was loud. Not to mention stop signs are optional when they are with their friends in a group and the first one stopped and proceed, and it is d-bag season again.
I am not sure why the noise ordnance does not apply to Harleys.
@thismyusername I'm guessing that's a big block?
While I admit "muscle cars" look and sound pretty sweet, I could never own one. There is something to be said for having the ability to actually USE the power the car is capable of. This is why I like roadsters and old British sports cars. Or of the modern set, the Mazda miata/mx5, and Toyota 86/scion FRS/Subaru brz. Small, skinny tires, sufficient power, and you can take it to the "ragged edge" (where driving really gets fun) in real world conditions.
@earlyre It's kinda crazy how the Miata and BRZ/FRS twins capable cars are labeled "slow" just because their 0-60 time isn't 6 seconds.
@earlyre My Dad had an MGA 1500; I drove it once (after 15 I was too tall to even try in that car). It wasn't that fast, or that quick, but it felt fast. It was fun to drive. But it was an illusion. Skinny tires, stiff but not good suspension, buzzy engine, gives you all the feels without the reals.
I never drove a Miata; they were made for shorter people...
I would like a Tesla Hummer.
@f00l No joke Tesla Model S goes 0-60 in under 3. Bad for environment because of the tires you would use up.
It must be a generational thing as to what we consider "muscle cars." Growing-up I considered them to be cars like the Olds 442, Mercury Cyclone, Dodge Roadrunner, or, that horrible (but so cool to a kid) Plymouth Superbird.
I wanted every one of them (and still do!).
Cars like the Camaro or Firebird just never occurred to me to be that (no slight intended).
@Cheddy Superbird is not a horrible car. Its just a purpose-built aerodynamic speed machine.
And Roadrunner was a Plymouth. Beep beep!
@Cheddy And forgot but technically Mustang/Camaro/'Cuda/Challenger were called Pony cars (after the Mustang 'created' the class). Usually shorter wheelbase than the intermediate size big engine muscle cars from the mid-60s on, along with a more sporty body style than the two-door intermediate coupes.
Anymore they tend to get lumped in together.
@duodec Right you are on both counts! I should have phrased that differently about the Superbird. It was very cool.
I blanked on the Dodger version, wasn't it called a "Super Bee" or something?
@duodec Pony cars! I forgot that term as well. Thanks Duodec for blowing the dust from my memory banks.
My Dad's muscle transportation:
(Not his crew in the 2nd pic.)
One ancestor's idea of a muscle vehicle (no idea what ship he was on)
My dream car is still my '71 Challenger; first car, purchased (by me, not parents) in 1979, driven for quite a few years (I paid for everything including the increment in insurance on the family plan), then stored when I couldn't afford to fix its first hard problem at 170K miles. I've been collecting parts and trying to fit little bits of work in on it between 60-70 hour work weeks. The engine is going to a machine shop this summer for refreshing.
Muscle cars are cool. Even Chevys.
Unfortunately any car can have the misfortune of being owned and driven by an asshole. High powered cars make it easier for the assholes to make their limitations obvious to the surrounding folks, but thats all. Myself, I mostly notice Honda drivers, of which a majority around here seem to be microencephalic twits who think they own the road and all must yield to their asshole-y magnificence. But I try not to generalize that to all Honda drivers. Maybe its something in the water. Maybe its just that there are so many Hondas that the absolute number of assholes driving them is so noticeable.
@duodec as a Classic mopar Fan myself, Let me present the Mailbox i Painted up for my Brother's "new-to-him" House, Moving home(NWBuckeyeland) from DFW.
Plum Crazy, with a White Bumblebee Stripe.
That IS Plum Crazy,(I bought a touch up rattlecan from a dodge dealer) not just some random purple i'm calling Plum Crazy.
Since those Pics were taken, i added a Mopar "m" Decal inside the Stripe, and clear coated the whole mess..
and it Photographs WAY better than it looks up close... went too heavy on the color coats, fair amount of orange peel, and bleeding of purple onto the white, where the masking didn't Fully Seal...
Oh well... it's Imperfect just like the cars were, you can tell it was done by a human.
@earlyre Calling @Barney - Plum Crazy Purple is a great color! Nice job!
@earlyre @duodec I love that purple!
I had a Bitchin' Camaro. This photo is one of the very few I have of her. She was a 1968. I bought her as a junker and had her restored from the ground up. She was my daily driver for eleven years. I had to sell her when we were buying a house- and she was getting near to needing a new motor, which I couldn't afford. Broke my damn heart to let her go... lord, I loved that car.
@Pony I'm sorry you had to do that. Maybe someday you can buy her or one of her sisters back.
@duodec Heh. I wish. But my muscle car days are over. I did, however, just run a successful fundraising campaign to get me a fancy power wheelchair... so I guess in a way, I'll still be hot rodding around? ;)
@Pony Paint it a high performance Camaro color, and put a spoiler on the back. Maybe get some engine emblems for it too ;) Bet you could find smartphone-compatible engine rumbles to enhance the experience too.
My wife's dream car, 1967 Pontiac Firebird 400 Convertible
@hems79 First gen Firebirds were great looking cars!
In 1967 I had a Shelby Mustang GT350.
My father has a 1964 Impala Super Sport convertible, he purchased new. I refuse to sit the back because I'm fairly certain it's where I was conceived.
The only thing it got was a repaint and restored ragtop. Everything else is original, including the leather interior and radio. It will be mine some day. Oh yes, it will be mine.
Dad had a 1970 Plymouth Duster when I was young. Black with a black stripe. Had made custom seats from an old ford and hand sewn the fabric. Sold it to a retired police officer who took it down south. Not actual car.
@StrangerDanger I still have a shark tooth grille for a 340 Duster stored away in case I ever manage to snag a nice A-body...
Had A '72 AMC AMX. Rebuilt a motor and painted it. I miss it.
Ford Falcon XB
Soo badass, America wasn't even allowed to have it.
@The_Baron Aussie? They had some awesome cars...
@duodec They still have some awesome cars.
Does this count?
@JerseyFrank not unless it is paid off ;)
@mfladd I'm reminded of that 725 times, every 30 days. $12,767 left to go...
@JerseyFrank More Aussie power, Holden Commodore with Pontiac badges.
Muscle car and supercar.