The Golden Age of Muscle Cars...is right now!

[Purerock105]

It's not so much revisionist history as a reorder on the timeline.

The 50's & 60's ushered in the birth of muscle and hot rodding, but at no time until the present has there been more production cars over 400hp and the aftermarket world is a booming.

By present, I would use 2015 as the starting point.
Introduction of the Hellcats, Corvette C7 Z06, Ford's Shelby GT350.

 

[Paladin06]

It's not so much revisionist history as a reorder on the timeline.

The 50's & 60's ushered in the birth of muscle and hot rodding, but at no time until the present has there been more production cars over 400hp and the aftermarket world is a booming.

By present, I would use 2015 as the starting point.
Introduction of the Hellcats, Corvette C7 Z06, Ford's Shelby GT350.

I would have to say 2008 with the initial release of the Limited Edition SRT8 Challenger.

 

[EricG]

Yeah for me it's 2005, that's when all the new SRT8s launched, we had a GTO at the time, GM made the V-series Cadillacs, and it's only gotten better since then!

 

[MiHiHemi]

Couldn’t afford a muscle car when I came of age in the 70’s. Can barely afford one now!

 

[motorhead]

The LT1/LT4 was the start of the modern era, then came the LS1/LS6 cars, the Terminator Cobras, GTO and LS2/LS7 Vettes, the return of the HEMI, LS3/LSA/LS9 cars, the Hellcat/Redeye and Demons, somewhere in there Ford managed to finally make an naturally aspirated Modular engine that performed... all the way back to the LT1/LT4... and now a Predator is on the scene.

That is about 25 years of constant improvement.

 

[Hickster]

I do do agree. Perfect anglish?? Started with the LT1 Z 28, modified it before purchasing the 1996 LT4 Grand Sport wit no stupid paint job and emblems. Took the white top off for a dark blue, since the car was artic white. tuning, bigger intake, port polished, different exhaust, and more $$ knew to throw at it. 1996 sold it with 22,000 miles. broke my heart, but not giving it the love it needed. White with beige interior, blue top, and never saw snow. Great car till the next vette,,, same way. This car I am investing in and going to drive. Let it sit does no one any good and unless your last name is Leno,, no good.

 

[Force_Recon]

The second muscle car era began in the later 1980’s. The Buick Grand National was making 245 hp/355 tq. The later Stangs made 235 hp/ 280tq. The 91 Dodge Viper pushed it to 400hp.

It was a fun time to be a street racer because never before were we able mod cars into the 400-500 hp range without turning them into trailer cars.

Ever since then the hp/tq numbers have been steadily climbing to what they are today. Don’t believe me? Follow the power numbers from the 87 GN to present and you’ll arrive at the same conclusion.

 

[Hickster]

Where will it ever stop.? With the crate engines,,, bolt in and the tranies that snap in. Chase after chase after chase. How much $$ do you want to spend. But reading that junk Motor Trend article the other night. The $88,000 C8 beat out the Lambo, or other, million $$ in time is sumtin wrong?? Mix matching carbon fiber for the Hell Cat. I will take the Cat. Old school fer me.

 

[SilverBillet]

Not quite the Golden Age to me. New cars are better and faster in every way but we will never be able to develop the memories on the street with these cars like we did with our classic muscle cars back in the day! The conditions today are too restrictive to enjoy the freedom we had with our cars in the late 60’s and early 70’s. American Graffiti was based on our lives back then but is no more. Just saying it’s way different now. I could write a book with what I did in this car but stories like that are not possible today.

 

[Force_Recon]

I was born in the mid 70's at a time when high horsepower muscle cars were becoming a thing of the past. All I can say is that American Graffiti is one of my all time favorite car movies. Directed by a young and relatively unknown director that later changed the Sci-Fi world with the release of Star Wars.

The early 90's were my hay days of street racing. Of course by then it had changed much since the 60's. I just remember carrying $100 dollars in my wallet, loading a pair of slicks in the trunk of my 87 GN and a small jack and tire iron. Back then we raced from a dead stop usually for money and the word "roll racing" didn't exist back then.

So Silverbullet.. given that you have stories to tell about that car. Did you sell it with your genetic material all over the back seat or did you clean it off before selling it?

 

[Hickster]

My 1st muscle cars started in the early 60s late 50s. Back yard rebuilds. Watching your friendsgoto work in their 64 cevy glass pack ex haust you could here before the bus smoked up the air in beautiful Tenn. Friends dads had that great sound going down the hills. Dad getting out of the 64- 4 barrel with the blue geens rolled up, white tee shirt short sleve with Lucky Strike rolled up in the sleve, penny louvers, sleeked back hair,,,,, All the fixins. Remember as it was yesterday. My dad coming home coat and tie. Next door neighbor FBI agent. What a mix. Just the beginning of the hot rod stage. Right after the 64 Impallas when it began. Dad bought mom the 1st year of the Barracuda Fast Back with the rear winder s long as a 74 road runner itself. What I was driving at the fine age of 12. Fast little critter back then. Had to make mom and dad a beer and cig run ever 3 hours. 10 minutes as the crow flys,,,, me and my burn outs by the local pool 1.5 hours with no gas. Then had to get gas. Lovely times.

 

[Jungle Cat]

I can’t agree that the golden age is now? Yes the horsepower wars are incredible but our choices are very limited. Now you have Chevy with the Vette and the Camaro. Ford only has the Mustang and we have the Challenger with multi level performance and the Charger. Mopar does it best with multi option performance much like it was in the late 60’s and early 70’s. I don’t include SUVs because they are not Muscle cars. Back in the day you had AMC, Buick, Chevy, Olds, Pontiac, Ford, Dodge and Plymouth pushing out multiple muscle cars and a dizzying number of options. Yes today’s cars are superior but It’s not even close in my opinion when was the golden age.

 

[motorhead]

The second muscle car era began in the later 1980’s. The Buick Grand National was making 245 hp/355 tq. The later Stangs made 235 hp/ 280tq. The 91 Dodge Viper pushed it to 400hp.

It was a fun time to be a street racer because never before were we able mod cars into the 400-500 hp range without turning them into trailer cars.

Ever since then the hp/tq numbers have been steadily climbing to what they are today. Don’t believe me? Follow the power numbers from the 87 GN to present and you’ll arrive at the same conclusion.

I disagree. Both as a former Turbo Regal owner and as a guy who still works on 80s crap boxes. There are so many technical/mechanical reasons that make the Turbo Regal a horrible muscle car for the average person - the half-digital/half-analogue EFI is the primary reason, built like shit, handled and braked like crap, G-Bodies are horrible cars. Same goes for the Fox body and those early-EFI 302s. And anyone who thinks a 400hp 8L V10 engine is a good performing power plant is blind (plus the Viper was rushed to marked with a lot of compromises).

(Manual transmissions are fun, look at how happy he is)

From around 1993 on there were a series of clean-sheet designs where cars would have powerful engines with the ability to be uncorked (and even tuneable (no, mail order chips don't count), handled well, and braked well. Cars anyone could get in and enjoy right off the lot for a long time. I still look at the mid-90s Camaro SS vs Mustang Cobra as being a very telling comparison:

By 1998 GM sent Ford running for a supercharger, and the rest is history:

 

[Jungle Cat]

Sorry I forgot Mercury!

 

[Jungle Cat]

I disagree. Both as a former Turbo Regal owner and as a guy who still works on 80s crap boxes. There are so many technical/mechanical reasons that make the Turbo Regal a horrible muscle car for the average person - the half-digital/half-analogue EFI is the primary reason, built like shit, handled and braked like crap, G-Bodies are horrible cars. Same goes for the Fox body and those early-EFI 302s. And anyone who thinks a 400hp 8L V10 engine is a good performing power plant is blind (plus the Viper was rushed to marked with a lot of compromises).

(Manual transmissions are fun, look at how happy he is)

From around 1993 on there were a series of clean-sheet designs where cars would have powerful engines with the ability to be uncorked (and even tuneable (no, mail order chips don't count), handled well, and braked well. Cars anyone could get in and enjoy right off the lot for a long time. I still look at the mid-90s Camaro SS vs Mustang Cobra as being a very telling comparison:

By 1998 GM sent Ford running for a supercharger, and the rest is history:

Motorhead, I know a lot of guys into Buick GN’s that will disagree with you. Those cars are highly modifiable and having gone to the GS Nationals many times I can tell you they are incredible in the qtr mile. A good friend of mine owns a low mileage GNX which are now worth a fortune.

 

[motorhead]

Motorhead, I know a lot of guys into Buick GN’s that will disagree with you. Those cars are highly modifiable and having gone to the GS Nationals many times I can tell you they are incredible in the qtr mile. A good friend of mine owns a low mileage GNX which are now worth a fortune.

We aren't talking about modified cars... hell, I can put a top fuel engine in a minivan and make similar claims. We are talking stock for stock the best all-around (gas, brake, honk) performing era of all time. Bumper-to-bumper you cannot beat anything built in the last 25 years with something from any period of time before it.

Cars from the 80s handled like dump trucks off the show room floor... the 60s and 70s were like a wagons drawn by a horse (leaf springs... seriously? Da fuq.) on the crappiest tires imaginable.

Actual engineering went into all aspects of cars from the mid-90s onward.

 

[Jungle Cat]

We aren't talking about modified cars... hell, I can put a top fuel engine in a minivan and make similar claims. We are talking stock for stock the best all-around (gas, brake, honk) performing era of all time. Bumper-to-bumper you cannot beat anything built in the last 25 years with something from any period of time before it.

Cars from the 80s handled like dump trucks off the show room floor... the 60s and 70s were like a wagons drawn by a horse (leaf springs... seriously? Da fuq.) on the crappiest tires imaginable.

Actual engineering went into all aspects of cars from the mid-90s onward.

It doesn’t take much to make them go. In the 80’s they were the only hope.

 

[Slowpoke387]

I would say 2004 with the reintroduction of the GTO

That's a stretch right there.

 

[Jungle Cat]

That's a stretch right there.

I agree. It looks like a Camry. A real snooze.

 

[Slowpoke387]

I disagree. Both as a former Turbo Regal owner and as a guy who still works on 80s crap boxes. There are so many technical/mechanical reasons that make the Turbo Regal a horrible muscle car for the average person - the half-digital/half-analogue EFI is the primary reason, built like shit, handled and braked like crap, G-Bodies are horrible cars. Same goes for the Fox body and those early-EFI 302s. And anyone who thinks a 400hp 8L V10 engine is a good performing power plant is blind (plus the Viper was rushed to marked with a lot of compromises).

(Manual transmissions are fun, look at how happy he is)

From around 1993 on there were a series of clean-sheet designs where cars would have powerful engines with the ability to be uncorked (and even tuneable (no, mail order chips don't count), handled well, and braked well. Cars anyone could get in and enjoy right off the lot for a long time. I still look at the mid-90s Camaro SS vs Mustang Cobra as being a very telling comparison:

By 1998 GM sent Ford running for a supercharger, and the rest is history:

G bodies were absolute crap. No offense to current collectors but c'mon, even back then they were horrible cars. They threw a hail Mary by putting in a turbo and painting the trim black but the platform for those cars was terrible. Luxury boats with some hp a muscle car does not make imo.
Damn that's three of your posts now that I agree with. I need to re-evaluate my life.