Revival of the "Muscle Cars"

[Made in the USA]

Here you go Detector. This one is already done! Might cost a little more though.


2008 New York Auto Show: 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T News

[Army_of_One]

That's a cool looking car but you would think that a failing auto company would stop working on niche cars that will sell a few and come up with something fresh, new and innovative to possibly up their sales. Do Toyota and Honda have any cars like this? I don't think so. Their "niche" cars are innovative, cutting edge hybrids and the like.

[Detector]

I agree to a point. Most car manufactures are trying to reproduce the muscle car phenomenon we're seeing today for the future. Will they succeed? hard to say, but there is a demand for these new generation muscle cars if done right.

There are a few key factors involved in the unbelievable rebirth of popularity of these old beasts. One of the main being a lot more collectors with a lot more money. Today we have more millionaires, thanks in part to the lottery, than ever before. These new money people view investments differently than past people. Everyone wants a piece of the pie, and there's still a lot of pie out there to be had.

I've seen some of these old muscle cars from the 70's that had an original price of $5,500 go on Barrett Jackson for as much as $5.5 million. Thats one hell of an investment payoff in 30 years. it's all about options and miles. You buy the right car now and tuck it away in the garage for 30 years and you can retire from it.

Here is a good example. This Mustang one would think is total junk. Right now on Ebay it's up to $5,100 and I'll bet it sells for close to $10,000. You might think these are bidders with more money than brains, but you'd be totally wrong. Put $20,000 in a complete restoration and you've got a car you could sell for $100,000, or keep it and just watch the value go up.

[Bandit]

With the new fuel efficiency standards coming up in the near future, the days of the muscle car are about gone. Better get your Hemi Dodge while you can. The days of the big block V8 trucks might be coming to a close also, as a lot of the truck companies have started development on small V6 diesels to put in trucks and SUV's that will return better gas mileage but still have the torque that a truck needs. Frankly, I think the Dodge Challenger and upcoming Chevy Camaro are about 5 years too late.

It is amazing what car manufacturers can do now. You can go out and buy a 270 hp Honda Accord V6 that does 0-60 in 6 seconds and gets 19 mpg city and 29 highway. That would have been unimaginable 10 years ago. But I really think better fuel efficiency is just the tip of the iceberg. Ethanol is definitely not the answer. We'll have to see how the hydrogen fuel cell works out. A few manufacturers are testing those cars right now.

[Bubba]

Originally Posted by Made in the USA

Here you go Detector. This one is already done! Might cost a little more though.


2008 New York Auto Show: 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T News

I really loved the Cadillac CTS advertisements on the pages with the Challenger. LOL

[Detector]

You've got to remember that that 270 hp isn't what it used to be. Also in the 70's they changed the way HP(horse power) was rated. In the early 70's when the government forced auto manufactures to reduce compression, lower HP and be more fuel efficient, manufactures weren't doing well with American muscle only rated at 180 hp. They changed the way HP was calculated which on paper looks better, but still not very impressive where the tires meet the road.

I think where American auto manufactures screwed up is trying to compete in a market where they have always come in last. America has never been good at mass producing small fuel efficient compacts. Japan wrote the book on cheap efficient compacts. You've also got to remember that these old muscle cars came from an era when Made in the USA was a good thing.

I do think American auto manufactures are on the right track with these new reproductions. We need to do what we do best, and typical of America, thats gas guzzling, high HP, 0-60 in 4 second muscle. No other auto manufacture does this as well as the Americans. We need to quit trying to compete in a market we don't do well.

Although we hear Americans saying they want fuel efficient environment friendly cars, look around and see what Americans choose to buy. Gas guzzling SUV's, sports cars and luxury cars. American auto manufactures would do well to understand we say one thing and buy another.

[Army_of_One]

Originally Posted by Detector

look around and see what Americans choose to buy.

Toyota's and Honda's apparently....lol

[Made in the USA]

I see a lot of the new "Mustangs" running around. They must be selling. By the way, don't most of these new "muscle cars" have a smaller and more fuel efficient engine?

[Detector]

Yes the newer "muscle cars" have smaller more efficient engines, but they also have less weight to push around in most cases. New carbon fiber/plastic panels are replacing sheet metal and even some engine parts.

I think the biggest difference between pre-80's muscle and todays muscle is the way engines produce horse power. Today that new mustang may advertise 305hp but thats at a 5800 rpm and only 320ftlbs of torque at the wheels. How often do people run their car at 5800rpm?

Todays motors HP peaks at a very high RPM, where as, for example, a 1970 mustang's HP peaked at 3400 RPM with 370hp and 450ftlbs of torque at the rear wheels. Also todays muscle is geared more toward a high top end speed rather than a quick response. Due in part to rear end gears being higher for fuel efficient highway driving, and transmissions setup for fuel efficiency and highway use.

Gone are the days of the popular 4.11 rear end as we are seeing 2.23 gears as common choices. 6 speed manual transmissions have replaced the old 4 speeds, and turbo chargers are seen on common family cars. Not to mention those goofy 22" wheels that personally I have yet see one that looks right.

[Bubba]

Needless to say with 22" of wheel there is very little room for rubber on the sidewalls to help cushion your ride.