muscle car

Late model 2-door (usually) American car with a muscular appearance and more displacement, HP, and TORQUE than 3-5 rice motors (aka hamsters). Minimal cost/speed ratio; no JDM bling required for coolness. Destroys rice cars on impact. Large and comfortable, especially for those who aren't 5'5" and 120 lbs.

Occasionally seen sporting a slight lift in rear suspension. Internals are easy to access for maintenance/upgrade, unlike certain other vehicles (coff coff). Contrary to popular belief, will run until the apocalypse if the oil is changed every 3000 miles

Fast stock.

There's no replacement for displacement.

Muscle Car Driver: "Hey, how bout this: we race with 6 people in each car"
Ricer: "*GULP*"
Muscle Car Driver: "That's what I thought"

How many muscle era imports do you see driving around? Case-in-Point

by Big Tim July 9, 2004

muscle car

Any of a number of powerful automobiles with front engines and rear wheel drive produced from the early '60s until the present. To be considered a true muscle car requires around at least a 1hp/10lbs ratio, generally speaking. Some lighter muscle cars - especially those from the late 60's - are better described as 'Ponycars', because they were very compact and light, similar in design to Ford's Mustang. There were a lot of very powerful but heavy musclecars, and debate exists over which one was the 'first'. Some would say that the old Chrysler 300 qualifies, while others say that the Pontiac GTO was the first true musclecar. The Australians even had a few 6-cylinder cars with blistering performance back in the 60's that also qualify, so the term 'muscle car' doesn't just just refer to V-8 vehicles. Regardless, most people would not consider any 4-cylinder high performance vehicle to be a muscle car; they are more accurately described as sports cars usually.

1964 Pontiac GTO, 1967 Mercury Cougar, 1969 Javelin, 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle, 1967 Dodge Charger

- note - There were many different engines available for these cars. Some of those engines lacked the performance to make even these specific models 'muscle cars'. A stock 6-cylinder Chevelle would not be considered a muscle car, for example.

by Technomancer June 19, 2006

muscle car

Requirements:
1. First and foremost, it must be made in AMERICA! Fuck yeah!
2. Rear drive only!
3. Must have a V8 95% of the time, with some domestic turbo 6s counted (Grand National, anniversary Firebird turbo, etc.)
4. Must have 2 doors 95% of the time, except in cases of old hotrod wagons or, barely, the new Charger Hemi.

Things automatically barring a car from being a muscle car:
1. Being made in Asia or Europe, or by a foreign country in the US.
2. Being front- or 4-wheel drive.
3. Having an engine with less than 6 or more than 8 cylinders, and must have forced induction if a 6.
4. Having more than 4 doors.

Muscle Car Timeline:
1949 - Olds introduces the Rocket 88, featuring cool styling, and a Kettering-designed OHV V8 producing 135hp from 303ci and a 7.5:1cr.
1955 - Chrysler introduces the Hemi-powered C300 luxury car. It's advanced 300hp powerplant gives it a top speed of 130mph, making it, at the time, the fastest production car in the world.
1957 - The hideous but fast AMC Rambler Rebel was made this year, featuring a 327ci engine.

1964 - Not since the 50s had their been a performance car this popular. Approved for production by John Delorean, the GTO was truely incredible for its time, with the optional 348hp Tri-Carb engine (and proper gearing) launching it to 60mph in 6 seconds; that's on 6"-wide tires! Unfortuneatly, no disc brakes were available. :(
1964-65 - In just a year or so, several prominent muscle cars were introduced by GM and Ford.
1968 - ChryCo brings out the infamous Road Runner and SuperBee models, favoring low options and big engines for incredible performance. Indeed, a 69 Hemi RR was capable of 0-60 sprints in the low 5-second range, all while driving on bias-ply tires (read: shitty) measuring about 7"-wide.
1971 - Facing raising gas prices and increasing insurance payments, manufacturers were forced to reduce compression on their engines, dropping power in large amounts.
1974 - Import econoboxes take over as the oil embargo swells and the last of the muscle cars die off, mere shells of their former glory.

Examples of Muscle Cars:
- AMC Javelin and AMX
- Buick GS models
- Chevy SS models
- Dodge R/T models
- Ford GT and XR models
- Plymouth Cudas, Dusters, RR/GTXs, and more
- Pontiac GTO and Firebird models

The average muscle car was capable of:
5.5 to 6.5s 0-60 sprints
12 to 14s 0-100 sprints
120-140mph top speeds
.80g skidpad #s (not bad for 18:1 steering and 7" tires)
58-63mph slalom speeds (see above parenthesis)
70-0 braking distances in the range of 120-135ft. (thats even good today!)

And 12-13mpg.

by KickOutTheJamsMotherF*ckers March 15, 2006

muscle car

A group of American made cars that were produced between the late-50's and early-80's. The engines were usually high horsepower and high torque and when tuned correctly, got between 15 and 30 mpg. Typically, they ran 11 to 14 seconds on the quarter mile and speed up to 160mph, stock. Most weighed between 2500lbs and 4500lbs (Many were a bit lighter than todays cars) Even though considered obsolete by todays standards, A restored muscle car would be worth $10,000 - $150,000, and some muscle cars have sold for upwards of $3 million at auctions.

" Contrary to popular belief, not all American cars made in the 60's and 70's were considered a muscle car "

by Peiceofpaper February 7, 2006

muscle car

Term used to describe American or Australian model cars hosting large powerful motors produced between 1960's-1970's. These are TRUE cars that will tear up tarmac with the force of a huge roaring V8 with hardcore torque with the absence of cheesey gadgets and microships that infest the weak 4 cylinder rice rockets that plague the roads these days.

Muscle Cars :
Pontiac GTO (holden monaro)
Buick Skylark
Superbird
Chev Chevelle
Plymouth roadrunner
Holden Monaro GTS
Holden Torana

by schizer December 8, 2006

muscle car

The kind of car that just blew your doors off. Why all the muscle car bashing? Have you ever owned one? driven one? I doubt it. Muscle cars were built from about 1964 to 1972. Camaros and Mustangs are not muscle cars, they are generally refered to as pony cars. Muscle cars are mid sized cars with large displacement engines. A muscle car in the truest sense is a big block V8 car. A muscle car can't have a 6 cylinder and be a true muscle car, even if it is the same body style. Just because you drive a pile of import crap doesn't mean you should bad mouth real pieces of automotive history. They were built decades ago and are still faster and worth more than your import car. Exhaust tips, graphics, stereo systems and spoilers don't make your car faster. You think trailer trash drive muscle cars? Have you seen the prices of muscle cars lately? Many are worth far more than the house you live in.

muscle car chevelle gto big block fairlane skylark

by My name none of your business July 9, 2006

muscle car

POWER...more than 4 cylinders of course

riceboy: Performance parts? Never heard of them.

by not a 4 banger September 12, 2003