What is and isnt a Muscle Car?

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bent_ate, Aug 22, 12:28pm
This will be interesting because everyone has there own individual picture of what Muscle should look like. To me. Anything Pre 72ish, Fat Bulgy fenders with a fastback style or streamline, Fat rubber, without big horrible chrome rims (Jeezus they take the muscle away and destroy a car) OE rally style rims, Globes, tough aftermarket stuff like Welds, Centrelines, cragars etc , and of course a V8, sizes upwards of about 300 odd cubes. I dont know what the hell a "Japanese Muscle car or Late Model Muscle Car" means, I think of that as Performance, lookin forward to hearing some thoughts on this one. Have a great night

ckd.bu.mopars, Aug 22, 12:31pm
just got to be FAST! lol

pollymay, Aug 22, 12:46pm
Use lots of gas, no brakes, makes windows rattle and a diff ratio so low that your ears bleed driving on the highway

alltorque350, Aug 22, 7:09pm
You forgot doensn't go around corners. But it is those quirks that make them so great. All those things can be fixed/improved with so many aftermarket parts avaliable from the usa.

hyphen, Aug 22, 8:16pm
when you park it and come back 1/2 an hour later it's still bouncing up and down

fordmfp, Aug 22, 8:16pm
Hey Macca i got chrome rims on mine now sorry lol. 18" Boyds with 235 and 295s and ive sacked the old girl out pretty low! its looking heaps better than the 15s imo. Just needs white lettering on the 18s i reckon!

whqqsh, Aug 22, 8:22pm
theres always been debates about the categories of muscle car, hot rod, classic, street machine & even vintage. IMO a muscle car is late Aus & US 60s - mid 70s factory performance orientated.
My favourite is when ppl buy a standard car (anything from a 50s Chev to an V8 HQ/Camaro/ Mustang/Falcon), chuck a set of mags on & start talking 'hot rod'

flat_white_ltd, Aug 22, 9:02pm
+1 ^ .pretty much how most folk I know would describe muscle.( but some would possibly include the odd Anglo-American oddity from that time in there too. ie: Mr. Shelby springs to mind)

trogedon, Aug 22, 9:07pm
There are plenty of recent muscle cars too.

whqqsh, Aug 22, 9:16pm
I dont tend to agree. To me a muscle car probably shouldnt have all the bells & whistles, comfort & traction control/ABS/electrics etc etc. they were generally a more stripped down performance version, & thats part of my problem with SS Commodores trying to be tough but in an 'attractive to the mum dropping off the kids & the businessman' kind of way

hopie, Aug 22, 9:26pm
jacked up arse end with a smiley face painted on the rear diff

mrfxit, Aug 22, 9:27pm
Fully agree

True Muscle car =
Brute power via large cubic inch's (v8's mostly but some 6's apply)
Medium size body
Wider then normal tires
Low to the ground but not touching unless at serious speed over big bumps
2 doors only (ever)

These do NOT apply = totally different class =
Buzzing bumble bee's on viagra
Mosquito's on steroids
brap brap

mrfxit, Aug 22, 9:28pm
Shelby IS MUSCLE

mrfxit, Aug 22, 9:31pm
Any muscle car with bling/gadgets etc . is NOT a true muscle car, it's a mum & dad performance car
Age has nothing to do with it apart from modern day scarcity

flat_white_ltd, Aug 22, 9:32pm
Amen .

hotrodtodd1, Aug 22, 9:46pm
When ESPN call a pro stocker a "factory hot rod" & John Force calls his funny car his "hot rod" then the lines has long since been crossed.

Have even had hot rodders tell me that my wifes Fiat Topolino with GBRC chassis & Toyota engine isnt a hot rod. Silly thing is if I ever get around to building my street legal Baloo styled Topo (with the fibreglass body we took of her car) the same people will say its a hot rod.

hotrodtodd1, Aug 22, 9:49pm
To me a muscle car is pre 73 American V8 two door sedan or convertible, or a pre 78 Australian V8 sedan or coupe.

No room for V8 Euros or V8 Jappas in my definitions. Others are welcome to hold other views.

magicmat, Aug 22, 9:59pm
Must have 8 cylinders or more, cannot have rotors or VTEC.

sifty, Aug 22, 10:00pm
I think the XR-XY GT coons qualify as muscle cars. 4 doors yes, but brutal to drive, and you could never call them wimpy.

By your reckoning a detuned XB hardtop auto is a muscle car and GTHO isn't.

mrfxit, Aug 22, 10:15pm
Muscle car. not a modded 4 door family car
Doesn't matter which way you look at it, 4 doors = family car

The lines between TRUE & modded get a little blurred with modded family car bodys

bent_ate, Aug 22, 10:23pm
Hi Dwayne! Yes I still get on the Forum quite a bit (need to update me profile bad ha). XA looks great, haha not my choice of rims but still looks good! Im off to Canada tomoro to Travel, back next year sometime, I'm goin to try hunt down my old Fairlane an buy it back, still got the Chevelle will never sell her! Hope you are well.

bellky, Aug 22, 10:25pm
I think technically XW, XY GTs and HOs etc. are GT Cars.

True Muscle Cars I'd say 429 Boss Mustang, RS SS Camaro, Oldsmobile 442, Any '60s Dodge Hemi, etc. etc.

hopie, Aug 22, 11:01pm

pebbles61, Aug 23, 12:22am
Rover SD1 lol

magicmat, Aug 23, 2:12am
Lol. havent seen that one (amazingly) unlike 99% of the images posted