What Ford did to the Mustang in the mid 1970's should have been a crime.......

John DeLorean, Lee Iacocca and Carol Shelby were the three main icons who brought us muscle cars. I would bet DeLorean had a hand in the word “muscle car”.

The Muscle Car Scene wasn't just exclusive to the USA, Australia also had their own version of the Muscle car.... Holden Monaro GTS, and SS, Torana GTR XU1 and SLR5000 n SS as well the Commodore SS, Leyland(YES LEYLAND) P76 Targa Flioro, Chrysler Valiant Pacer & Charger RT. Then there's the Ford Falcon GT, XR6 Turbo and XR8 and F6 Turbo.

1. A thing can exist before you have a special name for it. 2. I would argue that the first factory "muscle car" (compact body with the engine from its larger sibling) was the 1936 Buick Century, which had the smaller body of the Special, but was stuffed with the larger engine of the Roadmaster & Limited. The Century had a reputation of being one of the fastest cars of its day.

I grew up in the muscle car era purchasing my first car, a 1957 Bel Aire with a 265 ci v8 that had been rebuilt three times before I got it. After several other Chevys, I finally bought a 1965 Impala with a 396 ci L78 producing 425 hp. This car had no badging other than the raised flags on the front fenders. It was a true sleeper. I can't say that I ever heard anyone use the term 'supercar' during that period. 'Hotrod', a throwback to the 1950s was still in vogue with nearly everyone I knew and that was a pretty large group that raced both on drag strips and, unwisely, on the streets. Did muscle cars become a thing in 1964? I assume you refer to the period when the manufacturers deliberately built cars aimed at putting high horsepower engines in lightweight bodies. In 1959 Chrysler had a 375 hp created in a 413 ci v8 while Chevy produced a 283 ci v8 that delivered 283 hp with fuel injection in 1957. This was the first engine to achieve the goal of one horsepower per cubic inch displacement. I like your videos except for the fact that they remind me of how old I am to have first-hand knowledge of some of the historical accounts you present.

I have mention this before, but I must restate: as a 61 year old student of the auto industry, having restored more cars than I will admit (to my wife), you are amazingly accurate. You appear too young to have accumulated this amount of knowledge, but apparently you have. Great work, I truly enjoy your posts. PS: your humor is spot-on.

What about the Hudson hornet it dominated racing in the early fifties

I’d like a video covering Australian muscle cars.

The Hamster was hamstrung by a hamster-sized budget.

Great video but it was somehow missed that the 426 Hemi was put into mid size Dodge and Plymouth models way back in 1964. Based on drag racing and NASCAR wins alone these were muscle cars!

You forgot the 1957 Rambler Rebel... Which was the ambassador v8 tuned with solid lifters floor shift and what ever AMC called its limited slip rearend, this was wedged into the mid size economy Rambler, it was the fastest 4 seater in 1957 and even had a pretty wicked paint job for the 1950s. Edit: the 1957 Plymouth sports fury was also stupid fast for its day with an engine that was pretty much the same idea as the Rambler Rebel. It is the car in Christine Well depending on what scene you are watching sometimes it was a 57 sometimes it was a 58 and sometimes it was a belvedere but thats Hollywood.

In 1961 plymouth offered the 413 cubic inch engine with 375 horses, and so did Dodge. Ford offered the Fairlane with 390 c.i. and 401 hp, chevy offered in 1961 an impala with a 409 c.i. engine with 360 hp, pontiac with a 405 hp 421 c.i. engine 1n 1962. I don't give Mr. DeLorean and the GTO credit as the first musclecar but it was a sales winner.

The 1961 Impala 409 is just sitting in corner crying.

I love this channel, can you do an episode on 90s-00s Japanese sports cars?

I would have to say the 1966 Fairlane 427 had enough power to be a Muscle car!

My first job was being a gas Jockey. Early 1990'S . The station I worked at was one of the rare and last ones that still sold "regular" fuel. Long story short, Canada allowed for "conversion" time. The result was I filled up some really nice classic cars, and a few welding guys with their portable welding machine trucks. They were "regular" customers. Mid 90'S regular leaded was finally faded out coast to coast.

I love the muscle party doorman bit

I always thought the OLDS J2 , the first factory car outlawed from NASCAR (sound familiar), was the tipping point for the muscle car era.

You make these so entertaining. Great work and i love how you keep these shorter

The cubic capacity might also determine if the car could be a police interceptor :-)

I know most of this stuff but you make quite an entertaining and flippant commentary which makes my day.

I once bought a 1968 Chevy Chevelle4 SS 396 for $750 having talked 'em down from a grand. I sure wish I would have kept it.

First muscle car - simple, cheap chassis with big engine but no comfort features - was 1912 Stutz Bearcat.

Nice work Ed, a great little study of the muscle car phenomenon.

Great series. Love your sense of humour... 😁

So Pony Car video and Muscle Car video...no mention of the Pontiac Firebird, AMC Javelin, AMC Rebel, Mercury Cougar...

I share your videos on Facebook. I enjoy them very much. Cheers from Colombia South America

Maybe you're a poet but didn't know it. Anyway, fun memory from high school: my friend becomes of age to drive, and gets his mom's old station wagon when she upgrades. What mom didn't know, but my friend did, was "mom's old station wagon" had a helluva big engine and her son was burning rubber in the parking lot every afternoon leaving school. I discovered years later, he became a city cop!

Mercury Cougars had the toned down changes in them post 1970 as well!

"SS" didn't always indicate a muscle Chevelle. In '64 and '65 they were available with six-cylinders and small-block V-8s.

I grew up in the So Calif car culture and until 1964-1965 guys got hp by working (ex) on their 265/283 Chevys and Ford flatties. Yeah, There were a few hemis and big engine Fords floating around but were Gran Pa styled rides and Chevys 348 didn’t count except for the early 60’s Chevy 409.... Maybe it was the music or something but the 64 GTO was the beginning awareness of the big engine/mid size frame mind set but nobody called them muscle cars. The odd thing in my school? By 66 guys who had money but no idea what a cam was were buying 396SS, 442 and Goats. Meanwhile the Hippys were in their bugs, Surfers in their woodies and the low riders in their earth movers... Fast cars, great music, hip huggers/crop tops on the girls...Whatta time to start growing up...😁

Back in 74 you could pick up a HEMI CUDA , etc. for less than $1000

if a muscle car has to look like a 60's car than the first one was the 413 powered Dodge Polara/Plymouth Savoy....Chrysler, late to the party? lol

Love the episodes.

In my memory, the muscle car concept grew out of the Super Stock (S/S) and Factory Experimental (F/X) classes in NHRA drag racing. The emphasis in straight-line acceleration and the domination of the downsized '62 Plymouths and Dodges in S/S gave rise to the concept of putting full-size V8s in intermediate-size Fairlanes, Chevelles, and Tempests. Basically, the '64 Pontiac GTO was the first factory-built FX racer in street trim.

Thats very informative, thank you :)

In the early '80s you could walk onto a used car lot in the USA and still find muscle cars! They were pretty beaten up by then but if you looked hard enough you could find one. They went for about $4K :)

I’d love to see you do an episode on the American hot rods of the 50s and 60s as they could be considered the true precursors to the more modern production muscle cars. A special look at the souped up cars of the American moonshine runners that helped give birth to modern NASCAR as well might be fun.

Also: 1972 California state law required automakers to only advertise with SAE Net horsepower ratings, instead of gross-that change led to a lot less lying about horsepower in ads and significantly lower numbers.

dude your humor is priceless xD loved the video!

I think that the Pontiac Trans Am of the late 1970s and 1980s should have been mentioned as it was at the time a ‘muscle car’ because it was the most muscle car a car could be with the emissions regulations of the time and also with the Smokey and the bandit movies using it as the car that the bandit drove and using in many stunts throughout the movies made the car recognizable and it sold pretty well, and the Pontiac firebirds of the late 1980s and very early 90s and some models of the Ford thunderbirds from the mid 80s and 90s (mostly the super coupe and turbo coupe models) being muscle cars could be argued.

Holden Australia used the roadrunner sound for its "Beep Beep Barina" ad in 1985. Barina was a rebadged Suzuki Swift then it became a rebadged Opel/Vauxhall Corsa then a rebadged Daewoo/Chevy Kalos.

An honorable mention would be the 62 Dodge and Plymouth B bodies with 426 cross ram setup. and also the race hemi around 64 which produced nearly 700hp.

The 1963 Studebaker Avanti R2 is sometimes considered the first true muscle car, followed closely by the GTO.

very informative, clear explanation about the history of the muscle cars. You got a sub / follow on ig!

Some people also argue that the original Ford V8 coupes in the 30s that the moonshiners started nascar with were the first muscle cars. I personally see the 1949 Olds 88 as the first one tho.

10:10 everyone references Doug 😁😂

Actually some of the early ss models were esthetic sporty looking packages before they decided to load some performance into them the years after. This is what my dads 65 Chevy II SS was. Now he has a 350 in it but it came with the same engine as the grocery getter.

I am old enough to remember the 60’s. The first muscle car that I recall was the 1960 chevy 409. It was a hotrod you could order off of the car lot. You bought the cheapest, lightest two door coupe and optioned the 409 with two 4 barrel carbs. Instant sub-15 seconds 1/4 mile times… I am sure better than stock tire could have improved on those times, but the point is this was straight out of the dealership lot. There couldn’t have been much margin on these strip-down models. With in a year or so the auto companies caught on and built up-scale models using their biggest engines, and the muscle car era you talk about was born.

In fairness to Chrysler, you could option the B Body cars from 1966 with the 426ci Hemi, and while this option wasn't not widely marketed (or purchased) at the time the cars fitted with these engines are true muscle cars. Chrysler then just pulled their socks up later in the decade to market these cars more effectively, creating new models (such as the GTX, Roadrunner), and proper 'muscle' trim levels like R/T to compete with models like the SS of rival brands.

i really enjoy your videos. that being said - the car you call a road runner at 10:49 is clearly a gtx (road runner doesn't have the side scoop) also not mentioned was AMC - (AMX, Rebel Machine, SC scrambler, Javelin) all very fast and well designed muscle cars.

You mentioned the FIAT Multipla of the 1950's as the forerunner of the MPV. Have a look at the Stout Scarab of the 1930's, a really interesting vehicle.

Well i think you made à very Good job my friend very interesting from a french ( near Paris ) congrat

Galaxies weren’t considered muscle cars because they were in the full size segment. “Muscle cars” were mid size cars with larger displacement engines often sourced from full size vehicles. For instance, Ford offered a Galaxie in R-code designation with a dual quad 427 FE V8 and 4 speed manual, but it’s still wasn’t a “muscle car”.

The mid 70s charger wasn't a charger, it was a 'stroller' (it was also just a rebadged chrysler cordoba)

The most ironic thing is that the Dodge Charger Daytona debuted at Talladega and the Ford Torino Talladega debuted at Daytona... Also, the Plymouth Superbird was made with the sole purpose of bringing Richard Petty back into the Chrysler fold

Left out the 1964 Dodge Dart. 440cid, dual quads, cross ram. Very fast.

Road Runner Road Runner, Going faster miles an hour...

Just to let you know, the Buick Century of the 30's is considered the first Muscle car.

First muscle car 64 Dodge polara factory hemi available with an aluminum front sheet metal from the factory a showroom drag car straight from the dealership

The 1960s Pontiac GTO, 1940s Olds 88 and 1930s Buick Century all were the SAME concept: Biggest engine in the smallest body. So, The 1936 Buick was GMs first "Muscle Car". GM just slid the concept down the "price ladder" over time: Buick>Oldsmobile>Pontiac... so that by the 1960s It was the "perfect storm". A "kid" would not have "Buick money" but he COULD have "Pontiac money", And thus a legend was born.

Something charming about these land boats

I know you’re going to get 1,000 suggestions… but I gotta put my 2c in. I’d like to nominate the 56 Studebaker Golden Hawk as the first “muscle car” because they shoehorned the 352ci Packard V-8 into it, making nearly 400 foot-lbs of torque. But absolutely nobody at the time would have called it a “muscle car”…

I read once of the classic late 60s Dodge Charger that the aerodynamics were so bad that the front lifted at speed and the brakes were drums. No power steering, either. But with a 7-litre V8 it would pull 60mph in less than 8 seconds-and those headlamps! No wonder the Dukes had one...

Very Cool

That 389 c.i. engine has its roots in the 1955 Stratostreak engine from the Star Chiefs. It was a 289 c.i., then bored out to a 317 c.i. in 1956. It was made to be a pure power engine!

After my father's death (murder) in a '63 Buick Wildcat, my brother and I convinced my mother to buy a ''66 Buick GS coupe as the family car (she didn't have a driver's license). After two years, she offered me the trade-in value against anything I wanted. I chose a 1968 Buick GS 400 convertible little realizing that six months later I'd be selling it to my little brother when I enlisted in the Army.

I know this is an old video, but it is new to me. But, I thought I would correct one point, mostly because it annoys Chevy fan boys... Ahem... Early on, Chevy SS models were not necessarily performance models. The SS package was nothing more than a trim package and could even be had on the very pedestrian 6 cylinder models, but not on lower base level cars such as Biscayne. To decipher this you need to look into how car companies used to name their cars; totally different names for very similar cars of different trim content. For example a 1969 300 deluxe vs Malibu vs Chevelle.... Chevelle was the mid-level trim. It's interesting and very confusing, and all the big 3 did it to some extent.

There are many theories that define the first "muscle" engine. Duesenberg SJ in 1932 had a V12 engine that could go up to 120 MPH, The first Ford V8, the first Oldsmobile Rocket 88 in 1948, the first Cadillac V8, all the Chrysler hemi engines. Personally, I think the first engine that kicked the ass of ALL those engines was the 426 Superstock by Chrysler, introduced in 1963. That engine had to be discontinued in the regular factory cars because it was too damn powerful for the average car buyer! The 426 Superstock was too powerful on the street! It was meant for racing only!

I think the muscle cars started before the 1964 GTO. In 1960 Pontiac had the 421 CI with three two barrel carbs. Chrysler had their awesome 413 and later the 426. In 1962 Chevrolet had the 409 with two four barrel carbs. Ford in 1963 had their 427 powerhouse. These were all muscle cars. Before these there were cars with V-8 engines like the Hemi's Chrysler had in the 50's, Ford's 312 Thunderbird engine and Chevrolet's 283. But they didn't come near the horsepower of the 421, 409, or 427.

Roadrunner are beautiful the droopsnoop one with wing

My first car was a 1967 Olds 442. While no one would dispute whether it was a muscle car or not because of it's big block rumble guts, my present ride isn't quite so clear. Today, I drive a 2018 Dodge Charger with the Pentastar V-6 in it. Why it's not so clear is the Charger stock puts out 300 hp vs the 442's 350. But today the Charger is supercharged and puts out roughly double the hp of the 442 at the same weight; (602 vs 350) and it's AWD. Who ever heard of an AWD Muscle car? But, it could eat up that 442 in reverse. And it can give a Hellcat a run for it's life. No one would dispute the Hellcat being a Muscle Car. The Charger has a weight to hp ratio of 6.6 lbs per hp where the 442 was closer to 13. I say the Charger is closer to a supercar than a muscle car, but it's certainly all muscle. And yes, at 602 hp it's quite a ride. The acceleration is so hard it'll pull your girls panties up. Assuming they were down. Of course they were down. LOL My toy car is a 2002 Chrysler Prowler. At a weight to hp ratio of 7.7, (300 hp at 2,200 lbs) it too is all muscle. But I don't think you'd call it a Muscle car. I ate a Lamborghini Contach with it so it is something. At 100 mph the Lambo was so far back I couldn't see it in the mirrors.

It's funny how the the first Rock N Roll song is about what people consider the first muscle car: Rocket 88

If you’re going to talk muscle cars you have to acknowledge the studebaker avanti r3/lark Daytona/golden hawk of the early 60s they were all built and marketed by the same John delorean (worked for GM on the gto) under the new ceo Sherman Egbert. Egbert wanted to make a halo car that would revive his dying company, studebaker. So he teamed up with mucholloch which is now Paxton! And commissioned John delorean to make a light sporty car with a supercharged v8. Mr delorean came up with the avanti with a 289 ci centrifugal supercharger that made about 400hp this was the r3 model. These cars held the world speed record in 1964 at 173 mph. The same engine was used in the silver hawk, golden hawk and also the lark Daytona. These were all passenger cars with a big motor that all went like the clappers. They were the true beginnings of the muscle car but are never accredited too because of studebakers failed financial stability as a company.

My best friend's dad brought home a brand new 1967 Coronet R/T with the 440 Magnum engine. He was an electronics engineer, so he modified a production aftermarket electronic ignition system, which gave the Dodge incredible horsepower and torque. This R/T was most likely the second fastest street legal car in town, The fastest being a Chrysler 300 hemi that was very rarely seen about town. Problem was the 14" "polyglass" bias tread tires, which fortunately never failed us or I probably would not be around to write this, and woefully insufficient drum brakes for the speeds the car was often run at, 130+ to 150+ MPH. While shooting the cruise one night we picked up 5 more people we knew, and headed west out of town toward the beach about 11 miles away. Before very long at all the speedometer was pegged at 150 MPH and still pulling slightly more. When there were some cars sighted ahead of us, had to slow down to 120 - 130 MPH which seemed like a crawl. I feel very lucky to have survived times like those considering the tires and brakes on the car. I should have asked Mr. Smith for details about his electronic ignition box for future reference. Without it the R/T was merely a very, very fast car. With the box in the circuit it was an obscenely fast car. Of course this performance could not have been achieved without the high octane gasoline it had to be fed with.

13:44 It became the Dodge Magnum which used the same body as the Chrysler Cordoba. (1) Dodge Magnum - KZfaq

Ed, you are wrong about Cadillac, in 58 you could get a cross ram intake, I had a 1960 with a six pack. You also missed the 1953 Hudson Hornet with a super charged inline 6, it owned Nascar for 3 years. Mopar was where the fun was, the 340 small block was a fast motor, the 383 big block was a lot more power, then the RRB really big block 440, 350 hp, the hp 375 hp and the shaker 425 hp, oh to step down on a 440 and get set back into your seat. I won't even mention the 413 wedge or the 426 hemi.

Where would you class the "Pontiac Firebird"? And please don't forget the "TransAm"! THX

My brother had a 60 Plymouth with a cross Ram 413........Now that was MUSCLE !!

You seem to have forgotten the Chevrolet Biscayne 409 which came out in the 1960's. My friend had one of them, and they were made for strictly performance.

At time index 9:45 - is that a "Mad Max" Ford Falcon in the background (black car, right side)?

For a great engine start sound, watch that commercial for the 1970 Chevelle SS 396. It’s the one shot in the desert, in which the car’s admirers just show up out of nowhere to gaze upon it.

1962 plymouth fury and Dodge Darts with their max wedge engines and short rear decks and long hoods

got a 66 GTO in 1972 put a few hi pro parts on it (back then were actual cheap ) and got just under 500 HP

I think it's interesting that while Chrysler missed out on the majority of the Pony/Muscle car craze, their heavy saturation during the later years has clearly contributed to their success in the era of modern neo-muscle cars. Now we have John Wick driving a 'cuda, and the Mustang is for old man jenkins wanting a comfy car for his road trips. It's achieved Corvette Boomer status.

I think it’s worth mentioning the last muscle car was the 87 Buick Grand National.... well maybe some of the newer “retro” “muscle” cars of the 2010s.

The mid and late 70s Dodge Charger was like that weird old man that lived down the street who went senile. 😂

Either the cars they had.... Or they WANTED to have !!

Not all SS models had a V8. You could get a Nova SS with a I6.

The 4 Door Chevelle. 😍

I have a 2006 Toyota Matrix, and I describe my horn as the road runner... Meep Meep!

The 1958 Mercury was the first American car to have 400HP with it's 430 cu inch engine.

My favorite muscle car is the 69' charger. Seeing the 70's personal luxury version is funny and sad at the same time.

The first "muscle car" is hard to define. A 63 Chevy with a 409? The 58 Rambler with a 327 (and no note the SBC) that was quicker than everything else in the US aside from the fuelie 'vette. Plus dropping a 389 in the Tempest was a no brainer as Pontiac only had one block size. All with a common 4.620" bore centers. Plus Pontiac had already been half of the way there with the first generation Tempest. That car had a 194.5 CID four cylinder that was a 389 with the left hand bank lopped off. The engine was even a true slant as the cylinders were played over 45° to the pan rail. But the first car marketed as one. Yah the GTO is it.

More used to 'mini' muscle cars like the Holden Torana & Ford Cortina here in Australia as well as supercharged utes and even modded Datsuns from the 70s.

I'm surprised you didn't mention the mustang 2 at the end.

Your definition of muscle car is on point. More powwwwwr. 65’ 289cid Mustang ain’t it, it is a Pony Car. The term muscle car today has morphed into a mixed bag of cars.

You mock my Cordoba! But it has rich Corinthian leather!

Well depending on how far back you wanna go regarding the first, I have 2 prepositions. First was the Duesenburg model J. One of the fastest and most powerful cars you could buy, and American built. The supercharged versions where pushing 320hp with an earth shattering amount of effortless torque. Sounds big block muscle car to me. The other is the Stutz Bearcat.a car that was relatively cheap and simple but had a surprisingly powerful engine for competitive racing. So accessible performance by 1911 standards. I still regard the 64 gto and the first in most respects, mainly the idea of grabbing a full sized car engine and cramming it into a midsize body. The olds rocket 88, Chrysler letter cars, the duesenburg J, and stutz didn’t do this

1:39 if you are getting it out of a show room It is effectively new so the prices are not horrible compared to how expensive new cars are.