| | A '''muscle car''' is a type of high-performance, mid or full-size [[automobile]] popular in the [[United States]] between 1964 and 1976, typically large with two doors, but sometimes having four. Designed by John DeLorean, the Pontiac GTO popularized the muscle car. Other examples are the Firebird Trans Am, Chevrolet Chevelle or Nova, Plymouth Roadrunner, Dodge Challenger or Charger, Plymouth Road Runner, Ford Torino, and Oldsmobile 4-4-2. They had large gas tanks, powerful engines (V8), low miles-per-gallon, and open rather than pop-up headlights. Smaller high-performance cars of the time were typically referred to as "pony cars," having better power-to-weight ratio than their larger cousins and exemplified by the Ford Mustang. A common opinion amongst car enthusiasts and collectors in the United States is that the American muscle cars of the 1960s and early 1970s represent the height of automotive design and style. | | A '''muscle car''' is a type of high-performance, mid or full-size [[automobile]] popular in the [[United States]] between 1964 and 1976, typically large with two doors, but sometimes having four. Designed by John DeLorean, the Pontiac GTO popularized the muscle car. Other examples are the Firebird Trans Am, Chevrolet Chevelle or Nova, Plymouth Roadrunner, Dodge Challenger or Charger, Plymouth Road Runner, Ford Torino, and Oldsmobile 4-4-2. They had large gas tanks, powerful engines (V8), low miles-per-gallon, and open rather than pop-up headlights. Smaller high-performance cars of the time were typically referred to as "pony cars," having better power-to-weight ratio than their larger cousins and exemplified by the Ford Mustang. A common opinion amongst car enthusiasts and collectors in the United States is that the American muscle cars of the 1960s and early 1970s represent the height of automotive design and style. |
| | Some car enthusiasts cite the '57 [[Rambler Rebel]] or even the '49 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 and '55 Chrysler C300 as very early muscle cars, but the Rambler had four rather than two doors and lacked a sleek or "cool" design. | | Some car enthusiasts cite the '57 [[Rambler Rebel]] or even the '49 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 and '55 Chrysler C300 as very early muscle cars, but the Rambler had four rather than two doors and lacked a sleek or "cool" design. |