The Evolution of American Muscle: A Look at Three Pony Car Icons

THE EVOLUTION OF AMERICAN MUSCLE: A LOOK AT THREE PONY CAR ICONS Big, bad and powerful, the muscle car is an American institution. Since the first went into production in the mid-20th century, Ford, General Motors and Chrysler have gone to great lengths to outdo each other to produce the true king of the road. Generation Timeline 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 Mustang Camaro Challenger| 60's and 70's The first-generation muscle cars boasted roaring V8 engines, large body styles and an exhaust note that could be heard from a mile away. 1st Gen Ford Mustang 1964 - 1973 FASTEST MODEL: 1969 BOSS 429 ZEROTO 60 IN 00:05 :3 MIN E SEC O1/10 HORSEPOWER: 375 Chevy Camaro 1st Gen 1967 - 1969 FASTEST MODEL: 1969 YENKO 427 ZEROTO 60 IN 00":05:3" ---------- ---- ---- MIN SEC 1/10 HORSEPOWER: 430 Dodge Challenger 1970 - 1974 1st Gen FASTEST MODEL: 1970 HEMI R/T ZEROTO 60IN 00:06:0" SEC 1/10 HORSEPOWER: 425 Chevy Camaro 2nd Gen 1970 - 1981 FASTEST MODEL: 1970 Z/28 ZEROT.60IN 00":06":1 MIN OSEC 11/10 HORSEPOWER: 360 Late 70's and 80's The gas crisis of the late 70's and early '80s forced manufacturers to redesign the muscle car to be more fuel efficient. 2nd Gen Ford Mustang 1974 - 1978 FASTEST MODEL: 1975 MACH 1 302 ZEROTO 60IN 00":9":5" MIN SEC 1/10 HORSEPOWER: 140 Dodge Challenger 2nd Gen 1978 - 1983 FASTEST MODEL: 1978 2.6L ZEROTO60IN 00:13:1 MIN SEC 11/10 1978 HORSEPOWER: 105 3rd Gen Ford Mustang 1979 - 1993 FASTEST MODEL: 1993 COBRA R ZERO TO60IN MIN SEC 1/10 00":05:7" HORSEPOWER: 230 Chevy Camaro 3rd Gen 1982 - 1992 FASTEST MODEL: 1990 IROC-Z ZEROTO60 IN 00":05:8 ---- MIN SEC 1/10 HORSEPOWER: 245 90's The last muscle cars of the 20th century sported a more feminine look with smaller frames and rounded edges. 4th Gen Chevy Camaro 1993 - 2002 FASTEST MODEL: 1997 SLP SS ZEROTO60IN 00:04 :8 MIN SEC 1/10 HORSEPOWER: 330 Ford Mustang 4th Gen 1994 - 1998 FASTEST MODEL: 1995 COBRA R ZEROTO60IN 00" :05 :2 ---- MIN 1/10 HORSEPOWER: 300 4th Gen Ford Mustang Redesign/ 1999 - 2004 FASTEST MODEL: 2000 COBRA R ZEROT0 60 IN 00":04:7 ----- ---- ----- ---- SEC MIN 71/10 HORSEPOWER: 390 00's and 10's The muscle cars we drive today are back to their roots – big, powerful and faster than ever. Ford Mustang 5th Gen 2005 - Present FASTEST MODEL: 2013 SHELBY GT500 ZEROT060IN ------ MIN SEC F1/10 00:03:5 HORSEPOWER: 662 3rd Gen Dodge Challenger 2008 - Present FASTEST MODEL: 2013 SRT8 ZEROTO 60 IN 00:04:5 MIN SEC 1/10 HORSEPOWER: 470 Chevy Camaro 5th Gen 2009 - Present FASTEST MODEL: 2012 ZL1 ZEROTO 60 IN 00:03:8 MIN OO SEC 1/10 HORSEPOWER: 580 *Cars shown represent the body style of each generation. *Horsepower shown from the highest consumer-grade vehicle of each generation. Factory rated numbers are used. *0-60mph shown is the average time from the fastest consumer-grade vehicle of each generation. CarDomain Sources: http://www.mustangcult.com/2009/05/ford-mustang-0-60-and-14-mile-times/ http://www.aboutautomobile.com/Fuel http://www.automobile-catalog.com/make/ford_usa/mustang_1gen/mustang_1gen_base_hardtop/1964.html http://www.zeroto60times.com http://www.ssmoparmuscle.com/cars/66_67charger.htm http://www.musclecarclub.com/