Romanticizing The Muscle Car Era

Boomers love the original muscle cars of the 1960s – the GTO, Chevelle SS, Mustang Mach 1 and BOSS, ‘Cuda and Challenger, Corvette, the more unusual Buick GSX and Olds 4-4-2, and the wild and crazy AMX two-seater rocket ship.

We love the “rumpity-rump-rump!!!” sound of a hot cam and throaty dual exhaust tips – laying down rubber and being downright bad ass.

It was the youthful energy of the 1960s that got our motor running – heading down the highway and looking for adventure. At times, we found more adventure than we had anticipated. We’d fire our mills and turn on the music – the best music in modern American history. It was the music the world wanted to hear – genuine American rock and roll pop music. We didn’t need subwoofers – just a pair of stereo speakers and a lot of power beneath the bonnet.

There had never been anything like it at the time and there hasn’t been anything like it since.

This is why we love the fast-quick rides of our youth.

Today’s muscle cars – the Shelby Mustangs, Dodge Challenger Hellcats, and Camaro SS just aren’t the same trip. They’re more advanced and certainly faster than what you had on showroom floors in the 1960s. What Detroit offers us today is brutally more faster than the classics. However, we’re just not as in touch with the road as we were 50+ years ago when the road was ours and all we had was an AM Radio and “The Doors” blasting from a lone monaural speaker.

And air conditioning? Only wimps had air-conditioned cars. And in a muscle car? Forget it. Air conditioning and other power accessories would rob you of all-important tire-barking horsepower. Automatic transmissions were also for the lame. If you had a Chevelle SS with a four-speed transmission, nothing equaled the thrill of leaning on it hard in first gear and hearing gear whine. Banging second and barking the tires. Slamming third and feeling the momentum. Slipping it into fourth and profiling in front of store windows downtown where you could watch yourself go by.

Oh yeah…lookin’ real fine…

Owning a new muscle car in the 1960s was a real ego trip because few others in town could compare. You became the envy of all your buddies who wanted one. You had a new muscle car if you had a good paying job and could afford one or you had parents who spoiled you rotten. I recall one friend with a new Dodge 340 Demon and the characteristic heat riser rattle Chrysler vehicles were known for. He had the throaty 340 Six-Pack – bad ass power by anyone’s standards.

Another friend had a new Chevelle SS with a 396. It romped hard and it got him down the road. His calling card was the roar of the Chevy big-block with a pair of Thrush mufflers and a lumpy cam.

We romanticize these hot American classics, but were they all they were cracked up to be? When it comes to styling, nothing Detroit has built since the 1970s can compare. Classic American muscle cars beat the pants off modern muscle cars in styling alone. They were sexy and they fit right into the sexual revolution. Few things beat the 1970-74 ‘Cuda and Challenger for raw sex appeal. They had the best looking bucket seats ever done with their tapered backs you could ease into.

They rocked in every respect and I wanted one – bad…

Isn’t that just the way it was at the time? For sure for sure…

If you’re seeking comfort, convenience, and all the features of a modern muscle car, go buy a Mustang GT, Challenger R/T, or Camaro SS and saddle up for the smooth, quiet ride to work. However, if genuine American mid-century style is your goal, invest in a classic muscle car for the weekend getaway and that occasional work commute. You can count on a thumbs up from those who appreciate the styling and good looks who wish they were you.