Quote:
Originally Posted by waynne  There must be a simple set of characteristics which define a Muscle Car. The difficulty is in differentiating them from Super Cars? |
Wiki has a pretty good definition:
A
muscle car is an
automobile with a high
horse power engine, modest weight, capable of producing high levels of acceleration.
[1] The term principally refers to
American,
Australian and
South African models and generally describes a 2-door
rear wheel drive mid-size car with a large, powerful
V8 engine and special trim, intended for maximum
torque on the street or in
drag racing competition. It is distinguished from
sports cars, which were customarily considered smaller, two-seat cars, or
GTs, two-seat or
2+2 cars intended for high-speed touring and possibly
road racing. High-performance
full-size or
compact cars are arguably excluded from this category, as are the breed of compact sports coupes inspired by the
Ford Mustang. Other factors used in defining classic muscle cars are their age and country of origin. A classic muscle car is usually made in the U.S. or Australia between 1964 and 1975. The term "muscle car" did not enter common usage until after production of the cars had essentially ended. It is generally accepted that popular, widespread usage of the term took hold by the early to mid-1980s.