10 most influential American cars of the muscle car era?

Sqube

Diamond Member
Dec 23, 2004
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I don't really know too much about the muscle car era, so I figured the group that is ATOT would be able to give me some highly opinionated (and maybe even informed) posts about the subject.

So what do you think? What are the 10 most influential American cars of the muscle car era? To head off any nonsense, this isn't for any sort of project. This is purely out of curiosity and for edification.

Thanks in advance, as always.
 

compuwiz1

Admin Emeritus Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
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Camaro
Chevelle
Nova
Charger
Challenger
Road Runner
Baracuda
Corvette
Super Bee
Mustang


Come to mind. :)

There are a few more that come to mind, especially if we want to start talking about power plant choices.
 

Stumps

Diamond Member
Jun 18, 2001
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Mustang would probably be at the top....it pretty much influenced the styling of most Aussie Fords, during the 60's and 70's....
the Corvette would be close to the top as well....they are just plain cool.
the Camaro would be in the mix somewhere....much of GMH's styling was borrowed from this and the Nova during the 60's and 70's
the dogde Charger and Challanger would also make the cut....most Aussie 2 door Chryslers were based on these cars.
the Pontiac Firebird would be on the list....smokey and the bandit was cool.

I'm sure there a few more but that's all I can think of at the moment...
 

CFster

Golden Member
Oct 16, 1999
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1964 Dodge Polara Max Wedge.

First of the factory backed drag cars, which was started by a bunch of Dodge engineers that wanted to have some fun after hours. That group of guys eventually became known as the "Ram Chargers".

 

Ronstang

Lifer
Jul 8, 2000
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Originally posted by: Dead3ye
I'm biased. Check sig.

Nice car, but it wouldn't even exist if it was not for Ford and the Mustang who invented the pony car and started the craze.
 

Stumps

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Jun 18, 2001
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Originally posted by: Ronstang
Originally posted by: Dead3ye
I'm biased. Check sig.

Nice car, but it wouldn't even exist if it was not for Ford and the Mustang who invented the pony car and started the craze.

the Mustang was responsible for starting the Muscle car era in Australia....but it wasn't so much the car itself but rather the idea of the car.

At the time the Mustang was selling like crazy in the US in the mid 60's, Australia had no locally made V8 powered performance cars at all.

Shortly after the release of the 1966 Ford XR Falcon, a marketing executive by the name of Bill Bourke who was on loan from Ford America decided to put forth the idea of putting the Mustangs 289cu V8 in to the Ford Falcon...it was this idea that created the "Mustang bred" Falcon and the Falcon GT, which he was directly responsible for...he couldn't buy a Mustang locally so he decided to create one using the 4 door Falcon...and hence the mighty Falcon GT was born in 1967...220hp worth of V8 mustang running gear in a Fairmont sedan with racing stripes and other cool stuff.

It was supposed to be a limited run of 500 or so cars, but the proved so popular that another 500 were maded and the GT became a regular production model, right up to 1976 when Fuel prices, insurance companies and worst of all the Australian Government saw it killed off....until 1992 when it returned in the EB Falcon model range...incidently enought it was fitted with a warmed over 200kw 5 litre HO V8...from the Mustang GT...

 

MagnusTheBrewer

IN MEMORIAM
Jun 19, 2004
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1972 Hearst-Olds. I knew the guy who bought the Indy Pace car from that year and it was a sweet ride. A convertible with a great sounding 8-track!
 

jupiter57

Diamond Member
Nov 18, 2001
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Originally posted by: Ronstang
Originally posted by: Dead3ye
I'm biased. Check sig.

Nice car, but it wouldn't even exist if it was not for Ford and the Mustang who invented the pony car and started the craze.

IF I remember correctly, the Mustang was Fords attempt to market a "working mans Corvette".
 

GagHalfrunt

Lifer
Apr 19, 2001
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#1 Mustang - That was the forerunner and the inspiration behind all other long hood-short deck pony cars like the Camaro, 'Cuda, etc.

#2) Pontiac GTO - The car that really began the "muscle car" movement


Nothing else was really "influential". Everything that came after just copied the Mustang and the GTO.
 

compuwiz1

Admin Emeritus Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
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Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
Originally posted by: Mallow
Can't do this thread without the Shelby SS 396... pure awesomeness!


WTF is a Shelby SS 396?


Someone who doesn't know WTF he's talking about, that's what.

Chevelle SS 396

Shelby GT 350 and GT 500