The Age of the Muscle Car

The Age of the Muscle Car PDF Author: Clay Fees
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476678146
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 413

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Book Description
A breed unlike any seen before or since, the powerful, stylish American muscle car defined an era in automotive history. This history traces the rise and fall of these great performance cars from their precursors in the 1950s through the seminal appearance of the Pontiac GTO in 1964 and then year by year to the end in the 1970s. Approachable and nontechnical yet deeply informative, it puts the bygone muscle car in its cultural and aesthetic contexts, describes developments in styling, performance and marketing, and revels in the joys of muscle car ownership in the 21st century.

The Age of the Muscle Car

The Age of the Muscle Car PDF Author: Clay Fees
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476678146
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 413

Get Book

Book Description
A breed unlike any seen before or since, the powerful, stylish American muscle car defined an era in automotive history. This history traces the rise and fall of these great performance cars from their precursors in the 1950s through the seminal appearance of the Pontiac GTO in 1964 and then year by year to the end in the 1970s. Approachable and nontechnical yet deeply informative, it puts the bygone muscle car in its cultural and aesthetic contexts, describes developments in styling, performance and marketing, and revels in the joys of muscle car ownership in the 21st century.

1970 Maximum Muscle

1970 Maximum Muscle PDF Author: Mark Fletcher
Publisher: Motorbooks
ISBN: 0760366799
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 183

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Book Description
In 1970, the American muscle car was as fast and outrageous as it would ever get. But the end was nigh, and 1970 Maximum Muscle dives head-first into the storm before the calm. Wherever you mark the beginning of the muscle car era—Oldsmobile’s 1949 Rocket 88, Chrysler’s 1951 FirePower engines, the 1964 Pontiac GTO—one thing is certain: in 1970, the era that had witnessed a parade of gloriously powerful, stylish, and brawny cars apt to make the hearts of even the most dispassionate squares go pitter-patter was sucking fumes. Gasoline shortages, skyrocketing fuel prices, insurance-industry bean counters, rising ecological concerns, and new, more fuel-efficient imports all conspired to consign the American muscle car to an ugly and unseemly denouement. Yet 1970 saw the actual zenith of the cars themselves, the year manufacturers pulled out all the stops and produced the most powerful and stunning machines the automotive world had ever seen. 1970 Maximum Muscle not only explores the factors that led to the decline of the most exciting era in the American automotive industry, it details some of the new models and model options that arguably made 1970 the climax of the muscle car era from engineering, styling, and cultural standpoints. As the war among GM, Ford, Chrysler, and AMC played out at dealerships, dragstrips, and drive-ins, ready-and-willing gearheads drove off dealer lots in potent behemoths like the Buick GSX, Oldsmobile 4-4-2, and Ford Torino Cobra. Muscle car stalwarts like the SS Chevelle, Pontiac GTO, and Plymouth ’Cuda became available with optional LS-6, Stage 1, and Hemi engines, respectively. Manufacturers ratcheted up the advertising hyperbole at the same time, offering performance packages with names like “Six-Pack,” “Ram Air,” and “Cobra Jet,” while spoilers, scoops, hood tachometers, and decal packages were de rigueur. Meanwhile, on the popular SCCA Trans Am circuit, top drivers campaigned more nimble muscle off-the-rack cars like the Camaro Z/28 and Boss 302 Mustang. 1970 Maximum Muscle is an entertaining and rollicking look at the muscle car's peak year!

The Muscle Car Wars

The Muscle Car Wars PDF Author: Miller, B. J.
Publisher: Anaphora Literary Press
ISBN: 1681140160
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
"The Muscle Car Wars": tells the story of young man who suffers a traumatic head injury and while recuperating becomes involved in rebuilding and racing the powerful muscle cars of the 1960’s and 70’s. The book chronicles the major historical and cultural events of that era, including the Vietnam War, while weaving a tale of teen romance, amid tumultuous student protests and dangerous street races. Writing from experience, the author captures the essence of the time, putting the reader in the driver’s seat of the greatest street machines ever produced, while retelling classic gear head tales, and providing a running commentary on every subject from religion, politics, drug use, the sexual revolution and romantic love.

The Complete Book of Classic Chevrolet Muscle Cars

The Complete Book of Classic Chevrolet Muscle Cars PDF Author: Mike Mueller
Publisher: Complete Book
ISBN: 076035233X
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 179

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Book Description
"The Complete Book of Classic Chevy Muscle Cars covers the primary muscle and performance cars produced by Chevrolet in the 60s and 70s, such as the Camaro and Malibu"--

Muscle Car Special Editions

Muscle Car Special Editions PDF Author: Duncan Scott Brown
Publisher: CarTech Inc
ISBN: 1613255799
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description
“Get one before one gets you!” Motion Performance’s catchy sales pitch for builder Joel Rosen’s Phase III Specialty Muscle Cars sums up the escalating performance scene in the late 1960s. Special edition muscle cars were essential to keep pace. Joel and other independent car builders (such as Carroll Shelby, George Hurst, Dick Harrell, Mr. Norm, and Jim Wangers) did what the factories couldn’t do: take the muscle car and turn it into a tire-burning monster. Although the Pontiac GTO established the muscle car category in 1964, a host of corporate safety restrictions restrained factories from offering turn-key race cars off the showroom floor. Independent car builders enhanced appearance and amplified performance in an attempt to do what the manufacturers wouldn’t. Motion Performance issued a written guarantee: Phase III cars would run 11.5 at 120 mph down the quarter-mile! Some of the most iconic nameplates in automotive history were applied in this era with names that included Cheetah, Black Panther, Royal Bobcat, Super Hugger, Manta Ray, Super Snake, Deuce, Fast Track, and The Machine. How did manufacturers stealthily promote these special edition muscle cars as “halo cars” while pretending not to endorse them? What happened to these innovators when factories assimilated their ideas? It’s all covered inside. Muscle car historian Duncan Brown takes us through these special edition muscle cars, their creators, and the behind-the-scenes forces that shaped these wild beasts into legends that left a lasting legacy.

The Illustrated Directory of Muscle Cars

The Illustrated Directory of Muscle Cars PDF Author:
Publisher: Chartwell Books
ISBN: 9780785830306
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The American public's love for speed and power has inspired generations of muscle cars. The rising popularity of street racing, stock-car races, and quarter-mile drag races in the pre-war years led to the formation of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing in 1947 and the National Hot Rod Association in 1951. These organizations and the growing plethora of specialist auto magazines (including Hot Rod and Motor Trend) stimulated America's fascination with speed and performance. In turn, this resulted in the development of the first production muscle cars. These powerful models took their heritage from the street racers of earlier days, with small bodies equipped with large and potent engines. The Illustrated Directory of Muscle Cars celebrates the complete history of the muscle car, from its earliest inception through to the sophisticated beasts of today. Beautifully illustrated throughout in full color, this book includes full technical specifications for each car featured.

Top Muscle

Top Muscle PDF Author: Darwin Holmstrom
Publisher: Motorbooks International
ISBN: 0760345147
Category : Antiques & Collectibles
Languages : en
Pages : 231

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Book Description
"Darwin Holmstrom's Top Muscle is a look at over two dozen of the rarest one-offs and production vehicles from the muscle-car era of the late 60s and early 70s. Featuring new and original photography of every car, this book chronicles the biggest and baddest in the heyday of American muscle"--

Muscle Cars

Muscle Cars PDF Author: Katharine Bailey
Publisher: Crabtree Publishing Company
ISBN: 9780778730101
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 36

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Book Description
A look at the world of muscle cars.

Muscle Cars

Muscle Cars PDF Author: Mike Mueller
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780681626812
Category : Muscle cars
Languages : en
Pages : 292

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Book Description
In the 1960s and early '70s, the Big Three in Detroit were engaged in a fierce power struggle--a horsepower struggle. Beginning with Pontiac's GTO and Ford"s Mustang in 1964, carmakers looked to get more and more power under the hoods of their lightweight vechicles. They accomplished this by outfitting small and mid-size cars with big, high-horsepower engines.

Selling the American Muscle Car

Selling the American Muscle Car PDF Author: Diego Rosenberg
Publisher: CarTech Inc
ISBN: 161325203X
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 194

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Book Description
As the muscle car wars developed in the early 1960s, auto manufacturers scrambled to find catchy marketing campaigns to entice the buying public into their dealerships. General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, with all their divisions, as well as AMC and Studebaker, inevitably sank billions of dollars into one-upmanship in an effort to vie for the consumer's last dollar. Automotive writer Diego Rosenberg examines the tactics and components used by manufacturers in waging war against one another in the muscle car era. Manufacturers poured millions into racing programs, operating under the principle of "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday." Cars were given catchy nicknames, such as The GTO Judge, Plymouth Roadrunner, Cobra, and Dodge Super Bee. Entire manufacturer lines were given catchy marketing campaigns, such as Dodge's Scat Pack, AMC's Go Package, and Ford's Total Performance. From racing to commercials to print ads, from dealer showrooms to national auto shows, each manufacturer had its own approach in vying for the buyer's attention, and gimmicks and tactics ranged from comical to dead serious. Selling the American Muscle Car: Marketing Detroit Iron in the 60s and 70s takes you back to an era when options were plentiful and performance was cheap. You will relive or be introduced to some of the cleverest marketing campaigns created during a time when America was changing every day.