The Muscle Car Is Over

[Lowndex]

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/muscle-car-over-145900463.html

[Bad_S55]

I declare that the dude who wrote that article is a Prius loving ass-hat. Obnoxious levels or horsepower?! What a tool.

[Lowndex]

Agree in spades!

[Bigdogjim]

It what the buying public wants. Power + MPG. sorry to say the V-8 can not deliver.

[88CuttyClassic]

the american public is speaking with their dollars by buying so many hellcats they had to stop production. the horsepower wars are as big as they have been since the late 60's. sure the turbo 4 may appeal to some but people not only want power but they want the sound and thats something you simply can't get from a 4 or even a 6. MPG has NEVER influenced my decision on any car i;ve ever bought. Its almost irrelevant to me. I write it off as a necessary expense to drive sick cars. Dont drive ***t cars during the week to drive my nice cars on the weekend. I drive nice cars all week. what good is having muscle cars for the weekend and getting taken out on a weekday because i was driving some econobox honda POS? **** the pencil neck geek that wrote this article and those who think like him. i'm fine with people being into imports like evos or stis or whatever they like until twerps like him view thinking like mine as prehistoric. Dude should never made it out his daddy's bag. All ford is trying to do is get back to youth that are into that stuff. skinny jeans, flat brim, pink cat shirt, boat shoes wearing little punks.

Thinking like his will be over when the silent majority starts to speak up and revolt against (without getting political) certain things in society. I dont think its v8 or nothing. I 've driven plenty of quick cars that were not v8s and or were not naturally aspirated (GNs Included) . there is room for everyones tastes in a capitalistic society. his view is that of his way is the only way. whats good for him is whats good for all. People like me are getting sick and tired of propaganda like this in the media. Even though Im kinda bored with it already, the LS swap has sent a major jolt of life into hot rodding. There are so many car related shows on TV anymore i learn of a new one every week it seems. Bottom line is this guy is so out of touch with whats really going on on the street level,

[Badass_forever]

The 2.3 was in the mustangs in the late 70's. This person just isnt smart. BUT i do agree that we need to work on getting rid of our fuel usage.

[88CuttyClassic]

BUT i do agree that we need to work on getting rid of our fuel usage.

why?

you do what you want and i'll use as much or as little as i want. its my money and if i wanna consume as much fuel as i can it should be my privilege. stop deciding for the "WE" because it doesnt speak for ME!

[rauder88]

"Is a 707-horsepower Dodge Challenger a muscle car? Or an over-muscled car? It's more like a supercar than a muscle car, really."

He called the hellcat a super car...
The rest of the article is :bs:

[stevengerard]

why?

you do what you want and i'll use as much or as little as i want. its my money and if i wanna consume as much fuel as i can it should be my privilege. stop deciding for the "WE" because it doesnt speak for ME!

Uh I agree that it "should" be your choice but if everyone decides to drive a vehicle that gets 10 mpg that will negatively affect everyone, from less fuel available to more emissions - and that is just being short sighted.

I prefer V-8s too and hope they are around for a long time. One day I'd even like to own an Italian 12 cylinder, but also realize, through ownership, you can have a ton of fun with cars equipped with 6 cylinders. The fasted, best performing car I've ever owned was a turbo 6. Face it, to stay in business you either need a niche market willing to pay stupid money, maximize profits with a lower cost of goods, or sell large quantities. Hard to do all three. The mass market is not looking for a V8 sedan, V8 truck maybe, but even that is declining.

I hope I have a choice of a V8 the rest of my life.

[Gerry24]

why?

you do what you want and i'll use as much or as little as i want. its my money and if i wanna consume as much fuel as i can it should be my privilege. stop deciding for the "WE" because it doesnt speak for ME!

What ^^^^^^said!!!!!!!!!!
:hotrice:<------Prius and all other 4cylinder cars. :beer:

[Crown Vicman]

I'd like to kick the writer of that article in the nads. Right in the nads. If the muscle car doesn't sound like a muscle car than it can't be a muscle car.

[Bigdogjim]

the american public is speaking with their dollars by buying so many hellcats they had to stop production. the horsepower wars are as big as they have been since the late 60's.

And what production numbers do you have? 100,000, 200,000 units?

The line was stopped because they over shot demand. Again how many we talking about?

If anyone would like to see V-8's under the hood it would be me:)

It ain't happen.

[88CuttyClassic]

The mass market has been guilted, persuaded, lied to, price gouged and every other trick in the book away from the v8. I really cant get into this arguement without violating the no politics policy. But i will say the current price of oil and the price of gas are not sync. Gas companies and gas stations are putting the hammer to us as well as places that have state tax. if we drilled for our domestic oil in places we have it and build new updated , clean and efficient refineries, the price of gas will be dirt cheap again.

[cheaneyt]

I declare that the dude who wrote that article is a Prius loving ass-hat. Obnoxious levels or horsepower?! What a tool.
Haaaaaaaaaaa

Sent while thinking of new mods for my 96 TC, using Tapatalk.

[cheaneyt]

why?

you do what you want and i'll use as much or as little as i want. its my money and if i wanna consume as much fuel as i can it should be my privilege. stop deciding for the "WE" because it doesnt speak for ME!
A ****ingmen bro

Sent while thinking of new mods for my 96 TC, using Tapatalk.

[justbob]

Exactly why I don't follow the news.. Ford made one of the un-wisest decisions ever and articles like this are doing the best they can to persuade you into "everyone's doing it".

Believe me, Ford is *****ing bricks right about now.




Builder Of Badassery

[MarauderCyclone]

Exactly why I don't follow the news.. Ford made one of the un-wisest decisions ever and articles like this are doing the best they can to persuade you into "everyone's doing it".

Believe me, Ford is *****ing bricks right about now.




Builder Of Badassery

You won't find a bigger Ford Fan than myself...I've got seven of them as dependents ranging all the way back to 1968 (x3) but they have made their fair share of mistakes over the years.

Back in the 50 early 6o's Ford was promoting Safety...GM was aggressively marketing Performance and Styling , it took Ford up to 1963 with the dawn of the Total Performance era to get things straight , by then GM had already sold millions of cars that could have been easily been Ford Customers had they been paying attention to what the driving public wanted at the time.

Ford to me looks very set on moving the US market closer to that of Ford of Europe. The vans are just the starting point as I see it...and frankly I'm not picking up on what they are putting down.

I just pray that Ford doesn't phug up the Mustang GT to the point that it's no longer true to it's Pony Car Muscle Image again....like what happened in 1974...Gutless Crap.

[MMBLUE]

What a crock of SHAT. This article is sooooooo trying to convince everybody into weenie cars :help:

[Bad_S55]

You won't find a bigger Ford Fan than myself...I've got seven of them as dependents ranging all the way back to 1968 (x3) but they have made their fair share of mistakes over the years.

Ford to me looks very set on moving the US market closer to that of Ford of Europe. The vans are just the starting point as I see it...and frankly I'm not picking up on what they are putting down.

I just pray that Ford doesn't phug up the Mustang GT to the point that it's no longer true to it's Pony Car Muscle Image again....like what happened in 1974...Gutless Crap.

You've got a really good point with that. Before Alan Mulally came in and essentially rebuilt Ford, I think they had around 90 different cars from all the different regions of the world and almost none of them shared a darn thing. The goal became to pull everything together into "One Ford"; everything on a North American Focus would be the same as a European Focus.

I understand why Ford made the ecoboost Mustang. It wasn't a bad idea back with the SVO, and it's not a bad idea now. But it is a VERY European thing. That's partially why the 4-banger ended up in the car. Unlike us, the rest of the world doesn't always want a big mean V8 (their mistake!) And I bet these ecoboosts won't get good MPG like everyone thinks. If I had one of those cars, I'd be staying in the turbo boost range all the time, and a lot of other people most likely will too.

Just my 2 cents.

[Bluerauder]

... it took Ford up to 1963 with the dawn of the Total Performance era to get things straight , by then GM had already sold millions of cars that could have been easily been Ford Customers had they been paying attention to what the driving public wanted at the time.

I recall that ^^^^^ history a little differently. Fords from the 50s and early 60s were "Rust Buckets" that rarely lasted more than 2-3 years. Rocker panels, floor boards, wheel wells, and quarter panels on Fords would rust through before the final payment was made on a 3-year payoff. GM offered the "Body-by-Fisher" and had a much better longevity. This is why you see far more Chevys from that era at local car shows. The Fords found their way to the junk yard and the crusher. The best of the best Fords end up at Carlisle All Ford Nationals in June .... and those cars are beautiful ... just not that many survived.

The old adage "Found on the Road Dead" started with the reputation of those early 50s and 60s Fords IMHO. And, that reputation lives on in many people's minds regardless of reality. I can't count the number of times that I have heard the "Oh, its just a Ford" at various car shows. Once, there was a person peeking inside my Taurus SHO and saying "Wow, I didn't realize that Ford made anything this nice." Product offerings may be one issue; but I really don't think that Ford has EVER directly addressed this antiquated image problem that seems to persist despite every other indication to the contrary.

That said, I believe that 90% (or more) of the American public has no idea whether a car is a V-8, V-6, I-6, or 4-banger. Most can't even find the hood latch and think that any power at all comes from some magical device under the hood. As long as the car can get them to work and back in congested traffic, it is good enough. If it saves them a little money at the gas pump, then that is a good thing too. MSRP and MPG are the big thing for these buyers and car companies can't ignore the factors that are driving sales. This is why you see so many Toyotas, Nissans, Hondas, Hyundais, and Kias on the road today. The Ford Brand enthusiast who loves V-8 power and vehicle styling represents a very small minority of potential buyers. Certainly, they are the best brand and marketing avenues for manufacturers. They are the ones who get featured in the automotive magazines .... but John Q Public is gonna buy the best car that he can based on his own personal budget. Purchase price and Operating cost matters. Even in the 50s and 60s Muscle Car era this was a given dynamic with the car companies offering "bare bones & no frills" along with their big engine models like the Plymouth Roadrunner, Dodge Super Bee, or Chevy SS 396.


And I bet these ecoboosts won't get good MPG like everyone thinks. If I had one of those cars, I'd be staying in the turbo boost range all the time, and a lot of other people most likely will too.

My '12 Taurus SHO with 3.5L EcoBoost will get 30 MPG on the highway. It is probably closer to 18-19 MPG with spirited driving. I'd guess that it averages about 21-22 MPG ..... on 87 Octane; but I have never really checked it out and haven't really cared either. I didn't buy the car for MPGs.

[Bob Mathis]

I have been a Ford man for along time. I had a F-150 with Ecoboost in it and the mileage was not what I thought it would be. Now it did have some power.

[ncmm]

I'd say the newspaper business is over long before the extinction of muscle cars
http://www.businessinsider.com/author/matthew-debord

[Joe Walsh]

First....Lets get the author's terminology corrected!
A 'Muscle car' is/was a sedan with a big V8 engine.
A 'Ponycar' is a smaller (relative term these days), sportier car like a Mustang & Camaro.

Second....they've been predicting the death of the V8 since the mid 70s!
40 years later there are plenty of V8s being sold.

Third....most 'muscle cars' are not daily drivers, and hence do NOT use that much fuel.
If we really want to save gas....let's eliminate the empty nest/ex soccer moms driving to the mall by themselves in 7,000 lb Suburbans!
(while texting, lolly gagging along and weaving from lane to lane)

[stevengerard]

Third....most 'muscle cars are not daily drivers, and hence do NOT use that much fuel.
If we really want to save gas....let's eliminate the empty nest/ex soccer moms driving to the mall by themselves in 7,000 lb Suburbans!
(while texting, lolly gagging along and weaving from lane to lane)

Ha, this is me — well..... Soccer dad anyway. Often I am in the Suburban by myself but it does triple duty. Many times it does have 5 - 6 imeditate family members in it, sometimes it has one driver 7 soccer players! Other times it is a work vehicle hauling more than you can see, other times its just me.

75% of the time its saving me money by either hauling more people at one time than most cars can or eliminating the need to buy a second work vehicle. Few people consider the cost of producing a new car and what it does to the environment (manufacturing and shipping).

[Darigaaz]

Matthew DeBord is 41 years late to the party if he thinks the muscle car is over now.

[jerrym3]

Attended a car show yesterday with the Galaxie. I saw what, IMHO, is/was the first muscle car. A Studebaker Golden Hawk.

Four passenger vehicle, five in a pinch; smaller than the typical Studebaker, but not a sports car; more powerful motor; too big to be considered an early pony car. (Besides, there was no pony car label until the Mustang came out.)

This car had the supercharger, while, I believe, another year came equipped with the big Packard V8.

Too bad for Studebaker. They just weren't near the top of the "gotta have one" list when they brought out the Hawk line up.

Anyway, nice show (north Jersey), no awards, DJ was not too loud, and the weather was half way decent.

Met a guy who told me that he and four friends were going to Nova Scoitia on July 4th driving their Model A's and T's. His Model A had over 400,000 miles.

[tbone]

They said the same crap in the 80's when 4 cylinder turbos were all the rage. Then they all disappeared.

[ChiTownMaraud3r]

These 4 and 6 cylinder "muscle" cars are being bought in larger volumes by rental companies. I drove a brand new V6 challenger all last week. The competitor company had ecoboost mustangs for rent. The challenger received tons of attention, and were surprised it was only a 6..which wasn't all that bad actually. But everyone agreed they would get the hemi if buying one.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/05/25/11afedf1aa54419fa21d1eb939ee27 1c.jpg

[Joe Walsh]

I declare that the dude who wrote that article is a Prius loving ass-hat. Obnoxious levels or horsepower?! What a tool.

After re-reading the article, I have to agree.
What a douche-bag!

"Who cares what you have under the hood?"

Spoken like a true Camry driving 'car guy'...(Oxymoron)

"So if you want a "real" muscle car in the 2020s, you may have to buy one used."

Once again, this sounds exactly like the mid 70s car magazine writers!

BTW: WTF is 'stonking'...???
That indicates a douchebag author from the git-go.
I bet he wears a pork pie hat, BIG rimmed glasses and loves PBR and his Toyota!

[88CuttyClassic]

I rented a challenger once...almost **** a brick when i got to the parking lot and it was a bright orange RT with 10 miles. Needless to say i hammered the hell out of it for 3 days.

[sflrainmaker01]

The best gas mileage car in the house is my daughter's Chevy Prizm @ 30 mpg. But, I can drive my old 5.0 Fox Body Mustang normal and get 20+ around town and 27 mpg on the highway. For a couple MPG, why would I want a little 4 banger (daughter don't care, though, lol)? It's not worth it. There is nothing like the sound and torque of a V8, except a supercharged V8!:beer:

I applaud the efforts of Ford with their ECO-Boost products, though. They have to try to appeal to the mass markets for each model or they might find themselves having to radically change or eliminate that model. Kinda like Chevy did back in the 2002 model year when they announced no more Camaro for 2003.

[Nightcrawler]

Lolz, the horsepower wars are in full swing. Hellcat, Gt350, Z-28, Ford GT, Corvette Z06/7, and the Zora concept. Even the Tesla P85D. Hoping for a future Buick GN too!

[88CuttyClassic]

Hoping for a future Buick GN too!

i'm not. i'm hoping for a car from buick but for once i would like a name plate to be allowed to Rest In Peace. The GNX was the GN to end all GNs. No matter how this car performs they would taint that legacy, especially in a 4 door. I hate GM now anyway so they probably will ruin that just like olds and pontiac.

[88LTDCV351]

Muscle car wars are in full swing. And as long as the USA doesn't perish from this earth, the muscle car wars will always be around in some form or another. Horsepower/torque will go up and down based on government regulations and what is considered fast will vary with that since its relative (similiar to the late seventies and during the eighties).

However, the performance V-8s will continue to be priced out of the average joe's price range. The V-6s and turbor v-6s and V-4s etc will continue to be tweaked to provide the amount of power that the V-8s once produced before they were placed to complacency and neglected. And the V-8s that do get attention for performance and efficiency will be eventually be relegated to those who can afford it or to a smaller and smaller nastalgia crowd (similar to how Americans generally used to hate the look and size of imports and ricers and european cars but now everyone loves them and hates big old inefficient American land cruisers - so everyone will end up loving the V-6 and V-4s) until the V-8 is eventually extinct like RWD will also be.