Project 2 Final Draft

Bryan West

Essay 2 Final Draft

American Muscle Cars

            American Muscle Cars are a part of American history.  They date back to the mid 1960's.  Ever since the Mustang to the GTO, American Muscle Cars are a very popular part of Americans.  Muscle Cars are automobiles that are made strictly for power and to go fast!  They also look stylish and you can easily tell that they are made for speed.  You usually see people racing them on a drag strip.

            Car Company’s these days fight to make the most fuel efficient vehicle.  Back in the 1960’s, car company’s would fight for the most horsepower.  Fuel efficiency didn’t mean anything to them because gas prices were not close to what they are now so people drove them hard, putting the gas pedal to the floor.  Yes automakers still make Muscle cars, but they still try to make them efficient.

            In the 1960s, your top 3 American car brands were Ford, Chevrolet, and Dodge.  You may be familiar with the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, and Dodge Challenger.  Those are some of the most known muscle cars you will see on the road today.  More than likely you will see one on your way home from you job or something of that matter.  The 3 automakers are fighting to make fuel efficient vehicles like the Ford Fusion, Chevrolet Malibu, and Dodge Dart.  But 50 years ago, the 3 muscle cars were built to beat each other on the race track. 

            My family has always owned Ford vehicles due to being reliable and affordable.  We own a 1969 Ford Mustang and a 1970 Ford Mustang Fastback.  The 1969 Mustang is my dad’s car; he has owned it since his senior year of high school and basically built the car from scratch because it was very rough when he was given the keys to it.  His mother gave him the car and she passed away a couple years later so it is one of the last things he owns to remind him of her.  He painted it yellow because that is his favorite color and built a 5.0 Liter engine for it.  The 5.0 engine is one of the most basic engines for old Ford Mustangs, but when built right, can be some of the fastest ones.  He sure built it right because the car is super-fast.  The 1970 Mustang is my mom and I’s because we share it.  We actually purchased this car from Boston, Massachusetts because my mom’s brother lives there and we bought it from him.  The 1970 also has a 5.0 Liter engine.

            Muscle cars that are made today are made entirely different from the muscle cars made in the 60’s.  Muscle cars have so much more horsepower today than they did before due to the technology we have now.  The car company’s make the engines have more power and make the vehicles have extra technology to enhance performance.  For example, the 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is by far one of the biggest improvements Ford had made yet.  This car is equipped with a 5.8 Liter engine with a supercharger.  A supercharger is a part you add to your motor which gives it a significant amount of horsepower.  The technology in this car is amazing.  When you reach a speed of 70 mph, the front grill opens a little bit to help keep the engine cool.  It also has a built in feature on the steering wheel called launch control when used, it will help you get a good start during the race because it is professionally enhanced.

            The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZR1 is the fastest production Camaro every produced.  The technology in this car is great also.  Yes, they car weighs 4,200 pounds, which is a lot for a car, but it has great suspension which helps the car take turns and bumps very well.  Chevrolet also gives customers the option of choosing from a manual or automatic transmission for the Camaro ZR1, something the GT500 doesn’t offer because it comes standard with a manual transmission. 

            There were many options available for Muscle Cars in the 60’s.  For example, the Chevrolet Camaro had a Z28 and SS package.  The Z28 Camaro had more horsepower than a standard Camaro and it has a better interior having leather seats compared to cloth seats and having a different dash to make it look sportier.  The SS which means Super Sport has more horsepower than the Z28 and better suspension and breaks for better handling.  Another example is the Dodge Challenger, which had a RT and SRT package.  The RT which means Rally Tour had the same V8 engine as a standard Challenger but had better handling and interior.  The SRT which stands for Super Rally Tour had 45 more horsepower than the RT but had everything the RT has so the only difference between the RT and SRT is the horsepower.

            The first Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 rolled off the assembly line in 1967.  This car made records in the late 60’s for speed.  You may be familiar with this car because it was named “Eleanor” in the movie “Gone in 60 seconds.”  But the car was worth a lot back then and some of them sell at auctions for an average of $80,000.  This is more than a brand new GT500.

            Now everybody has their opinions on which Car Company is the best.  If the old Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger were to line up at a drag strip and race, it would be a close race.  The winner would probably be the Mustang due to being more lightweight and having a touch more power than the other two.  I’m not only saying this because I’m a Ford fan but because all the research and videos I have seen basically proves that the Mustang is the best choice.  But if people build and customize their Muscle Cars, you will never know the winner because they are unpredictable.

            Muscle Cars are cars you should always keep in your family.  They are a piece of American history.  The best part is they only go up in value every year. I would rather look at muscle cars everyday compared to the vehicles now.  If you choose to go with a newer muscle car, than you must love more power.  The muscle car era has started to die down due to raising gas prices and demand for fuel efficient vehicles.  But the next time your town has a car cruise, go to it and see some of the most beautiful cars you will ever see!