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- IvIaster__Shake_
The original AC Cobra was a british track car for racing circuits, outfitting with a lightweight british motor or a 289 V8. After Carroll Shelby got ahold of some of them, he swapped in the Ford big block 427s while upgrading and track tuning the suspension. It was purposely made to be a fast, hot-rodded track car while also doubling as a muscle car on the street. If the Cobra isn't a muscle car, and you want to be technical, then neither are the GT350, Superbird, '60 Vette, Pozzi & Devil Camaros, Toronado, Special, GT500, and a few others. All of those cars were modified with modern motors, modern suspension, or designed for track racing in one aspect or another.
The definition of a muscle car is a production mid-sized car outfitted with a large-sized car engine specifically designed to outperform the stock model. Basically a factory-built hotrod that people could order the larger motors instead of having to build the block themselves. It has no basis on suspension or track tuning, so a muscle car can be anything with a high performance motor option. Considering the term died out in the 70s when the EPA killed them out with smog emission requirements, I don't consider anything newer than '74 as a "muscle car".
The definition of a muscle car is a production mid-sized car outfitted with a large-sized car engine specifically designed to outperform the stock model. Basically a factory-built hotrod that people could order the larger motors instead of having to build the block themselves. It has no basis on suspension or track tuning, so a muscle car can be anything with a high performance motor option. Considering the term died out in the 70s when the EPA killed them out with smog emission requirements, I don't consider anything newer than '74 as a "muscle car".
