The non-muscle American car thread (READ THE OP)

[EvolutionWRX]

Um, is the F-Body a muscle car, a pony car, or neither?

 

[05XR8]

Um, is the F-Body a muscle car, a pony car, or neither?

Non-muscle car.

 

[TexRex]

Um, is the F-Body a muscle car, a pony car, or neither?

To me, it's a pony car, which isn't a muscle car, but the Firehawk itself is awful close to a sports car.

 

[Populuxe]

To me, it's a pony car, which isn't a muscle car, but the Firehawk itself is awful close to a sports car.

When I look in the first post at the examples of cars the OP said aren’t allowed, there are pony cars. You may be technically correct that pony cars aren’t muscle cars, but they really aren’t in the spirit of the thread.

 

[TexRex]

When I look in the first post at the examples of cars the OP said aren’t allowed, there are pony cars. You may be technically correct that pony cars aren’t muscle cars, but they really aren’t in the spirit of the thread.

But then the "guidelines" in the first post were set by someone trying to appease those who thought the hot rods and muscle cars thread was sufficient for those wanting to post American cars, and who, following the creation of the thread, absolutely lost it trying to convince others of the greatness of the Dodge Spirit R/T before eventually getting banned from the forum.

Above all else, this is a thread for American cars. Some American cars aren't hot rods. Some American cars aren't muscle cars. Cars that aren't hot rods or muscle cars don't belong in the hot rods and muscle cars thread whether they're American or not. I have an appreciation for hot rods and muscle cars and I have no qualms about posting hot rods and muscle cars in the appropriate thread, as I believe I have demonstrated, but I also have an appreciation for American cars that aren't hot rods and muscle cars.

To my mind, a Firebird is no more a muscle car than a Parisienne or Aztek is. I'm going to continue posting American cars that I don't consider to be hot rods or muscle cars in this thread, while posting hot rods and muscle cars that may or may not actually be American in the other thread, and anyone who takes issue with what I post based on what I think is a reasonable definition can treat it as an opportunity for personal growth and try to get over it.

...

 

[Tornado]

OP also said you aren't allowed to post Corvettes (which haven't been anything like "muscle cars" since the early 70s); and almost immediately posted a rebadged Mitsubishi Eclipse, said European Ford models also fit this thread along with Acura and Infiniti models, posted a rebadged Mazda hatchback and then a car made in Ireland developed by Lotus.




Perhaps the wills of the OP who was pretty consistently clueless about anything he talked about aren't terribly relevant at this point.

 

[RandomCarGuy17]

Speaking of all of this muscle car or non muscle car talk, maybe the OP should be redone or something to define what qualifies here. Obviously not done by the actual person that started the thread since well; that guy is kinda gone.

With that said, I always saw pony cars as a sub-category of muscle cars as they're often lumped in with muscle cars by most people. Plus, they can been seen doing muscle car things such as doing 1/4 mile drag racing. Of course, people have often abused the term muscle car by calling anything American with a big engine a muscle car including even a Dodge Viper. Personally, if we start including pony cars in this thread; that's fine by me. That just gives me an excuse to post Mustangs.

 

[Populuxe]

I love the color on this 1951 Packard 200. Pretty fascinating story here.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Trawling my local craiglist, I realized that as late as 1981 you could still get a Cadillac with dual outboard front-mounted spare tires. 1981.

Just imagine this beast parked next to a new Citroen CX in 1981.

 

[TexRex]

Yeah, Grandeur Motor Coach did those longnose Sevilles. I like a bustleback, but I prefer that treatment (I don't much care for it, if I'm honest, and that's despite my appreciation for the neoclassicals of that era) on the previous generation. The bustleback itself wasn't very well resolved as they moved the backlight forward and there's an awkward ledge at the base of it before the bustle. Plus the previous generation had a shorter front overhang (largely by virtue of it not being FWD) and that provided a better foundation for the stretch.

 

[Roo]

(OK, I admit that last one's those last 2 those last 3 are not a non-muscle car (sod it, sue me))

 

[Populuxe]

I think this is now my favorite automobile photograph of all time.

 

[05XR8]

Best pic. That was my car. *sniff sniff*

 

[Volksauto]

Today, sixty years ago, the Last DeSoto rolled off of Mopar’s assembly line.
Here are some final 1961 model year Desotos:

 

[ScottPuss20]

 

[Populuxe]

I believe Desoto only made 4-door hardtops for the final six years of their existence.


1956 Desoto Fireflite


1957 Desoto Fireflite


1958 Desoto Firesweep


1959 Desoto Firedome


1960 Desoto Adventurer


1961 Desoto Adventurer

 

[Marisauna]

Loving the DeSotos!

GM might have hit perfection with the Tri-Fives but you just can’t beat Mopar fins. Check out the ‘59 Fury’s:

 

[Volksauto]

I believe Desoto only made 4-door hardtops for the final six years of their existence.

They made other models in the final years such as this Firedome wagon here as well as convertibles:

Some other celebratory Desotos:

1928 DeSoto Special Racer

1933 DeSoto 3-window Coupe

1936 DeSoto Airflow Coupe

1942 DeSoto Custom with “Airfoil” hidden headlamps

 

[TexRex]

I believe Desoto only made 4-door hardtops for the final six years of their existence.

Post sedans in 2- and 4-door configurations were offered through '60. Only in the final year were metal roof cars exclusively hardtop.

 

[Volksauto]

GM might have hit perfection with the Tri-Fives but you just can’t beat Mopar fins. Check out the ‘59 Fury’s:

The Exner designed fins of Chrysler definitely were the more radical and bizarre of the big-three.

1961 Dodge Polara

 

[05XR8]

The Exner designed fins of Chrysler definitely were the more radical and bizarre of the big-three.
View attachment 975671
1961 Dodge Polara

Reminds of this little Ford Consul(had no idea it existed - not the wrong thread, just reminded me of it).

 

[Volksauto]

1966 Studebaker Daytona Sport Sedan

 

[TexRex]

I desperately want a higher resolution shot of this.

I love the sharktooth grills on '71-2 340s and Twisters, the orange stripe on black is quirky (as is the orange interior), the raised orange letter BFGs are...weird...but acceptable given that they're wrapped around Motor Wheel Spyders with cast aluminum centers and steel hoops. The wheels appear to be 14s rather than the rarer 15-inchers, but still.

I'm in love with this car.

 

[HaydenFan69]

Agreed the Duster was a fabulous car. And the strips. Not GM pin striping, but some solid decals.

Is that a vinyl roof? Or just a a chrome trim piece on the C pillar?

 

[TexRex]

Agreed the Duster was a fabulous car. And the strips. Not GM pin striping, but some solid decals.

Is that a vinyl roof? Or just a a chrome trim piece on the C pillar?

Vinyl. A painted roof car wouldn't have trim there.

I actually prefer the '73-4 striping to the '70-2, but the sharktooth was gone at that point and that's a priority.

[Edit] Here's the later striping:

Longhorn colors are a plus.

Edit (again): Ma Mopar really missed an opportunity by not offering the A-body coupes in a hardtop. The roofline is perfect for it. I get that a hardtop is more expensive to build and the coupes were intended to be a step above the post sedans, with the hardtop Dart (and the later Valiant Scamp) slotted above, and so they went with popouts, but it's a pity.

 

[Tornado]

I wish there was about half a foot less trunk on the Duster. The front overhangs were so clean and tidy compared to most other US cars at the time that it almost seems (daresay) BMW-esque; but then the trunk appears just as long as on the Road Runner. It's something the contemporary Nova did better (at least before the Dukes of Hazzard Bad Guy Model debuted). It really makes it stand out against the perfect proportions on the Barracuda, which had slightly more front overhang but way less on the rear.

 

[Volksauto]

 

[TexRex]

Isn't the Magnum a muscle car? It shares a platform with the Charger and Road Runner and it--

 

[Volksauto]

Isn't the Magnum a muscle car? It shares a platform with the Charger and Road Runner and it--

To be honest, I’m not sure.
It goes back to personal opinion. Many will tell you their version of what a muscle car should be and I won’t argue with them because they may very well be correct.

 

[TexRex]

To be honest, I’m not sure.
It goes back to personal opinion. Many will tell you their version of what a muscle car should be and I won’t argue with them because they may very well be correct.

It was a joke. I deliberately cut it off abruptly as though I couldn't finish saying it with a straight face.

Those last B-bodies are pretty solidly malaise. Even in GT trim, the Magnum had a 400 V8 with something like 200hp in top spec.

Frankly I have a really hard time pegging anything after '72 as a muscle car no matter the vehicle class or specification.