The Art of the Muscle Car

The Art of the Muscle Car
Author: David Newhardt
Publisher: Motorbooks International
Total Pages: 243
Release: 2013-05-19
Genre: Transportation
ISBN: 0760344213

“Just what is a Muscle Car?” Road Test magazine asked in June 1967. The answer: “Exactly what the name implies. It is a product of the American car industry adhering to the hot rodder’s philosophy of taking a small car and putting a BIG engine in it. . . . The Muscle Car is Charles Atlas kicking sand in the face of the 98 horsepower weakling.” Unconcerned with such trivial details as comfort and handling, the vintage American muscle car was built for straight-line speed and quickly became the ride of choice for power-hungry racers and serious gearheads. In a country where performance was measured in brute force, a quarter mile at a time, the muscle car was the perfect machine. In the intervening years, these down-and-dirty, high-performing beauties have earned their place in the automotive pantheon. As prized by collectors and aficionados as they are by denizens of garages and drag strips, classic muscle cars now fetch upwards of a million dollars at auctions and feature in any story of America’s automotive glory days. The icons of muscle car art—including Camaro and Chevelle SS, the Hemi and 440-6 ’Cuda, Challenger, Roadrunner, Super Bee, GTX, Super Bird, Daytona Charger, Super Cobra Jet and Boss Mustang, Talladega Torino, Buick GSX and W30 Oldsmobile 442, and AMX Javelin—are all here, on full display in this lavishly illustrated volume, each described in a detailed essay followed by a gallery of portraits and special gatefold presentations that capture the art of the muscle car at its finest.

American Muscle Cars

American Muscle Cars
Author: Darwin Holmstrom
Publisher: Motorbooks
Total Pages: 224
Release: 2016-03-20
Genre: Transportation
ISBN: 0760350981

This is the muscle car history to own--a richly illustrated chronicle of America's greatest high-performance cars, told from their 1960s beginning through the present day! In the 1960s, three incendiary ingredients--developing V-8 engine technology, a culture consumed by the need for speed, and 75 million baby boomers entering the auto market--exploded in the form of the factory muscle car. The resulting vehicles, brutal machines unlike any the world had seen before or will ever see again, defined the sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll generation. American Muscle Cars chronicles this tumultuous period of American history through the primary tool Americans use to define themselves: their automobiles. From the street-racing hot rod culture that emerged following World War II through the new breed of muscle cars still emerging from Detroit today, this book brings to life the history of the American muscle car. When Pontiac's chief engineer, John Z. DeLorean, and his team bolted a big-inch engine into the division's intermediate chassis, they immediately invented the classic muscle car. In those 20 minutes it took Bill Collins and Russ Gee to bolt a 389 ci V-8 engine into a Tempest chassis they created the prototype for Pontiac's GTO--and changed the course of automotive history. From that moment on, American performance cars would never be the same. American Muscle Cars tells the story of the most desirable cars ever to come out of Detroit. It's a story of flat-out insanity told at full throttle and illustrated with beautiful photography.

The All-American Muscle Car

The All-American Muscle Car
Author: Joe Oldham
Publisher: Motorbooks International
Total Pages: 195
Release: 2017-05-22
Genre: History
ISBN: 0760353352

Get the full history of the American muscle car in The All-American Muscle Car, from it's origin as an act of descent, to where it sits now.

Standard Guide to American Muscle Cars

Standard Guide to American Muscle Cars
Author: John Gunnell
Publisher: Krause Publications
Total Pages: 400
Release: 2005-06-28
Genre: Transportation
ISBN: 9780873499880

The world's most popular book of the mighty American cars of the 1960s and 70s is back and better than ever. Updated with more specs, more information and more color than ever before. &break;&break;This edition showcases more than 300 of Detroit's tire-twisting cars from Ford, Chevy, Dodge, AMC, Pontiac, Oldsmobile and more. Listings include a historical background, original factory specifications, available options, original pricing information and an updated price guide, with current values in sex condition grades. &break;&break;In this book, readers will find every type of high performance model from early full-size favorites like the 1961 Chevrolet Impala SS to muscle car heyday favorites like the 1968 Shelby Mustang GT 500KR. &break;&break;Muscle cars of the 1970s, 80s, 90s and the toughest cars of the 2000s are also featured in brilliant full color! &break;&break;Features more than 300 muscle cars, including some of the latest releases on the market &break;&break;Manufacturers include American Motors, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, and Studebaker &break;&break;Updated with new, full-color photos

Top Muscle

Top Muscle
Author: Darwin Holmstrom
Publisher: Motorbooks
Total Pages: 231
Release: 2014-05-15
Genre: Transportation
ISBN: 1627881557

A muscle-car book unlike any other, featuring the rarest vehicles on Earth. In the 1960s, something explosive happened in the automotive world: the United States’ evolving V-8 engine technology was met by 75 million baby boomers, all with an extreme need for speed and all entering the auto market at the same time. The result was the golden era of factory muscle cars, brutish machines that were unlike any the world had ever seen or will likely ever see again—they truly embodied the “sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll” generation. But for some, even a factory muscle car wasn’t enough. Detroit automakers responded, secretly building outrageous muscle cars behind their superiors’ backs and ultimately creating some of the most powerful vehicles ever sold to the public. In Top Muscle, author Darwin Holmstrom chronicles the ultimate collection of these super-rare high-performance beasts. Captured by the lens of renowned auto photographer Randy Leffingwell, these cars represent the absolute zenith of the most valuable collector cars in existence, with fascinating histories that illuminate the wildest age in American automotive history. The Brothers Collection features over 600 cars, including such rarities as:- The very first Chevelle Z16 ever built, which was also the very first muscle car that Chevrolet ever built- The very first Chevelle SS454 LS6 off the assembly line- The only 1969 Mach I Mustang ever built with a factory sunroof- The very first A12 (440-6) Roadrunner ever built- The very last Hemi ’Cuda convertible Plymouth producedvOne of the eight convertible Trans Am Ram Air III Firebirds that Pontiac built in 1969

American Muscle Cars

American Muscle Cars
Author: Jim Campisano
Publisher:
Total Pages: 132
Release: 1999
Genre: Muscle cars
ISBN: 9780760746288

Chronicles the history of the muscle car from conception and development to public reaction and eventual eclipse by the smaller and more fuel-efficient cars. 122 pages.

American Muscle Cars

American Muscle Cars
Author: William G. Holder
Publisher:
Total Pages: 192
Release: 1992
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9780830620760

Discusses the resurgence of the muscle car hobby, including photographs and descriptions of major manufacturers' models.

Muscle

Muscle
Author: Randy Leffingwell Darwin Holmstrom
Publisher:
Total Pages: 396
Release:
Genre:
ISBN: 1610583051

The Age of the Muscle Car

The Age of the Muscle Car
Author: Clay Fees
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 413
Release: 2022-01-31
Genre: Transportation
ISBN: 1476678146

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.