Andre Andrews
Dr. King
English 114
3 October 2015
Muscle Cars are dead
Out with the old and in with the new. The cars of today are not the muscle cars of yesterday. Why has this phenomenon occurred over the years?
Muscle cars are dead. The muscle cars of the past are still around, but car manufacturers do not make them anymore. The term “muscle” car refers to the two-door sports coupes that were manufactured from 1949 to the mid-1970s. These small cars had huge powerful engines that were designed for high performance driving.
Although muscle cars were two-door sports coupes, they originally were used by bootleggers to easily escape from the authorities during the prohibition era. These cars were heavy and fast and able to move quickly. After …show more content…
Due to the production of the smaller cars, the muscle cars began to die out due to their gas-guzzling engines and poor fuel-efficiency. By the early 1980’s, the average American car had 17.4 mpg, whereas the 1970’s cars had 13.5 mpg. This means that the engines of the 1980’s were more fuel-efficient, smaller and less powerful than their 1970’s counterparts. However, this took away from the muscle car craze of huge engines and fast cars.
The third event, which took muscle cars to their extinction, was that of the body style of cars. Most muscle cars were made of steel, which was the strongest metal around during that era. The cars were made with steel because it was sturdy, easy to work with, cheap, and readily available. Due to the ever-growing energy crisis, car manufacturers had to find a way to make their cars more energy-efficient and be able to follow the EPA …show more content…
While we can look around and see the muscle cars of the 1949’s- 1970’s occasionally on the road, or at a car show. The EPA regulations became stringent from 1973 forward, because of the environmental impact that the big engines in the muscle cars had on the environment.
The oil embargo also contributed to the demise of the muscle car of the past. The embargo forced manufacturers to downsize their cars and become more fuel-efficient. Finally, the body-style of the cars had to be modified to keep up with the small engines for better fuel-efficiency.
All the changes resulted in the cars starting a new trend. The car industry was never the same. From the loud rumbles of big block engines, the steel square bodies, and the performance of the muscle car; came the small, fuel efficient engines, plastic and rounded bodies, and the low horsepower cars of the 1980’s. The cars of today may look like muscle cars but are just sports cars that imitate the looks of the real-thing. The muscle car died long ago but car enthusiasts still collect, repair, and sell them. To us, the muscle car will always live-on. They are a
Dr. King
English 114
3 October 2015
Muscle Cars are dead
Out with the old and in with the new. The cars of today are not the muscle cars of yesterday. Why has this phenomenon occurred over the years?
Muscle cars are dead. The muscle cars of the past are still around, but car manufacturers do not make them anymore. The term “muscle” car refers to the two-door sports coupes that were manufactured from 1949 to the mid-1970s. These small cars had huge powerful engines that were designed for high performance driving.
Although muscle cars were two-door sports coupes, they originally were used by bootleggers to easily escape from the authorities during the prohibition era. These cars were heavy and fast and able to move quickly. After …show more content…
Due to the production of the smaller cars, the muscle cars began to die out due to their gas-guzzling engines and poor fuel-efficiency. By the early 1980’s, the average American car had 17.4 mpg, whereas the 1970’s cars had 13.5 mpg. This means that the engines of the 1980’s were more fuel-efficient, smaller and less powerful than their 1970’s counterparts. However, this took away from the muscle car craze of huge engines and fast cars.
The third event, which took muscle cars to their extinction, was that of the body style of cars. Most muscle cars were made of steel, which was the strongest metal around during that era. The cars were made with steel because it was sturdy, easy to work with, cheap, and readily available. Due to the ever-growing energy crisis, car manufacturers had to find a way to make their cars more energy-efficient and be able to follow the EPA …show more content…
While we can look around and see the muscle cars of the 1949’s- 1970’s occasionally on the road, or at a car show. The EPA regulations became stringent from 1973 forward, because of the environmental impact that the big engines in the muscle cars had on the environment.
The oil embargo also contributed to the demise of the muscle car of the past. The embargo forced manufacturers to downsize their cars and become more fuel-efficient. Finally, the body-style of the cars had to be modified to keep up with the small engines for better fuel-efficiency.
All the changes resulted in the cars starting a new trend. The car industry was never the same. From the loud rumbles of big block engines, the steel square bodies, and the performance of the muscle car; came the small, fuel efficient engines, plastic and rounded bodies, and the low horsepower cars of the 1980’s. The cars of today may look like muscle cars but are just sports cars that imitate the looks of the real-thing. The muscle car died long ago but car enthusiasts still collect, repair, and sell them. To us, the muscle car will always live-on. They are a