[Liste]Les Muscle Cars les plus "marquants"

Driver weekly a écrit:The Pontiac GTO wasn’t the first muscle car, but it defined the start of a new era.. Dropping a big engine in a smaller car was nothing new but Pontiac was the first to purposefully market a midsized car with a big motor and a bigger attitude. In 1963 General Motors banned factory-sponsored racing and Pontiac needed a street-ready supercar that could compete with smaller cars from Chevrolet, Plymouth, and Dodge. John DeLorean, Bill Collins and Russ Gee stepped up to the plate with the idea for a “Super Tempest” based on the A-Body Pontiac Tempest.

While corporate headquarters had ordered their divisions to use small engines in the mid-sized A-Body, Pontiac used a full-sized 389ci Pontiac V8. Emphasizing the car’s brash design, DeLorean christened the new hot rod the “GTO” in blatant imitation of the famous Ferrari 250 GTO. The “Goat” rolled into dealerships as an options package on the 1964 Pontiac Tempest with a bad attitude and undeniable power. The 325 horsepower hot rod roared from 0-60 in 7.7 seconds. While criticized for its slow steering, the GTO’s undeniable popularity launched a wave of muscle cars.

Driver Weekly a écrit:While the Pontiac GTO launched a new wave of hot rods the Ford Mustang inaugurated the pony car: smaller and cheaper than a full-blooded muscle car and even more popular. But that didn’t mean that people didn’t want a faster and more powerful pony. In 1965, Carrol Shelby built the first Mustang GT350 race car for the Sports Car Club of America.  Intended for racing, the first Shelby Mustangs were hard to drive with a brutal suspension. In 1967, Shelby released a more comfortable and popular version of his customized racer. The next year, Ford moved production of the Shelby Mustangs to their own facility to capitalize on their popularity.

While the legendary racer was dissatisfied with the company’s meddling, we have to admire the athletic lines, long hood, sleek air scoops of the final Shelby Mustang designed in 1969. (While some models were sold in 1970 they were built in 1969.) While no longer a race car, there was a 428ci V8 under the hood with an estimated 400 horsepower, a top speed of 115 mph, and 0-60 in 6.0 seconds. The last true Shelby Mustang, the 1969 GT500 was the end of a legend.

Driver Weekly a écrit:The 1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 shouldn’t exist, but it’s one of the most legendary Chevrolet muscle cars in history, and one of the rarest and most expensive. In 1969, Chevrolet was forbidden from using engines larger than 400 cubic inches in the smaller Camaro. Dealers who wanted to compete with the unrestricted engines dropped into the Ford Mustang, Plymouth Barracuda, or Dodge Dart were at a loss until Don Yenko used the Central Office Production Order (COPO) to start building factory customs with the 427ci V8.

Yenko Camaros were some of the baddest muscle cars ever sold, but they were soon surpassed by an even more powerful model in 1969. Just 69 of these rare muscle cars were special ordered by dealer Fred Gibb. The Camaro ZL1 used a new all-aluminum 427 intended for Can-Am racing and never intended for full production—a lightweight casting of the L72 that weighed approximately the same as a small-block 327. Rated at 435 horsepower but estimated at over 500 horses, the ZL1 was a racing machine.

Driver Weekly a écrit:The Dodge Charger is one of the most iconic muscle cars in history. Already renowned as a custom factory car in the 1960s, the first production model was released in 1965. Unfortunately, Dodge chose outdated “fishbowl” fastback styling that aped the Plymouth Barracuda rather than the more popular Ford Mustang. It wasn’t until the second generation that the Charger lived up to its full potential. When the B-Body was redesigned in 1968, the Charger reemerged as a muscle car with a menacing beauty.

The updated model had a long hood, double-diamond coke bottle styling, an aggressive nose, and an integrated spoiler. The Charger R/T had a 440 Magnum V8, improved suspension and brakes, and Torqueflite 727 three-speed automatic. Dodge delivered almost 17,000 of these automotive powerhouses to drivers in just one year.

Driver Weekly a écrit:The Olds 4-4-2 was introduced in 1964 as a performance package for the Oldsmobile Cutlass and F-85 with a four-barrel carburetor, four-speed manual, and twin exhausts. The 4-4-2 was intended to mimic the success of the Pontiac GTO with more class, chrome, and comfort. By 1968, the “442” was relaunched as a separate model. The 442 was now in direct competition with their stablemates at Pontiac, and, for the first time, holdings its own. In 1970, General Motors had finally lifted their limit on engine displacement and Oldsmobile promptly installed the Rocket 455 V8 and forged the most powerful version of their muscle car ever built.

The ultimate 442 delivered an underrated 365 horsepower with 500 pound-feet of torque. The W-30 options package added a fiberglass hood with functional air scoops and special intake manifolds, cylinder heads, distributors, camshafts, and carburetors. The best 442 had a short lifespan of just two years. In 1972 it was once again an option for the Olds Cutlass and rapidly lost power and prestige.

Driver Weekly a écrit:While often considered a late challenger to the Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro, the 1970 Dodge Challenger was intended to compete against the Mercury Cougar and Pontiac Firebird. While the smaller Plymouth Barracuda would snap at the heels of the ‘Stang, the Challenger had a longer wheelbase, larger dimensions, and comfortable interior that emphasized performance with a little luxury. At the same time, the sleek shape of the new Chrysler E-Body accentuated the long hood and short deck of a pony car.

More muscle was available with the Challenger R/T, starting with the 383 V8 rated at 335 horsepower. At the top was the 426 Hemi rated at 425 horsepower, more than enough to burn rubber on the strip. While initial sales reflected the Challenger’s robust performance, broad range of trim and engine options, and muscular styling, the pony car craze was coming to an end—and the Challenger had arrived too late to topple the leading champions.

Buick68 a écrit:4 - Dodge Charger R/T 1968

Driver Weekly a écrit:The Dodge Charger is one of the most iconic muscle cars in history. Already renowned as a custom factory car in the 1960s, the first production model was released in 1965. Unfortunately, Dodge chose outdated “fishbowl” fastback styling that aped the Plymouth Barracuda rather than the more popular Ford Mustang. It wasn’t until the second generation that the Charger lived up to its full potential. When the B-Body was redesigned in 1968, the Charger reemerged as a muscle car with a menacing beauty.

The updated model had a long hood, double-diamond coke bottle styling, an aggressive nose, and an integrated spoiler. The Charger R/T had a 440 Magnum V8, improved suspension and brakes, and Torqueflite 727 three-speed automatic. Dodge delivered almost 17,000 of these automotive powerhouses to drivers in just one year.

Driver Weekly a écrit:Pontiac introduced the Firebird in 1967 to compete with the Ford Mustang. Pontiac had wanted a two-seat sports car based on the Pontiac Banshee, but their corporate overlords worried that a production model would cannibalize sales from the Chevrolet Corvette. Instead, it was deemed acceptable to share sales with the Chevy Camaro. The Firebird shared the F-Body with the second generation Camaro and had the same coke-bottle curves. But the Firebird had a more refined front fascia with an integrated bumper and beaked hood.

But it wasn’t until 1969 when Pontiac coupled the polished styling with a fresh coat of paint and a big engine that this bird emerged from the flames as a muscle car.  Developed for the SCCA, the Trans Am received a lowered suspension, larger tires, antisway bars, dual-intake scooped hood, deck spoiler, and fender vents splashed with a  white coat of paint and a blue racing stripe. Those vents released the rumble of the Ram Air III or Ram Air IV 400 V8 with 345 horsepower. While it never hit the racetrack, the Trans Am would become an automotive icon.

Driver Weekly a écrit:The 1961 Chevrolet Impala Super Sports predated the new formula established by the Pontiac GTO but still brought plenty of power to the people with eight cylinders and 409 cubic inches of displacement. First introduced on the second-generation Chevrolet Impala, Super Sport was more than just a fancy trim. These models offered bigger mills, better suspension, and power brakes in addition to bragging rights. While the 348ci V8 offered plenty of power, Chevrolet offered an even larger engine with 360 horsepower and 409 pound-feet of torque.

There were only 453 Impala Super Sports ever built and just 142 with the largest engine, but this was still a mainstream vehicle with massive horsepower. This was a muscle car. The Beach Boys put the 409 in a song with same name in 1962, and they knew what they were talking about: “Giddyup.”

Driver Weekly a écrit:While awestruck buyers didn’t know it at the time, 1970 was the best year for classic muscle cars. And the unsung champion for that year might be the Buick GSX. While there are louder competitors, none had quite the same combination of unprecedented performance in such an unexpected package. It might have the restrained lines of the Buick Skylark, but the GS 455 with the GSX Performance and Handling Package only came in Saturn Yellow or Apollo White with a black racing stripe and an all-black interior. General Motors had finally lifted their restriction on engine size and the GS 455 received the new 455ci Stage One V8.

While it was rated at 360 horsepower, conservative estimates say that the GSX could hit 400 horsepower on the road. This stately beast produced 510 pound-feet of torque, the highest torque output of any production performance car in America for decades. The GSX would disappear in 1974, the victim of rising oil prices, the insurance industry, and changing regulations. While Buick’s muscle car never achieved the same fame as its competition, this full-sized stallion was one hell of a ride.

Driver weekly a écrit:The Boss 429 (also called the “Boss 9”) was built for one thing and one thing only: NASCAR. Ford wanted a real competitor to the Chrysler Hemi and needed a minimum of 500 homologated production cars to enter the race. Ford settled on the Mustang to house their big new mill and the homologation cars were manufactured by Kar-Kraft as they needed to rebuild the engine bay, powertrain, and suspension to fit the enormous Boss 429. This powerhouse was the epitome of both size and sophistication, with hemispherical aluminum cylinder heads and colossal proportions for every component. While the official rating was 375 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque, the tachometer spun all the way up to 8,000rpm and output could hit well over 500 horsepower.

While intended for NASCAR, buyers were eager for a Ford Mustang that could compete with a Corvette—at least on paper. Unfortunately, the vehicle suffered from a few mismatched components and the Boss 429 wasn’t built for street performance. Ford sold only 1,356 Boss 429 Mustangs and two Cougars before they shut down their factory racing program. We think that the Boss 429 needed a few more years to work out any kinks in the hand-assembly process. But in the hands of a respectful driver, this was a muscle car for the ages, with big tires, superior handling, and a beautiful engine.

Driver Weekly a écrit:The run-of-the-mill 1964 Chevrolet Chevelle was a family car with a long wheelbase and lots of room for untethered children rolling around in the rear seats. But the Chevelle Super Sports was another matter entirely: Chevrolet’s flagbearer in the muscle car wars. Playing catch-up to Pontiac, Chevrolet offered a 1965 Chevelle Malibu SS with big-block eight cylinders with 396ci of displacement and 375 horsepower dubbed the “Z16.” But the SS396 played second fiddle to the Pontiac GTO and other competitors until 1970 when General Motors lifted their restriction on engine sizes.

In 1970 the Chevelle received the 454ci LS6. The LS6 with cowl air induction rammed out an underrated 450 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque—and even more grunt in the hands of street drivers who removed emissions equipment. The Chevelle SS454 was the most powerful Chevelle ever made with more grunt than the Corvette. It was one of the most powerful muscle cars of the era, but it was king of the streets for just one year before the automaker discontinued the LS6 option. But its brief reign was glorious.