[chuckstacamaro]

To put it straight the Camaro, (even old school Camaro's) were not considered Muscle Cars by definition. They were Pony cars.

Most American car manufactuers in the 60's and 70's had both Muscle Cars and Pony Cars. Chevy had its Camaro, Pontiac Firebird/Trans Am, Ford Mustang, Mercury Cougar, Plymouth Barracuda, Dodge Challenger, and AMC Javelin/AMX.

However, a true Muscle car was an intermediate sized two door automobile with a full size car motor (Big Block). The 1964 GTO was the first true muscle car (well debatable with the 1957 Chyrsler 300, First Hemi for you Mopar guys), as Pontiac took the 389 from the full sized Bonneville, with 3x2 Carbs, dual exhaust, 4 speed and installed it into the 64 Tempest/Lemans (intermediate car). Pontiac took everyone by surprise. Now it was catch up time for everyone else in late 64 and early 65.

Chevy in 1965 took the Corvette 396CID/375HP motor and put into the Chevelle and the Chevelle 396SS was born. Chevy (also in 1965), installed the Corvette 427/425HP in a select few Chevelle SS's that were coded the Z11.

Oldsmobile in late 1964/early 1965 took its 400 (Actually 394CID) from the Dynamic 88 full size car line and installed it into the F-85 Cutlass calling it the 442 (442 = 4bbl, 4spdl, dual exhaust).

Buick in 1965 took the 400 CID from the Buick Riviera and installed it in its Skylark (intermediate) and called it the Skylark GS (Grand Sport). Eventually GM upped the ante on all its model car lines with engines getting bigger and bigger and more powerful each year from 1965 through 1970 (396, 400, 425, 427,454 and 455CID engines depending on car manufactuer mnake and model).

The Plymouth, Dodge boys also had their versions of Muscle Cars (Charger, Fury, Super Bee, GTX, Road Runner and Belvedere with 383, 440 or 426 Hemi Power).

So did Ford/Mercury (Fairlanes, Cyclones, Torinos with 427/428/429 to eventually 460 CID Big blocks).

And even the now defunct American Motors Corporation (AMC) had their Rebel Machine and Rambler from 1967 through 1970 with 390 and 401 CID Motors installed in their intermediate cars.

The Full sized cars in the 1960's through 1970 with factory modified big blocks were known as Super Cars. Full sized cars were the Impalas, Belaires, Caprices, Rivieras, Electra 225, Polaras, Fury III's, Catalinas, Grand Prix's, Bonnevilles, Mauraders, LTD's, Galaxies, Delta 88's, and Toronados.

There were also mid-sized cars that were known neither by Pony Car or Muscle Car but they were quick and fast. Some of these were the 340/383 Dodge Dart/Demons and 340/383 Plymouth Swingers/Dusters, Chevy II's/Nova SS with 327/350 or 396 power, the Ford Falcons/Mercury Comets 289/302 and the AMC S/C Rambler 390.

The 60's and early 70's was the era for totally awesome American cars. I'm just glad to have been there when those classics were new, and was able to buy them as used cars when I got out of High school.

Now if you want to talk about the birth of the Modern Day Muscle car well that era would have begun in the mid 1980's, but that is another story for another time.