Is the V6 Consisdered a muscle car?

[zlwebb]

You guys are funny

[Unfair]

Originally Posted by Trailnut

You damn skippy the V6 is a Muscle Car!!! It just ain't no V8. Enough said!

You stop it now.
v8 sound feel = muscle

again, have you ever heard someone say "you hear that thundering v6 man?"

[Lazerbrainz2k3]

Originally Posted by Unfair

Bla, who says, "here comes that thundering v6" if you can't hear/feel it coming, it's not a muscle car.

I understand what you're saying - but I can't help pointing out that the Ford Thunderbird and a lot of big trucks have V8s, so if hearing and feeling it coming is a primary consideration, you have to find a way around that little hiccup, unless you want to say a V6 Camaro is necessarily inferior to those things simply for a lack of two extra cylinders. I don't think it's totally out of line to recognize that today's V6's really do an impressive job of blurring that line between pony and muscle, either - even if sound and feel and number of cylinders are what counts most.

By the way I saw this linked on Wikipedia - old story, but interesting.

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/13/r...unner-concept/

Yes, it's just a rendering, and yes, Plymouth is long gone, but I wouldn't mind seeing a reborn Road Runner. I guess the biggest problem with reintroducing a muscle car is, it's already being done! Today's V8 Mustangs, Challengers, Chargers, and Camaros are already in a place where they're out-performing much of the classic muscle. Chevy is already showing trepidation at creating a Camaro which challenges the Corvette, and I'm sure Dodge wouldn't be too pleased introducing an in-company competitor to the Viper either. I think we already have new muscle.

That said, a classic-inspired Road Runner or Torino would be great to see. Clearly there's a market for these cars out there.

[The_Blur]

Why do people get so hung up on labels? It's badass. Isn't that enough?

[Unfair]

Originally Posted by The_Blur

Why do people get so hung up on labels? It's badass. Isn't that enough?

No, no it's not lol

lazer good point...

ok the look is 60% of the muscle car then, you have a 60% muscle car OK?

[Camaro Freak]

Originally Posted by Unfair

You stop it now.
v8 sound feel = muscle

again, have you ever heard someone say "you hear that thundering v6 man?"

Mine feels like a V8 and after I installed my new exhaust it now sounds like a V8. Either way, its a hell of a car and I think GM has done a hell of a job.

[Ant32894]

Yo sum it all up.....

V8 = Muscle Car
V6 = Sports Car

[gm]

A muscle car is not defined by how many cylinders it has or even horsepower. Any car that is 10 lbs/hp or less is considered a muscle car. The term muscle car is usually associated with the big three from the 60s and 70s, but in reality this is not the case. So if you divide the approx. 3750 lbs car by 312 hp, then no it is not a muscle car. If you do the same with the 426 hp, then yes it is. 312 hp is a lot of power but do not forget how heavy these cars are.

[Unfair]

Originally Posted by Camaro Freak

Mine feels like a V8 and after I installed my new exhaust it now sounds like a V8. Either way, its a hell of a car and I think GM has done a hell of a job.

I don't know about that whole sounding like a v8 thing, it's hard to slip a six by me.

[10CamaroIOM]

Originally Posted by PoorMansCamaro

so do you think a pony car is the same as a muscle car?

I guess that's what I am getting at too. When someone says pony car, the first thing that comes to my mind is Mustang...since it was the original pony car.

My opinion is that I think for today's cars, Mustang, Challenger, and Camaro are the true muscle cars.

Viper and Corvette would be more in an "exotic muscle" category I think.

The new Charger is in the "sporty sedan/sporty family car" category with the Pontiac G5, G6, and G8.

[Camaro Freak]

Originally Posted by Unfair

I don't know about that whole sounding like a v8 thing, it's hard to slip a six by me.

It slides by me just fine. Thats what counts. LOL Nice 2001 Camaro you have by the way. You should be proud.

[Unfair]

Originally Posted by Camaro Freak

It slides by me just fine. Thats what counts. LOL Nice 2001 Camaro you have by the way. You should be proud.

It's pretty decent, saving up for something new
my car is not as pretty as the one in the sig same color though.

[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.

[Camaro Freak]

Originally Posted by Unfair

It's pretty decent, saving up for something new
my car is not as pretty as the one in the sig same color though.

I appreciate all year model Camaros. This one is my third. I had a !971 and a 1983 Z-28. Loved these cars from little up. IMO there the sweetest car ever made.