Honda Accord, Muscle Car?

[Quick GMC]

most of the people in this thread never even bothered to read the article to get the point the author was trying to make. 

 

With that being said, it's a stupid article and a stupid point

[Ace-Garageguy]

Well Bill, we'll have to disagree.

I think most of the world would still consider the '75 Trans Am a muscle car.

It's a slug. 

[StevenGuthmiller]

It's a slug. 

I agree.

But where does the definition of a "muscle car" start & where does it end.

Here's a 2 door 4 speed with a 360 horse 413 cubic inch engine.

Is it a muscle car?

 

Steve

 

[StevenGuthmiller]

With that being said, it's a stupid article and a stupid point

That's a very persuasive argument.

 

Steve

[Snake45]

Well Bill, we'll have to disagree.

I think most of the world would still consider the '75 Trans Am a muscle car.

 

It was at or near the top of the heap in 1975.

Sadly, the 1975 heap was a pretty small heap.

[Ace-Garageguy]

It was at or near the top of the heap in 1975.

Sadly, the 1975 heap was a pretty small heap.

More like a stinking pile.

4000 pounds? An 18 second quarter mile ET? Zero-to-60 in 11+ seconds? 

That's not "muscle". It's a bloated pig. Wannabee. Lookit me. A pile.

Even the late year L75 455 HO was only good for 16 seconds in the quarter. What a joke. A hot-rod Beetle could blow its doors off.

The "muscle car" era was dead. Pushing up daisies. Shuffled off its mortal coil. Extinct. Over. Gone forever...and anybody who tries to say a Honda in any guise is a "muscle car" just doesn't get it.

Maybe you just had to be there.

 

[dieseldawg142]

What is a '69 Road Runner?

A fast American car.

A stripped down 2 door version of family sedan with a big engine.

not going into the semantics of what a muscle car is, everbodys opinion of what one is, is different.

to me a honda will never be a muscle car. my definition is pretty simple-

#1, big power v8 (old or new, dont matter, if it can melt the tires that's good enough for me...)

#2, must be american, no and's ifs or buts. (again old or new, 2 dr, 4 dr, i'm not prejudiced...)

never heard a bimmer or a renault, toyota or lada ever called a muscle car, it is uniquely american

[Pete J.]

Interesting fun to read all the opinions and the author has his opinion.  The fault is that he is trying to equate performance of current car to those in the 60's and early 70's and say they are the same.  Interestingly, my 1993 MR 2 Turbo is quicker both 0-60 and in the quarter mile than a 69 Boss 302.  Is my MR2 a muscle car?  Oh heck no!  But frankly it is a lot more fun and a lot safer to drive, but it will never be a muscle car even if it can kick ones can!  As I said in my prior post, a muscle car is about attitude, gut reaction and a certain look of a specific period and the period has passed.  Are those cars up to today's standards for drivablity, safety, and durablity and gas economy.  Heck no!  They met old regulations and frankly were really dangerous cars. The killed a heck of a lot of kids who though they knew what they were doing.  As a person of that era, I would like to have one as a collectors car, but would never want one as my daily driver and I surely would never buy one for my kid.   By todays standard they were really not good cars.  

[bbowser]

Lots of good arguments here.  Shows how passionate folks get about their cars, something I think is mostly missing today regarding today's "appliances".  

[PARTSMARTY]

So, does this make it a Muscle Car?

Not even !!!

[PARTSMARTY]

Well Bill, we'll have to disagree.

I think most of the world would still consider the '75 Trans Am a muscle car.

 

Yes that trans am is a muscle car although a poor excuse for one !!!

[PARTSMARTY]

I agree.

But where does the definition of a "muscle car" start & where does it end.

Here's a 2 door 4 speed with a 360 horse 413 cubic inch engine.

Is it a muscle car?

 

Steve

 

Although designed as a luxury cruiser it does fit in the muscle car category

[Ace-Garageguy]

I guess what I REALLY don't get is why the article writer is trying so hard to put a me-too label on something it's really not, and why so many people want to argue incessantly about what a "muscle car" is anyway. Who cares what the frigging label is? 

Get out and drive something with some performance if that's what matters to you, no matter WHAT you call it. Better yet, BUILD something. It's still possible to do it cheap, too.

Real life, as opposed to internet arguing over definitions.Try it.

EDIT: Now I'm going in to work and spend the day making some REAL muscle-cars function better. We have a shop full of 'em...including one of those slow FireChickens. And boy, it IS a stone.

PS. There are a lot of folks who will argue for hours that a Firebird is a "pony car", not a "muscle car" anyway, 'cause it was a competitor to the original "pony-car", the Mustang.

 

Edited April 29, 2017 by Ace-Garageguy

[oldcarfan]

A lot of people also use the term muscle car for pony car. My dad has always been very specific about that, it's a pet peeve. A muscle car was larger, based on a standard passenger car line, with a big engine and performance parts. Mustangs, Camaros, Firebirds, Barracudas, Challengers or Javelins was a pony car. People call Mustangs muscle cars nowadays and it still irritates him. LOL

[Snake45]

A lot of people also use the term muscle car for pony car. My dad has always been very specific about that, it's a pet peeve. A muscle car was larger, based on a standard passenger car line, with a big engine and performance parts. Mustangs, Camaros, Firebirds, Barracudas, Challengers or Javelins was a pony car. People call Mustangs muscle cars nowadays and it still irritates him. LOL

Technically, I think "musclecars" were base on the intermediate car lines.

But tell me, what does your dad call an L78 396/375 '69 Nova?

Edited April 29, 2017 by Snake45

[Pete J.]

The argument for a Mustang being a "muscle" car is not so difficult.  It started life as a family sedan AKA the Ford Falcon that was rebodied.  I remember a friend had 65 and was upset when the center cover on the steering wheel came unglued and there was a Falcon badge under it. The chassis and drive train were all Falcon as were a lot of other parts like the steering column and wheel.  To further complicate matters, later on it was converted back to a family sedan in the form of the Maverick.  Pony cars were in most peoples eyes a sub category of "Muscle cars".

[Muncie]

funny thing is, I don't think anybody called them muscle cars until they became collectible in the new milineum...

Surely anything built after the insurance rates, gasoline shortages, and emissions regulations strangled horsepower in 1972 is not a muscle car.

[BigTallDad]

I'll call the Honda a muscle car the same day I see the local biker gangs riding rice burners.

[dieseldawg142]

funny thing is, I don't think anybody called them muscle cars until they became collectible in the new milineum...

Surely anything built after the insurance rates, gasoline shortages, and emissions regulations strangled horsepower in 1972 is not a muscle car.

true, i remember most people calling them "supercars" back in the day.

with detroit trotting out 400, 500, 600 hp cars, i'd call them muscle...their not wimp cars

 

[Snake45]

true, i remember most people calling them "supercars" back in the day.

with detroit trotting out 400, 500, 600 hp cars, i'd call them muscle...their not wimp cars

 

Yes, there was even a magazine called Speed & Supercar back then (east coast rag). I don't think the term "musclecars" appeared until the '80s.

[StevenGuthmiller]

PS. There are a lot of folks who will argue for hours that a Firebird is a "pony car", not a "muscle car" anyway, 'cause it was a competitor to the original "pony-car", the Mustang.

 

 

A lot of people also use the term muscle car for pony car.

 

Technically, I think "musclecars" were base on the intermediate car lines.

But tell me, what does your dad call an L78 396/375 '69 Nova?

The argument for a Mustang being a "muscle" car is not so difficult.  It started life as a family sedan AKA the Ford Falcon that was rebodied.  I remember a friend had 65 and was upset when the center cover on the steering wheel came unglued and there was a Falcon badge under it. The chassis and drive train were all Falcon as were a lot of other parts like the steering column and wheel.  To further complicate matters, later on it was converted back to a family sedan in the form of the Maverick.  Pony cars were in most peoples eyes a sub category of "Muscle cars".

I guess this is kind of my whole thought on the subject.

Definitions are a funny thing when nothing is written in stone.

Who's to say what a muscle car is if there's not even agreement on whether or not a Camaro or a Mustang is a muscle car.

 

I'll call the Honda a muscle car the same day I see the local biker gangs riding rice burners.

I don't give a lot of weight to what the "local biker gangs" are riding.

Not my policy to pay much attention to thieves & thugs.

 

Steve

[Jon Haigwood]

Muscle Car: big block V8 intermediate size car

Pony Car : small block V8 (then) compact car

Tuner: Little cars with "fart pipes

Edited April 29, 2017 by Jon Haigwood

[MeatMan]

One word; No!

[Jon Haigwood]

Be thankful that they chose the term "Pony car" from the Mustang. If they were to be accurate the Barracuda is the first actual "pony" car and they should be called the "fish car"

[Ace-Garageguy]

Be thankful that they chose the term "Pony car" from the Mustang. If they were to be accurate the Barracuda is the first actual "pony" car and they should be called the "fish car"

Hmmmmm...it would be interesting to see the argument ensuing over what a REAL "fish car" is...

              

                                   

 

Edited April 29, 2017 by Ace-Garageguy