Muscle Cars Making A Comeback?

With the inception of the fifth generation Ford Mustang the muscle car industry came back into vogue. Will it stick around? For years the muscle car has been symbolic of bad boys and street racing which lends them a romantic perception that is hard to deny.

Ford Mustang

2005 showed us a newly redesigned body style reminiscent of the popular 1960's models, thus we gazed upon the first all new Mustang in 26 years. Believe it or not there was a point where Ford considered ending the proud Mustang reign by castrating the pony and reintroducing it as a fuel efficient 4 cylinder pony. Mustang enthusiasts banded together to let Ford know what a mistake that would be and prevailed in keeping the Mustang studly.

Even the interior of the Mustang has a retro feel, with chrome accents and a steering wheel that looks suspiciously like it doesn't contain the safety of an airbag, (even though it does). The back seat boosts more headroom than ever before allowing you to put passengers back there without earning enemies.

Bottom line, the Ford Mustang has always been a sex symbol in it's own right, the 5th generation keeps all its sex appeal and ads some cool back into the mix as well.

Dodge Charger

It's claim to fame being the 1969 model used on the Dukes of Hazzard as The General Lee, the Dodge Charger is the quintessential muscle car.

In 2006 Dodge reinvented the model name with a strikingly retro looking car themselves. The newest Charger is only available in a four door sedan model which may slow some muscle car enthusiasts down. Many of the fans of the two door charger were disappointed to find that the Charger was not introduced as Dodge's answer to Ford's Mustang.

However the law enforcement seems to disagree, and when Dodge introduced their police version of the Charger in 2006 they found their customer base. From right coast to left Chargers are catching up to speeders and pulling them over on highways. This alone says good things about the speed and agility of this snub nosed sedan. Dodge promises to come up with other options to race with the Ford pony.

Pontiac GTO

The GTO has long been loved for its speed and sheer muscle appearance. Until the more recent models turned it into a family sedan type of car. It's most recent re-launch was in 2003, prior to the well received, 60's-inspired design phase.

It's redevelopment has met with unenthusiastic reviews, mainly due to aesthetics. Many fans feel that the boring body style is not fitting of a vehicle with such a rich history and that it's performance is the only jazzy part of the vehicle.

So poorly received was the newest GTO that production ground to a halt, the American market was simply not impressed. With the muscle car becoming a popular item recently, Ford and Dodge managed to earn the market. This does not mean that the Pontiac GTO is dead, in fact rumor has it that in 2009 we may see a fully redesigned GTO, hopefully extending the life of the muscle car craze.

Frankly it's delightful that the youth directed muscle car culture has made its way into fashion again. Engines are being made more fuel efficient, allowing drivers to feel better about pressing (or stomping) on their gas pedals.