What was the FIRST muscle car?

[ebinmaine 67,633]

This question came up on my Google feed this morning accompanied by this article. Scroll down after clicking on the link to see the comments that people are posting.

 

https://journal.classiccars.com/2022/10/03/question-of-the-day-what-is-the-first-muscle-car/

 

 

 

To you? What is the first muscle car?

 

 

 

[Snoopy11 5,714]

 

 

Don

Edited October 11, 2022 by Snoopy11

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

Without reading the article, many would say the '64 Goat.

 

I can think of a few that predate it though.

 

 

[Snoopy11 5,714]

9 minutes ago, Jeff-C175 said:

I can think of a few that predate it though.

Well, technically not "fast" in today's language... when I think of really 'original' muscle... I revert to Lunn and Barnes' mustang in '62... but that's mainly because I'm a gINORMOUS mustang nut... and Ford nut in general...

 

EDIT: here's a pi'ture of it that I found...

 

 

WOOOOW... here's a website as well...

 

https://www.supercars.net/blog/1962-ford-mustang-concept/

 

Don

Edited October 11, 2022 by Snoopy11

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

Need to define 'muscle car' though... and the respondents to that article correctly identified the '64 GTO as the first 'Muscle Car' since Pontiac actually coined the term.  There were fast cars before that, but they were not 'muscle cars' by definition.

 

Snoop... I may have posted these before, since you like da Mustangs... these two Polaroids (remember those?) are the only evidence that exist that I owned a '67 Shelby Mustang GT-500.

Yes, that's me giving you the finger!  I think I might have been about your age at the time... what was that?  40 plus years ago?  LOL!

 

 

 

 

[Snoopy11 5,714]

10 minutes ago, Jeff-C175 said:

Yes, that's me giving you the finger!

OH that ain't nothin'

 

I ticked off a guy in an older red Chevy pickup the other day. We have a road coming from Columbus that merges from 2 lanes to 1 lane. He had no intention of letting me merge. I was in the Ranger and I muscled in front of Mr. Chevy... screaming past him.

 

The finger wasn't enough... he had to stick his whole arm straight out of the open driver's window with the finger...

 

BTW, Jeff... I just lost half of my bodily fluids drooling over that mustang...

 

Don

Edited October 11, 2022 by Snoopy11

[cafoose 3,355]

 

[ebinmaine 67,633]

Given a loose definition of muscle car as something where you would put a larger engine into a midsize car there are those that would say it had been done by Oldsmobile in the late 40s but I can't remember how.  

 

There are also those that would put the late 50s Corvette into that category but I think of that more as a road car or touring car or GT car. 

 

The first thing that popped into my head was maybe a Chevy with a 409 but of course those are full size cars.

Similar vintage. Buick Olds Pontiac with a 421.

 

Mopar? Early hemi?

[cafoose 3,355]

 

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

1 minute ago, ebinmaine said:

Early hemi?

 

Several of the respondents cited the 1955 Chrysler 300, but again, that was a full size car.  I had a buddy that owned one, I think it was an early 60s model and if I recall, it had the "S" designation in the model number.  It had some torque!  But because it was so heavy, not so fast off the line.  My '69 340S Barracuda kicked it's ass out to about 1/8 mile.  But then, he tooted his horn for the passin' lane, and I hadda pull over and let him by.

 

[pacer 3,173]

No doubt most of you guys have a particular car (vehicle?) that you'd give most anything to have never gotten rid of it, or still had it (how bout it @Jeff-C175 bet that'd apply to you!) This is my regret.....

 

Heres my first "muscle car" '48 ford coupe, bought for $100 and at 16yrs old (1956) I shortly had a chevy 265 (is that right, 265?, been a long time ago?) with the 3 deuces, mild cam and headers and --- I cant believe it now, but I put that thing in by myself!

 

Oh, by the way that is the future Mrs Pace with her beautiful 'pony tail' that all the other girls coveted. Lost that sweet thing 2 yrs ago to MS, had her for 62yrs tho.....

 

 

[peter lena 8,634]

@ebinmaine , probably the  early GTO,S , there were a lot of cars out there to challenge that , Pontiacs  were not  known for their durability , oil starved engine breakage , due to plastic covered timing chain gears , chunking off and starving the oil pump suction  area with plastic debris. the super duty engines changed that , for me the 63 1/2  glass nosed ford galaxy , was the absolute killer, big block  was built for  street war , that was a 12 second car , the gto,s  , were high 13,s low 14,s sec cars . guy in new London ,ct bought one from , HOLMAN / MOODY , down south , that was the cruise missal of the day , gto,s would line up  with $ 100 , that ford stomped  every one of them . scary  that was over 60 years ago , glad I saw it , pete     

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

7 minutes ago, pacer said:

bet that'd apply to you!

 

Yes'n'no.

 

I 'converted' that car into a house, which I still have and likely worth more than the car would have been, so all was not lost.

 

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

5 minutes ago, peter lena said:

gto,s  , were high 13,s low 14,s sec cars

 

A friend had a 65 with the 389 tri-power that ran 12s all day long with street tires.  With slicks, about a half second faster.

 

If a Goat couldn't at least make high 12s, there was something wrong with it, or the driver.

 

[SylvanLakeWH 25,600]

True “Muscle” car:

 

 

Never under how that back wheel stayed on… 

 

[lynnmor 7,308]

18 minutes ago, peter lena said:

@ebinmaine the gto,s  , were high 13,s low 14,s sec cars .  pete     

 

I agree, they needed help if they were to get out of the 14's.  Saw plenty of them in the rear view mirrors of my 4-4-2's.

[8ntruck 7,017]

My initial reaction is the Oldsmobile J3 of the 50's. 

 

Modern era, I'll go with the 1964 389 GTO - big engine in a mid size car.

[AMC RULES 37,130]

[CCW 1,297]

Ford Pinto 

[JoeM 7,874]

32 Ford V 8 

[squonk 41,156]

GTO.  First Big engine in a mid size car from the factory. John Delorean creation

 

• 1964 Pontiac GTO was initially offered as an option package on Pontiac Tempest LeMans.
• The car is considered as the very first muscle car. Essentially, it is the first one to coin the concept of high-performance, low –cost muscle cars.
• While a maximum of 5000 sales were expected, total sales of 1964 Pontiac GTO summed up to 32,450 units. The car was a success beyond imagination and expectations.

https://www.musclecarfacts.com/pontiac-gto/71-1964-gto/

Edited October 11, 2022 by squonk

[ebinmaine 67,633]

@AMC RULES whassat??

 

@CCWmaybe not so much from the factory but with a VERY ambitious 351W shoehorned in there.... Yyyeeeaaahhh.   

 

 

@cafoose didn't the 'vette have an injected engine around then?

Or was it not til 63, 64?

 

[cafoose 3,355]

25 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

didn't the 'vette have an injected engine around then?

Or was it not til 63, 64?

https://www.hagerty.com/media/auctions/for-the-first-time-the-corvette-that-introduced-fuel-injection-to-gm-heads-to-auction/

[Rick3478 428]

I vote for the flathead Ford roadster.  There were other powerful cars

at the time, but Henry F. put speed within reach of the masses.

 

The term "muscle car" wasn't invented yet, but I'd argue that all

the requisite parts were there in full bloom.

[lynnmor 7,308]

3 hours ago, 8ntruck said:

My initial reaction is the Oldsmobile J3 of the 50's. 

 

Modern era, I'll go with the 1964 389 GTO - big engine in a mid size car.

I think you meant J2.