The Death Of The Muscle Car My First Case
Below is a MRR and PLR article in category Vehicles -> subcategory Cars.
The Death of the Muscle Car: My First Case
Summary:
How did muscle cars, once the epitome of affordable power, lose their vigor so rapidly? What led to their decline? Though I'm no detective, I had to uncover this mystery.
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Back in the 70s, muscle cars slowly vanished, leaving their legacy of horsepower behind. This is the story of their decline.
During the muscle car era, power was paramount. Whether it was a sports car, family vehicle, or pickup, they all boasted the largest V-8 engines. Cubic inches reigned supreme, and advertised power was staggering, allowing these cars to outpace anything on the road.
Then, suddenly, horsepower plummeted.
Take my favorite, the Ford Mustang. The macho models packed V-8s, while the modest ones carried an inline six. In 1969/70, the largest six delivered 155 hp from 200 cubic inches.
And the V-8s? The 1970's 351 engine offered 300 hp, while the 1968 427 engine roared at 390 hp. By 1973, however, the most potent Mustang had a 351 V-8 with only 156 hp?"almost half the power of 1970, just one horsepower more than that six-cylinder engine!
This trend affected all manufacturers. What was going on?
Following the advice of my detective mentor, Agatha Christie, I knew not to trust appearances. The death of the muscle car wasn't murder, but the truth was obscured by outside forces.
So, I dug deeper.
Salesmanship played a role. Power was everything, so why not skew figures in a sales-friendly manner? Gross SAE horsepower ratings did just that, measuring power at the flywheel without energy-draining accessories.
In 1972, more realistic SAE Net measurements were adopted. This method considered all accessories, including emission controls and the full exhaust system. While not directly comparable to Gross SAE, SAE Net commonly showed a 20% decrease in power ratings. In 1973, tighter emission controls reduced horsepower further.
Some manufacturers even exaggerated their horsepower in brochures to boost sales.
Young car enthusiasts weren’t the only ones noticing these power plays?"so did safety regulators and insurance companies. Insuring these powerful machines became costly. Rumor had it that in 1967, a young man under 25 with a clean record paid $700 a year to insure a GTO.
By 1971, muscle cars began to tone down. Engines were detuned and larger engines phased out. By 1973, they were mere shadows of their former selves.
The final blow came with the late 1973 oil crisis. Long gas lines, soaring prices, and a national 55 mph speed limit turned these gas guzzlers into expensive, unwanted dinosaurs, fun notwithstanding.
And so, the mystery of the missing horsepower was unraveled. Exaggerated figures initially boosted the numbers, realistic measurements corrected them, emission controls further reduced them, and high insurance costs made raw power unaffordable. The oil crisis sealed the muscle car's fate.
Case solved.
You can find the original non-AI version of this article here: The Death Of The Muscle Car My First Case.
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