THE TOP FIVE

Take a mid-sized car and put a big engine in it. Give the body two doors, put rear wheel drive in it and lower the price tag. What you got, if manufactured in the United States, was a muscle car. The late ‘60s and early ‘70s saw the American muscle car fascination. Today, movies, car shows and music reflect the phenomena that raged in those years, and many of us dream of owning a muscle car.
When the retro look of cars like the Thunderbird and Mustang became popular earlier this decade, auto companies Dodge and Pontiac resurrected their muscle cars — the Charger and GTO. Fascination with cars will continue in our culture, so I give you the Top Five American muscle cars. If there is even a hint of dispute if the car is a muscle or a Pony it was disqualified; therefore the Camaro, Mustang, Cougar, Barracuda and Firebird were left out.
5. Plymouth Road Runner. Plymouth paid Warner Bros. $50,000 to use the name and likeness of the cartoon character the Road Runner. The Road Runner contained a V8 engine that could be swapped out with a hemi. Don’t confuse this bad boy with Joe Dirt’s GTX. And don’t forget the Beep Beep horn imitating the Road Runner’s call.
4. Chevrolet Chevelle. Debuting in 1964, the Chevelle spawned the Malibu, Monte Carlo and pickup El Camino. Don Yenko, a racecar driver, created his own signature version of the Chevelle, as well as his own versions of Camaro and Nova. These became the Yenko Super Cars.
3. Ford Torino. The popularity of Clint Eastwood’s film Gran Torino bumps this car to number three on the list. Remember that the muscle versions of this car are the high-performance models featuring the more powerful engines. They also have a body style like the two-door models, the hardtop, fastback and convertible also contribute to muscle car status compared to the more conventional models. At one point, Ford used the Torino as its base for Nascar entries.
2. Dodge Charger. Another muscle car used in Nascar, the Charger was popularized by the television program The Dukes of Hazzard. A 1969 Dodge Charger, the General Lee, was emblazoned with a 01 on both doors and a confederate flag on the roof. The movie Bullitt features one of the greatest car chase scenes in film history, and the cars used were a Ford Mustang and a Dodge Charger. In 2006 Dodge released its new version of the Charger.
1. Pontiac GTO. Considered by many to be the first muscle car, the GTO also debuted in 1964. Originally an option package for the Pontiac LeMans, the GTO cost around $4,500. GTO stands for Gran Turismo Omolagato. Like the other muscle cars on the list, the GTO went through a stage where the car acquired the “Coke bottle” look. In 1969, Pontiac produced its ultimate GTO in street performance — The Judge. Originally only available in “Carousel Red,” the 1970 Judge featured the now classic “Orbit Orange” color.