| aby boomers about 'muscle cars' and for sure they | | | | same intensity of popularity, but certainly, the |
| would refer you to various car models like the Ford | | | | vehicles still managed to make their own niche in the |
| Thunderbird, the Buick Skylark Gran Sport and the | | | | British car market. UK car manufacturers came up |
| Chevrolet Malibu SS. | | | | with their own muscle models, which were very |
| Muscle cars are called such because they basically | | | | much under the influence of American muscle cars. |
| have more than the regular and average features of | | | | Vauxhall Firenza and Ford Capri was directly identified |
| normal and conventional cars. Of course, it is logically | | | | with the US muscle car designs. But their popularity in |
| expected that these vehicles are speedier and are | | | | the UK only kicked in the 1980s or more than a |
| more powerful. Experts and car aficionados would | | | | decade after the cars were initially made popular in |
| simply assert that muscle automobiles are not called | | | | the US. |
| as such for nothing. | | | | It may sound odd at first but muscle cars also made |
| In the United States, muscle cars first enjoyed the | | | | its way to rise in South Africa. Chevrolet has been |
| height of their popularity from 1964 to 1972. The US | | | | actively operating in the African country, that's why. |
| car industry in the period was characterized by the | | | | In the country, the car company introduced its Z28 |
| emergence and rise of powerful middle-sized cars | | | | 302 Chevrolet, which was housed in a Vauxhall Viva |
| that truly amazed car buyers. Not only that. During | | | | coupe body. The car model was later on renamed as |
| the period, what Americans loved the most about | | | | Firenza CanAm and was very much identified with |
| muscle cars is the vehicles' affordability. The short era | | | | South Africa. |
| of muscle automobiles prompted major US car | | | | The fame of muscle cars facilitated the rise from |
| manufacturers to come up with the most powerful | | | | oblivion of the Australian car industry. Australian |
| cars Americans ever built and enjoyed. | | | | carmakers Holden, Chrysler Australia and Ford |
| To date, muscle cars can be classified and subdivided | | | | Australia had their own share of the pie amid the |
| into four different types. Muscle automobiles are | | | | popularity of muscle automobiles. |
| classified as American, British, South African and | | | | At about the same time US car companies were |
| Australian. Of course, the concept was first | | | | producing muscle models, Australian counterparts had |
| popularized by US car makers. | | | | their own sets of such vehicles. As a matter of fact, |
| After World War II, US car firms started designing | | | | some of those Australian muscle cars were even |
| and producing powerful middle-sized cars, a strategy | | | | exported to other countries. Among the popular |
| that has been interpreted as a means the car | | | | Australian muscle models ever built and marketed are |
| industry made to bolster consumers' spending for | | | | the Holden Monaro GTS 350, Ford Australia's XR |
| vehicle purchases, which weakened during the onset | | | | Falcon and Chrysler Australia's R/T Valiant Charger. |
| of the war. One of the earliest muscle cars then was | | | | Indeed, going fast is really exciting. During its |
| the American Motors' Rebel sedan. Ford was not left | | | | heydays, muscle cars really surfaced as the biggest |
| behind with its own muscle models, including Mopar | | | | and most interesting innovations in the global car |
| and Thunderbolts. | | | | industry. Compared to modern cars, muscle |
| In the United Kingdom, muscle cars did not have the | | | | automobiles would fall ordinary. |