
Opinions vary on exactly when the muscle car era began. Some believe this time period got underway with the 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88, while others feel that true muscle cars sprang to life starting in the mid 1960s after the Pontiac GTO hit the streets. Regardless, it all went south when the 1-2 punch of an OPEC-strangled nation that couldn’t afford to fill up their thirsty machines was also fighting against choked-out engines defeated by new emissions regulations.
Muscle cars, as we know them, faded into the setting sun. Funny thing about the sun though, is that it always rises again.
We’ve entered a new era of muscle machines, and they’re not just two-door, straight-line all-stars. In fact, modern muscle cars aren’t even stuck in the box of being a purely American or Australian notion. For example, Mercedes-Benz is building ridiculously powerful two and four-door vehicles that growl more aggressively than anything Detroit ever rolled out.
Still, the idea of the muscle car is a concept that is American at its core. A great classic example is the original Dodge Charger. Like other muscle cars, it too lost its way as we marched into the future. The damn thing eventually came back to life with four doors. That first-generation modern Charger did a major disservice to the legacy behind the moniker. Chrysler is looking to right that wrong, and the automaker is hoping to accomplish this with the 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8.
It still has four doors… but it might just be modern muscle done right.
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