Vintage Cars: history, studebaker golden hawk, power to weight ratio

Question
Dear Mr. Bober

I have a few questions for you.
1.What car started the muscle car era?
2.What muscle car gave you the best bang for your buck?
3.What muscle car was the best one to buy?
4.What muscle car was the most reliable?
5.What do you think started the muscle car era?
6.What muscle car was the most expensive?
7.What muscle car was the most popular?
8.Which car company sold the most muscle cars?
9.What do you think started the muscle car era?
10.What muscle car had the most power?


Thank you for your help

Sincerely,
Cole Wilmarth

Answer
Muscle Cars - my definition would be "big, powerful engine, small body". By that definition, the first muscle car could be considered the pre-war Buick Super - had the larger engine from the top of the line Buick in the Series 40 body. This continued postwar, and was popularized by the 1955 and up Century, which had the Roadmaster engine in the Special body. One could also make a case for the Model 109 Graham Hollywood, which had a supercharged engine worth 124hp in a body weighing less than 3000lbs, the highest power-to-weight ratio of any production car prior to the middle '50s.

However, given the fact that the "muscle car era" begins in either the late '50s or early '60s, I would answer your questions as follows:

1. The 1957 Rambler Rebel, or the 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk. Look at the specs, and you will see that the Rambler has faster acceleration times than ANY production car of that year. The Studebaker had the Packard 352ci High Compression V-8, and a wonderful power-to-weight ratio.

2. Probably the most outstanding value in a muscle car would be the late '60s SS396 Novas - super light body, outrageous power, bare bones price.

3. The answer to this question depends on what your qualification of "BEST" is: Best Value - SS396 Nova, Best Looking - 1968 Charger R/T, Best Performing - 1968 Shelby GT 500KR. All subjective, of course, but those are MY answers.

4. Reliability - back in the day, couldn't do any better than the GM musclecars, top to bottom.

5. See the answer to the first question

6. I don't consider the Corvette to be a "muscle car" - it's in a class by itself. So, as far as Most expensive, I would suggest the early Chrysler 300s, the early Buick Wildcats, the Buick Skylark GS, Charger R/T and of course, the Shelby Mustangs.

7. Probably the Mustangs, the Camaros, and the Malibus.

8. Chevrolet, hands down.

9. As to what started the muscle car era, I think the sales of high-powered cars back in the '50s, (Buick Century, Chrysler 300s, Buick Wildcats, Studebaker Hawk/Avanti/Lark Daytona, etc) showed the car companies that they could add a big price to an existing car model simply by stuffing the largest engine they could find into it. That and $.25 per gallon gasoline!

10. Probably any of the Hemi-powered Chryslers - it is commonly known that the 425hp rating of the "elephant" Street Hemi was WAY under what the engine actually produced; the rating was artificially low in order to reduce the insurance premiums. The 428cid Super Cobra Jet engine probably approached 500hp, as did the SS454 LS6 engines in the '69 - '70 Malibu SS. However, the Hemi was probably closer to 600hp than 500, so it is the champ in my estimation.

These answers will probably ruffle some folks feathers, and they are strictly the opinion of a "pre-war" car nut that grew up during the muscle car era. I personally owned a '67 Olds 442 and a '69 Firebird 400, but my favorite musclecar of all time would have to be the '68 Charger R/T.

Regards,

Dick.