The demise of the muscle car...?

[MosportGreen66]

Let’s get a good sticky discussion going on here guys...

What caused the demise of the muscle car?

Soaring gas prices and the major gas crisis?

Increasing insurance prices that lead to a decrease in consumer demand?

The increase in pollution and smog in major cities causing new technologies to installed on cars?

I'm curious to see if any period magazines reported the change in performance or decrease in sales?

Does anyone have the Super Stock and Drag Ill. from 1972 (I think) where they ask the question, "Is the Super Car Dead?" The article has a second generation Camaro on it (a purple ish color) and it’s on a field with people around it -- Sort of a grave yard theme. Someone should post it up!

Anyone else know of any publications that reported the downfall of the hi-po car?

This should be interested...

-Dan

[427TJ]

I think the insurance companies led the charge through the mid to late '60s, followed by the onset of state and then federal pollution control regulations, and then the 1973 gas crisis helped nail the coffin lid closed.

[kwhizz]

Depending when your "Time" was, we got Spoiled with the pre-smog days when pollution control was the addition of a PCV valve, and when the Smog stuff came on the cars, air pumps, Vapor cannisters, TCS etc, it just wasn't the same.......Then the Insurance Issues,and finally the Gas Crunch.........Nowdays it seems that the Pollution stuff is worth it's weight in Gold.......My $.02

Ken http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/flag.gif

[mr396]

Low compression. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

[SBR]

[ QUOTE ]
Low compression. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

[/ QUOTE ] Which was required with the cleaner and lower octane unleaded gasoline.

[joey]

babby boom no money for fast cars just milk money http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/scholar.gif

[indyjps]

didnt live it but i think the emissions and gas prices combined. when the factory went to low compression it killed the performance, then came all the landua kits, focus on handling instead of straight line perf. and luxury to make up the difference.

[ANDY M]

Thank Nationwide Insurance Co. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif
They decided, based upon statistics they kept, that they weren't on your side when it came to HiPo cars. Too many wrecks, too many tickets, too many lawsuits. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif
Life comes at you fast. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif
The other insurance companies all followed soon after.
High risk=low profits. The price of insurance was often as much or more than the monthly payment, and unless you were in the higher income brackets, the reality of economics took first position.
The baby boomers who bought these cars also got into the family mode, as attested to many times by members of this site who retired their rides.
The van craze of the 70's also contributed, because trucks had different emission rules that were much easier to skirt. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/flag.gif
You could still tweek a truck with a small block, and there were other things you could do with a van... http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif
I am sure there were other things, but I forget what they were, or was, or whatever. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif

[Canucklehead]

With the demise of the muscle car also brought the covertable to an end. I could understand that the insurance companies killed that for safety reasons, but why was it ok to bring them back?. Are they really any safer or was there another reason why they were axed?

[ANDY M]

They just weren't selling.

[firstgenaddict]

12% interest on Housing + High Oil Prices + Jimmy Carter = The late 70's. All of this led to a general Pessimism about the state of the World and led to less spending on the "fun" things.

[Kim_Howie]

The #1 demise was several sentors and congressmen. Tree huggers about polution. The big three had to lower compression and meet federal standards. Remember the late 70's cars had so much smog items that if you tuned it to factory specs. It wouldn't fr%#@*& start!!!! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif

[Kim_Howie]

Where did you get 12% int. I paid 19 during that time!!!!

[70-SS/RS-L78]

My 70 SS-L78 sat on the dealer’s lot for over a year, It was sold a few times but they either couldn’t get insurance or the
premiums were just out of site. The original owner of my car came up with the bright idea to put it in his wife’s name. As
a matter of fact it is still in her name. My guess would be the government and insurance companies put an end to the
muscle car of the 60’s and early 70’s… It seemed like every week you heard about another person or friend dying in one
of these cars back then, not unlike today with the inexperienced drivers behind the wheel of a Viper or Corvette. Back
then they were affordable and extremely popular and everybody had one, much like the Rice Cars of today, Hears a scary
thought, Picture these Rice Drivers in Big Block Camaro’s, Cuda’s, and Mustangs http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/no.gifhttp://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/no.gif

[TimG]

I bought out a collection of old car magazines in the early 90's and I've purged anything that was published after 1975. I have most of the major magazines and as you get into the 1972 to 1975 era, there are lots of interesting articles about the death of the muscle car. I personally remember it being a sad time as I was in high school and the muscle car era was ending just as I was getting my license. Some articles are right on about the future of muscle cars. Found a great article about a Baldwin Motion Phase III 1973 L88 Chevelle over the weekend and another great article about Hory Chevrolet and their LT1 Vega conversions.

[Seattle Sam]

[ QUOTE ]
Found a great article about a Baldwin Motion Phase III 1973 L88 Chevelle over the weekend

[/ QUOTE ]

Was it this car? Kevin Suydam's 1973 B-M 427 Chevelle (http://corvettes-musclecars.com/cgi-bin/emAlbum.cgi?c=show_image;p=1973%20Baldwin%20Motion %20Phase%20III%20427%20Chevelle;i=1)

[Mr70]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v669/Rick_Peters/69grille0001.jpg

[TimG]

Sam, same car..........

[MosportGreen66]

Thats it Rick... Do you have the whole article?

[joey]

maybe all this adds up to why so many muscle cars are showing up with unbelievable low mileage

[Pantera]

Talk about guys getting killed or seriously injured in these cars is true. I remember one local guy with a new 66 350hp 327 Nova SS, that totaled his car because Chev had not yet retrofited the rearend with a U-bolt and the entire rearend twisted out of the car when he hit 3rd. The driveshaft caught the pavment and rolled his new car up in a ball. The driver was never the same. Wheelchair for the rest of his life. I am sure that GM paid dearly for that one and I have heard of others that were about the same result. It doesn't take too many things like this happening to scuttle the HP movement as far as the car companys were concerned. That is not good for sales.

Pantera
http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif

[nuch_ss396]

You know something?

This forum makes me think alot about the days of old. I had
all but forgotten these issues about people dying in their
high-powered cars. Personally, I can think of 3 situations
I knew about growing up: 440 Challenger, W-30 442, Z/28

All died in very bad high speed crashes back in the mid
1970's. You just got used to hearing about it and shook
your head. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/no.gif

I tend to agree that the law suits probably got the big
three looking for a way off of the train ride.

Steve

[Stingerhood]

Go to your local Pontiac dealer and pick out a LS2 six-speed
GTO. Take it for a good test drive and ask yourself again
DEMISE OF THE MUSCLE CAR ? http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/burnout.gif

[Rick H]

[ QUOTE ]
Go to your local Pontiac dealer and pick out a LS2 six-speed
GTO. Take it for a good test drive and ask yourself again
DEMISE OF THE MUSCLE CAR ? http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/burnout.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Trust me when I tell you it's not the same.

Rick H.