Muscle cars started to show more power in the early 1960s, but this 1963 Chevy Biscayne represented the last year that Chevrolet officially supported racing. In 1964, General Motors ceased involvement in racing along with Chrysler and Ford. That did not stop some of the designers from building cars for the street with some muscle that was not overly promoted in advertising. Acceleration was improving, but stopping was developing proportionately in some of the high-performance models.
American Motors Muscle Cars Front Disc Brake Offerings
AMC AMX 1968–1970: The “Go Package” option included front disc brakes starting in 1968.
AMC Javelin 1967–1974: The “Go Package” option included front disc brakes starting in 1968.
AMC Matador 1970–1975: The “Go Package” option included front disc brakes starting in 1970.
Rambler Rebel 1957–1960/1966–1967: Drum brakes were standard in all years. ■
A 1974 AMC Javelin is shown here. The AMC Javelin was manufactured and marketed by AMC across two different generations in the peak of the muscle car era: 1968–1970 and 1971–1974. The Javelin was popular in drag racing and SCCA Trans Am series. (Photo Courtesy Power AutoMedia)
A Brief History of Muscle Cars
Merriam-Webster defines a muscle car as “any of a group of American-made two-door sports cars with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving.” For our purposes, a muscle car is an American-made, two-door midsize or full-size car with a V-8 engine that is built for four or more passengers, was originally designed for street use, and was sold at an affordable price for younger buyers.
Almost every serious automotive historian considers the 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 the first true muscle car. Using its new overhead valve V-8 in a lighter body that was designed for a 6-cylinder, Oldsmobile broke new ground in automotive design.
The fledgling NASCAR series was becoming the testing ground for midsize and full-size late-model cars. In the second year of the Grand National Series, the 1949/1950 Olds Rocket 88 won 10 times out of the 19 races held. A 1949 Lincoln won the first two races, a 1950 Mercury won twice, a new Ford won once, and Plymouth won four races. It didn’t take long for the car companies to realize that car sales for a model went up after winning an event. “Win on Sunday and sell on Monday” became the mantra. The new Oldsmobile even won the inaugural Carrera Panamericana.
Other manufacturers scrambled to duplicate Oldsmobile’s success, using the same game plan: a powerful engine in a light body. Most carmakers brought out limited- and special-edition cars to demonstrate their capabilities on the track. Oldsmobile maintained its dominance in 1951 before giving way to the Hudson Hornet in 1952. It wasn’t until 1955, when Chrysler brought out its C-300, that a true purpose-built muscle car hit the market. Chrysler was not shy about advertising its Hemi-powered family car as “America’s Most Powerful Car.”
Rambler, in an effort to battle with the Big Three, debuted its popular Rebel sedan. The Rebel was lightning quick for its time; when it was equipped with the optional Bendix electronic fuel injection (EFI), the Rebel sedan was recorded faster from a standing start than the 1957 Chevrolet Corvette with its mechanical fuel injection. Up to the early 1960s, the powerful muscle cars from Detroit had not developed enough power that the conventional drum braking systems were overwhelmed yet. That was soon to change.
Vintage drum brake systems and reproduction drum brake systems are still very popular with hot rodders and street rodders. These groups seldom drive their vehicles and certainly don’t risk their safety with modern highway speeds in crowded traffic.
General Motors Muscle Cars Front Disc Brake Offerings
Here is a 1970 Pontiac GTO 455. The Pontiac GTO was the third best-selling intermediate muscle car for the year and the era. There were only six GTOs ordered with the 1970-only D-Port 455 HO 360-hp package.
Buick Skylark 1961–1972: Power brakes were offered in 1953.
Chevrolet Camaro 1967–1975: Front disc brakes were optional starting in 1967. Front disc brakes were standard on SS models from 1968.
Chevrolet Chevelle 1964–1975: Front disc brakes were optional starting in 1967. Front disc brakes were standard in 1973.
Chevrolet Chevy II / Nova 1961–1975: Power brakes were offered in 1968. Front disc brakes were optional on the 1968 Nova SS and standard in 1969. All Novas had standard front disc brakes in 1975.
Chevrolet El Camino 1964–1975: Front disc brakes were optional starting in 1967 and standard in 1973.
Chevrolet Impala 1957–1975: Power brakes were offered in 1961. Optional front disc brakes started in 1969.
Chevrolet Malibu 1964–1975: Optional front disc brakes started in 1967.
Chevrolet Monte Carlo 1970–1975: Front disc brakes were standard from 1970.
Oldsmobile 88 1949–1975: Power brakes were offered in 1953. Front disc brakes were optional in 1967 and standard in 1971.
Oldsmobile 442 1964–1975: Optional front disc brakes started in 1967.
Oldsmobile Cutlass 1961–1975: Optional front disc brakes started in 1967 and were standard in 1973.
Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme 1965–1975: Optional front disc brakes started in 1967 and were standard in 1973.
Pontiac Bonneville 1958–1972: Front disc brakes became standard in 1971.
Pontiac Grand Prix 1962–1972: Power brakes were offered in 1963. Optional front disc brakes started in 1967 and were standard in 1971.
Pontiac GTO 1964–1974: Optional front disc brakes started in 1967.
Pontiac LeMans 1964–1974: Optional front disc brakes started in 1967.
Pontiac Tempest 1961–1970: Optional front disc brakes started in 1967. ■
The Golden Era of Muscle Cars
As performance in automobiles grew, so did the popularity. While General Motors attempted to remain true to the racing ban, Dodge, Plymouth, Chrysler, and Ford began to battle it out on tracks across the land. However, things were about to change, as Chevrolet introduced the Super Sport (SS) option on the 1961 Impala. Along with the monstrous 409-ci engine, the package included tires, suspension, upgraded power brakes, and metallic brake linings.
The turning point came in 1964 when the GM floodgates opened. Buick, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac entered their own purpose-built muscle cars, sliding them past GM’s brass by labeling the upgrades as heavy-duty and not high-performance. The self-imposed ban was on racing, not street performance, so the new (and younger) designers and managers in the GM automotive divisions took advantage of street enthusiasts’ passion and built cars for them. GM’s standing rule of limiting economy and midsize cars to 330 ci was dramatically pushed beyond the line by John DeLorean, then president of the Pontiac division, with the Pontiac GTO.
John DeLorean’s Pontiac GTO was a game changer in the muscle car era.