Posted on 08/21/2024 4:15:18 AM PDT by MtnClimber
A long-profitable niche for American car makers has been the all-American muscle car. Low-slung, two door sedans with enormous horsepower, wide tires, aggressive styling and the low rumble of those powerful V-8 engines. There’s nothing quite like them, and they sell for a premium. Ford made the Mustang, Chevy the Camaro, and Dodge, the Charger and Challenger.
They were initially designed to go fast in a straight line, but as technology improved and suspensions became more sophisticated, they began to hold their own on the racetrack as well as the drag strip, and their internal amenities began to rival luxury sedans. Dodge’s 2023 Challenger, available in a variety of models, boasted a beginning price of $32,800. But engines of over 700 horsepower were available, pushing the MSRP to some $99,315. The more horsepower, the higher the price, and prices from $60,000 to $80,000 were demanded for the real muscle cars.
And suddenly, in August of 2022, Dodge announced beginning in the 2024 model year, there would be no low, V-8 rumble, at least not a gasoline-powered rumble. Dodge was going full woke and would henceforth produce only electric powered muscle cars.
We’ve seen American auto manufacturers indulging in economic suicide before. Donald Trump is correct in asserting that going electric vehicle (EV) crazy will destroy union jobs. Union bosses are all in for Kamala Harris. Union workers are all in for Donald Trump. Even as Ford and Chevy are admitting there is no real demand for EVs, and in the face of billions in losses over their EVs, are seriously walking back their EV offerings, Dodge seems determined to convince muscle car customers they don’t really want muscle cars after all.
Muscle car enthusiasts willing to part with nearly $100,000 dollars aren’t going to be satisfied with muscle cars...
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
“Once they came out with the slant six that was the beginning of the end.”
And they finished the job when they started putting the 440 in muscle cars. The 440 big block Mopar came out starting in 1965 and was a 72 cubic inch engine that produces 350 horsepower and 480 lb-ft of torque in its stock form. Buuutttttt, they never found a carburetor that wouldn’t bog when the engine went out at launch. About the closest they came was the Holly three barrel in the late 60’s. But the engine was a dog and they tried like crazy to sell it.
wy69
I had two or three of them. They ran stronger than some of the V8’s of that era. They were reliable and when coupled with a torque- flite transmission they were great.
Americans are like a bunch of Energizer Bunnies driving around all over the place bangin on their drums about savin’ da planet.
Unions are financial support for D’s....union dues are automatic payments.
There’s this jerk who zooms through neighborhoods in my town in his ear-splitting muscle car waking everyone up between 2 and 4 am every Saturday and Sunday morning.
One morning awhile back I was so frustrated and outraged, and unable to go back to sleep, discovered everyone in town hates that car — a whole reddit thread for my town devoted to tracking him and complaining about him.
Then someone posted the link to this Wolves of Glendale song and we all got to laughing at him (”if we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane”). Warning! Funny, if you’re being done out of sleep by one of these jerks, but very NSFW:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cZFhf23SUoQ
At least a straight 6 has perfect primary and secondary balance. Unlike those abortions called V-6s.
Good place to find muscle cars and classics is Cars on line most cheaper the 100k around 35 to 60k good investment.
Oh yes, they are mandated!
There is something called CAFE, Corporate average fuel efficiency.
Passed during the Carter era of fuel shortages.
Basically forcing American car manufacturers to be more fuel efficient.
Since then, the CAFE was raised regularly, forcing manufacturers to abandon V8, now even V6, and eventually get rid of gas altogether.
Limits set by Obama and Biden are impossible to achieve without EV.
Trump cut it down to more reasonable levels, but Biden made it even worse.
To achieve it, car manufacturers have to pay Tesla to include some of Tesla’s in their lineup (sort of).
That’s and only that way Tesla makes money! (with high Tesla prices, unbelievably, Tesla still basically looses money on their cars, but make profits due to these payments)
Now, when everybody makes some EV’s, Tesla profits plummeted!
I soon took the glass packs off of my ‘72 and replacte them with good mufflers. Never missed them. The mild cam I added gave slight overlap and a little lope, just enough. Too much overlap just blows gasoline right through them.
I believe 2020 was the last V6 Sienna. KIA still makes a V6 van, I think.
Yet they still will not allow Diesel over electric hybrids. If they want to cure most of the fuel consumption problem this would do it. It would be a practical and logical compromise.
But they NEVER compromise. It is always from one extreme or the other. Logical compromises are taboo.
fiat emasculated dodge...
I have a 2015 Sienna that is modified from factory, specifically for wheelchair users.
The floor is lowered 4 inches and the roof raised 3 inches.
The VA pays for the adaptive equipment to be added.
The teenage girl across the street growing up had one of those “Mustang II”’s.
RUMORS: RAM IF BEING SOLD TO CHINA.
THE Dodge Brothers ARE rolling in their graves.
Ahhh. The Pinto. Mom had a 1971 brown Pinto. That car sucked.
Carter was elected in ‘76, took office in ‘77.
Those were a gas...
Hyperbole. I loved that motor. Metallic blue Dodge Dart with rubber floors, pie pan hub caps, factory AM radio, vent windows,…
I had a 3 year old 63 valiant, made before the days of factory sporty cars, but I had it fixed up pretty nice. Push button transmission. If you pushed 1 and wound it out, it would give a real loud chirp and lay a little patch when you pushed 2. Even in my careless and insane 16-17 year old hands, I could not kill that motor or transmission.
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