The non-muscle American car thread (READ THE OP)

  • Thread starter The87Dodge
  • 1,522 comments
  • 114,710 views

In your opinion, which country makes the best looking cars?


  • Total voters
    195
ch1014-195883_8@2x.jpg
Um, is the F-Body a muscle car, a pony car, or neither?
 
To me, it's a pony car, which isn't a muscle car, but the Firehawk itself is awful close to a sports car.
When I look in the first post at the examples of cars the OP said aren’t allowed, there are pony cars. You may be technically correct that pony cars aren’t muscle cars, but they really aren’t in the spirit of the thread.
 
Last edited:
When I look in the first post at the examples of cars the OP said aren’t allowed, there are pony cars. You may be technically correct that pony cars aren’t muscle cars, but they really aren’t in the spirit of the thread.
But then the "guidelines" in the first post were set by someone trying to appease those who thought the hot rods and muscle cars thread was sufficient for those wanting to post American cars, and who, following the creation of the thread, absolutely lost it trying to convince others of the greatness of the Dodge Spirit R/T before eventually getting banned from the forum.

Above all else, this is a thread for American cars. Some American cars aren't hot rods. Some American cars aren't muscle cars. Cars that aren't hot rods or muscle cars don't belong in the hot rods and muscle cars thread whether they're American or not. I have an appreciation for hot rods and muscle cars and I have no qualms about posting hot rods and muscle cars in the appropriate thread, as I believe I have demonstrated, but I also have an appreciation for American cars that aren't hot rods and muscle cars.

To my mind, a Firebird is no more a muscle car than a Parisienne or Aztek is. I'm going to continue posting American cars that I don't consider to be hot rods or muscle cars in this thread, while posting hot rods and muscle cars that may or may not actually be American in the other thread, and anyone who takes issue with what I post based on what I think is a reasonable definition can treat it as an opportunity for personal growth and try to get over it.

...

x8a0183-hdr-1531853977440@2x.jpg
x8a0071-hdr-1531854105030@2x.jpg
img0571-1530121834314@2x.jpg
 
OP also said you aren't allowed to post Corvettes (which haven't been anything like "muscle cars" since the early 70s); and almost immediately posted a rebadged Mitsubishi Eclipse, said European Ford models also fit this thread along with Acura and Infiniti models, posted a rebadged Mazda hatchback and then a car made in Ireland developed by Lotus.




Perhaps the wills of the OP who was pretty consistently clueless about anything he talked about aren't terribly relevant at this point.
 
Last edited:
Speaking of all of this muscle car or non muscle car talk, maybe the OP should be redone or something to define what qualifies here. Obviously not done by the actual person that started the thread since well; that guy is kinda gone.

With that said, I always saw pony cars as a sub-category of muscle cars as they're often lumped in with muscle cars by most people. Plus, they can been seen doing muscle car things such as doing 1/4 mile drag racing. Of course, people have often abused the term muscle car by calling anything American with a big engine a muscle car including even a Dodge Viper. Personally, if we start including pony cars in this thread; that's fine by me. That just gives me an excuse to post Mustangs. :P
 
Yeah, Grandeur Motor Coach did those longnose Sevilles. I like a bustleback, but I prefer that treatment (I don't much care for it, if I'm honest, and that's despite my appreciation for the neoclassicals of that era) on the previous generation. The bustleback itself wasn't very well resolved as they moved the backlight forward and there's an awkward ledge at the base of it before the bustle. Plus the previous generation had a shorter front overhang (largely by virtue of it not being FWD) and that provided a better foundation for the stretch.
 
Last edited:
Loving the DeSotos!

GM might have hit perfection with the Tri-Fives but you just can’t beat Mopar fins. Check out the ‘59 Fury’s:
 

Attachments

  • CEE67E43-4787-4187-B785-B796C5721BC2.jpeg
    CEE67E43-4787-4187-B785-B796C5721BC2.jpeg
    99.8 KB · Views: 13
  • 48EE9726-3556-4D2E-BF3A-BCCD92DEF543.jpeg
    48EE9726-3556-4D2E-BF3A-BCCD92DEF543.jpeg
    90.3 KB · Views: 13
I believe Desoto only made 4-door hardtops for the final six years of their existence.
They made other models in the final years such as this Firedome wagon here as well as convertibles:
upload_2020-12-1_20-33-3.jpeg


Some other celebratory Desotos:
upload_2020-12-1_20-38-32.jpeg

1928 DeSoto Special Racer

upload_2020-12-1_20-47-46.jpeg

1933 DeSoto 3-window Coupe

upload_2020-12-1_20-40-31.jpeg

1936 DeSoto Airflow Coupe

upload_2020-12-1_20-43-52.jpeg

1942 DeSoto Custom with “Airfoil” hidden headlamps
 
Last edited:
I desperately want a higher resolution shot of this.

1971PlymouthDuster_01_700.jpg


I love the sharktooth grills on '71-2 340s and Twisters, the orange stripe on black is quirky (as is the orange interior), the raised orange letter BFGs are...weird...but acceptable given that they're wrapped around Motor Wheel Spyders with cast aluminum centers and steel hoops. The wheels appear to be 14s rather than the rarer 15-inchers, but still.

I'm in love with this car.
 
Agreed the Duster was a fabulous car. And the strips. Not GM pin striping, but some solid decals.

Is that a vinyl roof? Or just a a chrome trim piece on the C pillar?
 
Agreed the Duster was a fabulous car. And the strips. Not GM pin striping, but some solid decals.

Is that a vinyl roof? Or just a a chrome trim piece on the C pillar?
Vinyl. A painted roof car wouldn't have trim there.

I actually prefer the '73-4 striping to the '70-2, but the sharktooth was gone at that point and that's a priority.

[Edit] Here's the later striping:

622684.jpg


Longhorn colors are a plus.

Edit (again): Ma Mopar really missed an opportunity by not offering the A-body coupes in a hardtop. The roofline is perfect for it. I get that a hardtop is more expensive to build and the coupes were intended to be a step above the post sedans, with the hardtop Dart (and the later Valiant Scamp) slotted above, and so they went with popouts, but it's a pity.
 
Last edited:
I wish there was about half a foot less trunk on the Duster. The front overhangs were so clean and tidy compared to most other US cars at the time that it almost seems (daresay) BMW-esque; but then the trunk appears just as long as on the Road Runner. It's something the contemporary Nova did better (at least before the Dukes of Hazzard Bad Guy Model debuted). It really makes it stand out against the perfect proportions on the Barracuda, which had slightly more front overhang but way less on the rear.
 
Last edited:
Isn't the Magnum a muscle car? It shares a platform with the Charger and Road Runner and it--

:lol:
 
Isn't the Magnum a muscle car? It shares a platform with the Charger and Road Runner and it--

:lol:
To be honest, I’m not sure. :embarrassed::indiff:
It goes back to personal opinion. Many will tell you their version of what a muscle car should be and I won’t argue with them because they may very well be correct.
 
Last edited:
To be honest, I’m not sure. :embarrassed::indiff:
It goes back to personal opinion. Many will tell you their version of what a muscle car should be and I won’t argue with them because they may very well be correct.
It was a joke. I deliberately cut it off abruptly as though I couldn't finish saying it with a straight face.

Those last B-bodies are pretty solidly malaise. Even in GT trim, the Magnum had a 400 V8 with something like 200hp in top spec.

Frankly I have a really hard time pegging anything after '72 as a muscle car no matter the vehicle class or specification.
 
Back