All the rage in the revolutionary years of the 1960's and 1970's were the smaller, more compact vehicles. It's the time during which we saw the first emergence of awareness of our planet, what we were doing to it and the dawn of environmental "green" thinking. Just as a critically ill person becomes well and forgets about his or her life crisis situation, we Americans forget about the energy crunch.
As the 70's gave way to the 80's, we lost sight of burning fossil fuel. The car models became increasingly bigger and more "maxed out" for luxury and status. The comfort and size of your vehicle became more of a status symbol for the wealthier segment, and a bigger car became a coveted item.
Pick up trucks even became more prevalent, and not often for hauling heavy loads. SUV's abound today. Hummers are popular for the elite crowd as a novelty vehicle for those that could afford it as a primary vehicle, or even more often as a secondary vehicle.
Often these big, burly SUV's are simply used to take one, fairly small person to and from work and other social activities, and occasionally to haul a slightly larger load - maybe that of two to three people.
Rarely today do we hear of people carpooling to and from work (gosh, a lot of kids today probably don't even know what carpooling is). Public transportation in small outlying suburbs to major cities nearby is few and far between, making it an impractical way to get to and from work every day.
Only since gas prices have risen in recent times, hovering at or over three dollars in many states and regions, has our attention come back to the "energy crisis" we face today, and that we may even face at a deeper level in the near future.
Now, as it puts our society in a family budget crisis, possibly we wil look for more practical solutions, as well as cleaner burning fuels and options that are healthier for us and our surrounding environment.
Who knows, maybe carpooling and new and improved forms of public transportation will become a focus if this energy crisis continues to show signs of sticking around.
Hopefully the government, whose responsibility it is to respond to public need, will look for mass transit to extend to more far reaching suburbs for more economical and convenient methods to get people to and from work, and to get out and spend money as well, all of which keep our economy moving.
In the bigger picture, the crisis of global warming and emissions of fossil fuels will be brought under better control if we can find alternatives to some of our more earth-cluttering energy materials today.
The scientists of the 60's and 70's had warned us time and time again that the energy crisis we are currently experiencing would happen, and yet we didn't really focus on doing anything about it until it was too late.
Now that we see what this kind of a shortage can do to us, we can only hope our top scientists and government are working on better, more efficient solutions rather than resting on their laurels and waiting for the next big scare.
A muscle car generally describes a car with 2-doors rear wheel drive and normally is mid size. This car has a large and powerful V8 engine and special trim. This trim helps in achieving maximum torque on the streets and in racing competitions. Muscle cars were entirely different from small sport cars.
Muscle cars were called the ?super cars? of the time. They were very popular in racing the quarter mile which was their performance standard.
Some of the popular muscle cars were Chevelle, Camaro, Nova, Road Runner and Cuda.
Among these cars some of the fastest muscle cars were Road Runners, Chevelles and Chargers. These were called family cruisers. The power of these cars lied in their engine design. Men for their transportation used Camaros and Cudas, and initially these cars were sport cars.
The Chrysler line of muscle cars was affectionately called the Mopar muscle car. These Mopar powered cars were a favorite of the muscle car owners because of their sleek design and the famous Hemi engine.
The Chevelle SS line of muscle cars from Chevrolet was also a sleek designed "Super Car" with the huge 454 cubic inch engine it fast became a favorite for muscle car owners.
1969 Road Runner
This car was ranked 3 in muscle car category. This car was able to achieve a speed of 112mph in 12.80 seconds. The engine model used by this car was 440 Six BBL. Horse power of this car was 390 and it came with 4 speed manual transmission.
1970 Cuda
It was 4 in ranking. Performance of this car was quite pleasing and most of the people liked its body style. It achieved a speed of 107mph in 13.10 seconds and its engine type was a 426 Hemi. Horsepower of this car was around 425; it was available in a 4 speed manual.
1970 Chevelle
The 1970 Chevelle ranked number 5 in the muscle car category. It had a strong standard six speed, 454 cubic inch performance engine. These engines had a controlled combustion system and exhaust emission control systems, these emission control systems were quite impressive in performance, they also came with a transmission controlled vacuum spark. This Chevelle SS454 was a powerful car that acquired a speed of 107mph in 13.12 seconds. It came with a 4 speed, 450 hp vehicle with 454LS6 engine.
1969 Camaro
This car was number 6 in ranking when compared to other speedsters. The Camaro that was tested acquired a speed of 100mph in 13.12 seconds. And its engine was 427 ZL1. It came with a 430-horse engine. It also included a 4 speed manual transmission.
1968 and 1969 Charger
A 1968 charger tested at a speed of 105mph and it acquired that speed in 13.50 seconds. The engine in this car was a 426 Hemi and it had an automatic transmission. The Hemi was the engine of choice by these Charger enthusiasts during this time.
Here is a 1969 charger 500 and it was ranked 11 in performance. This car achieved a speed of 109mph in 13.48 seconds. The engine model was a 426 Hemi. The Horsepower of this car was a 425 horse engine. It also included a 4 speed manual transmission.
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