ALT-1 Muscle Cars Making a Comeback
A comeback is making a re-appearance after an absence. Muscle cars are and have been present since they initially rolled of the assembly lines in the 60's and 70's. Muscle car lovers around the world have kept the dream alive and well. How can muscle cars make a comeback when they never left the scene?
Some major car manufacturers have tried to cash in on this love of classic muscle cars by bringing back names like the GTO, Challenger, and others. With the addition of retro styling and some modern emissions choked horsepower the attempt is obvious. These cars were aimed at the muscle loving consumer.
Can this be considered a comeback? I suppose to some it could. To a true muscle car lover, it is anything but. It could be considered a demonstration of corporate greed and marketing techniques. It could even be considered a compliment, as imitation is said to be the sincerest form of flattery. But a comeback? I think not.
Ford has had some success with the 21st century Mustang. As modern cars go, the Stang is a nice sports car. Always the Johnny come lately, Dodge re-introduced a Challenger line in 2008, with rumors of the Hemi engine returning by 2010. There isn't anything wrong with these cars. They're sporty, their fast, but they are not muscle cars.
Once a muscle car lover, always a muscle car lover. I am one of untold thousands of people who have a muscle car in the garage. My '69 Lemans ragtop isn't original. A fully original '69 Pontiac with matching VIN numbers doesn't happen to be in my price range. I don't love her any less because of this. That fact only matters for insurance purposes and re-sale value. Sell her? Never!
My '69 is just like me. We've been around awhile. Some of our parts aren't what they used to be. We need a little more maintenance than we used to. Another thing we have in common; you can't slap my name on another and re-create me.
A muscle car is more than a name. A muscle car is more than a car. It was an era and it's over. Muscle cars can't be duplicated any more than having cosmetic surgery or hair transplants are going to allow a person to be transported back to their youth. Speaking for all muscle car lovers we don't want a retro-styled 2005 GTO. Sorry guys, that isn't a muscle car just because you called it a GTO.
Muscle cars will continue to live on in the hearts and garages of muscle car lovers everywhere, just as they have for the last 3 or 4 decades. Muscle cars aren't making a comeback, they never left.
