From the article: Obama's CAFE Ruling Has Many Pondering Mustang's Future
Would you buy a Mustang if it was only available with a V-6 or 4-cylinder engine? Do new CAFE standards signal the end of the American muscle car? Tell Us What You Think
energy required to move the mass
- I work in a service department and I can safely say from over 30 years in my field that anything can be a gas guzzler. My daughter's Cobalt gets mid 30s while my full size pickup is lucky to get 20. But drive that Cobalt at 80-90 mph and it drops down to just over 20 mpg. Back in '77 I had a customer with a full sized pickup with a 454 V-8 which he claimed he got 15-17 mpg while another one with a 305 got less than 10. Well, the guy with the big engine drove 60 while the nimrod with the 305 had his foot in the radiator all the time. It doesn't matter what you drive or how big the engine is, drive like an idiot and you're going to pay. The same applies to muscle cars. My '68 Mustang GT with 390 averaged the upper teens unless I opened all four barrels. And all this talk about Hybrids. Nothing is said about the cost of replacing the batteries. You'll have to second mortgage your house, my friend.
- —gearheadsinc
Its really about the style!
- The Mustang I fell in love with at the '64 World's Fair was all about style. Long hood, short back,in short, cool looks. All the "muscle" stuff came much later. I hope Ford focuses on a car with the same dimensions as the original car powered by a diesel, gasoline w/turbo, hybrid or whatever else that can work within those limits, then it's all good. My 69 428CJ was a rarity. I'm willing to bet the vast majority of Stangs sold even today are with more economical engines.
- —Guest Island Don
1975 is back
- We thought the muscle car was dead back in 1975 with the Arab oil embargo and the advent of the catalytic converter. Muscle cars may take a hiatus but they will not go down without a "fight". Look at the horsepower that some of today's four and six-cylinder engines produce, especially if turbo-charging and supercharging come into play. Some people may like the off-the-line thrust that a modern, cleaner-burning diesel can do. No matter, some will want their muscle cars, regardless of their downside. Muscle cars may take a hiatus, but thanks to technology and inginuity, they will take on a different form. Can someone document fuel mileage of an early-1970's Boss Mustang versus its modern counterpart? I think I would be able to rest my case.
- —pupdaddy
Farewell and Goodbye
- For those of us who were teenagers when cars first started flexing their muscle on the road and on the track, we would probably say that the thrill would be gone behind the wheel of a four cylinder marque that was once known as a mean machine. If automakers are smart, they won't try to market a muscle car that has no muscle. That's like putting Woody Allen in Hollywood muscle suit...he's an icon that may look buff, but underneath he's still a skinny little man. So buy your muscle now ‘cause it will be the next rare classic.
- —Guest Classic Car Guides
Yes Muscle cars are here to stay.
- I have two responses. In regards to the person who feels a shorter hood and a raspy little engine can replace a v8, you are wrong. I have yet to find any small motor give the mellow deep tone of a V8 performance engine. In regards to if muscle cars are going to stay or go? I believe you will see limited special production of top muscle cars. As we do learn to build Performance Electric motors, we will see a shift from v8 powered muscle cars to Electric powered muscle cars that will do even more. After all with no need for a gear shifting tranny, an electric performance car should just fly!
- —Guest David
Change of Design
- The problem is these cars will have an enormous empty hood and a raspy engine that will appear diminutive by scale. I believe the future enticement of muscle cars will remain by keeping the classic American width, style, interior volume, but changing the profile by chopping the chassis to shorten the hood length by 12" or so; thereby giving people the perception they are getting what they paid for. And obviously with k-pipe exhaust, a smaller engine can sound very menacing. Simple if you ask me.
- —Guest Archytype
