THE MUSCLE car by definition
The Muscle Car Wars
Mid-Sized Muscle was basically defined by General Motors (GM)
early on because they created and owned the marketing.
We should understand that it started as, and still is, more of a marketing story than a performance story.
Full-sized cars, for the most part could perform with the mid-sized cars due to their larger engines and in some way the
availability of more performance parts. How do we define it –and who got left out?
Mid-Size Specification Range
Wheelbase: 112-116 inches
Weight: 3200- 3600 lbs.
Power: 380-400 CID V-8 / 320-380 HP.
Visibility: The visual keys were badging or trim unique to the model and the following needed to
be available options: Sport wheels, bucket seats, and a 4-speed transmission.
NOTE: Full-size cars with 120+ wheelbase, weighing over 4000 lbs. and including 420-440 CID V-8s were not considered part of the class – but from
1968 on they were lumped in. In the 1964-67 era, many of these cars may have exceeded the performance of mid-sized muscle.
The Forces at War – Setting the Stage
1949 to 1959 – “Gotta have a V-8”
Before we get into this “war” we recommend that you view our article, The Horsepower Wars. In it, we give background for what happened prior to 1964. Essentially, from 1949 through 1955, if you didn’t have an OHV V-8, as a brand or a manufacturer, you were dead. (Some latecomers to the V-8 war waited too long – and indeed died). In the 50s, the V-8 was the major subject of advertising – and it was a key element in attracting buyers.
Everyone touted the power of their V-8s. Chevrolet shouted loud and long about their Fuel Injected Engine.
The Audience prior to 1964
Until the 60s, marketing was aimed
at the “mature” audience of buyers, those over 35 with income sufficient income to buy a new car – and until 1960, all cars were big and expensive cars. But in the late 50s three things happened that skewed that audience, and they are critical in understanding why the muscle car, as most people define it, existed at all.
Note above who is driving the car – a 30 year old plus man with a wife and child. This was the target audience.
What Happened and What Changed?
Three major factors occurred between 1957 and 1964.
Without these incidents, the car we’re talking about may never exist!
These opened the door to the mid-size performance car we call the “Muscle Car”.
Factor 1 – The Huge Recession from 1957-1961
Starting in 1957, there was a huge recession, perhaps the largest since the Depression of the 1930s. Car sales cratered, and the results were devastating. Sales of the Big Three plummeted to such a degree that Olds and Pontiac were almost merged, DeSoto was dumped, the Edsel submerged, and Packard and Hudson died.
What came out of that debacle was the manufacturers’ recognition that people did not have the cash to buy traditional cars. Seeing the success of American Motors, and the Rambler in that period, they reacted. Starting in 1959 the manufacturers designed and then released in 1960 what were called “compact” cars – small, and cheap to buy and to operate: Corvair, Falcon, Valiant. These cars saved the Big Three. The mid-size car, as we know it beginning in 1964, did not exist. What was called a mid-size car were basically slightly larger compacts.
Factor 2 – New Level of Consumer
One of the things that came out of WWII ‘boomers’ – people born during and after the war who began to join the workforce and get higher paid jobs – beginning in the early 60s. They arrived in the era of the compact car and small mid-size cars. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see that this market needed to be exploited. They were called “the youth market”.
Factor 3 – GM’s Racing Ban
GM’s ban of factory racing efforts in 1963 chopped away that traditional venue as a marketing ploy – the old “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday” (let’s call it WSSM). Beginning in mid-1963 WSSM was taboo for any GM brand – even Corvette!
While Chrysler and Ford could tout their wins in NASCAR and at the drag strip, Chevrolet and Pontiac could not – a huge dent in the audience they sold too – young adults and auto enthusiasts.
It’s late 1963…
The stage is somewhat set, the 1964 cars are about to be finalized.
What was each manufacturer doing – thinking about this new “youth market”.
Where will the advertising dollars go?
Chrysler
Chrysler products were not impacted by the racing ban, and they were all in on both drag racing and circle tracks. They saw sales to adults would be based on WSSM. Their entire car lines were focused on their full size “sports” cars: Fury, D-500, and Chrysler 300. Advertising featured big engines, hot cams, multiple carbs, etc. Meanwhile, with the success of Valiant they were thinking the youth market wanted small sporty cars and the Barracuda was in the works.
From their point of view, want hefty performance? Get out your wallet – buy a full size car with a 383 or 426 and go get it.
Ford
See Chrysler. All the same factors were in play – lots of money spent on circle track racing and trying to get after Mopar with lightweight Galaxies – and soon the “Thunderbolt” Fairlane at the drag strip. WSSM was where all their ad money went.
But secretly, their answer to the youth market would be the Lee Iaccoca Mustang, due to bow in April of 1964
General Motors
For Chevrolet and Pontiac, the racing ban literally pulled the rug out from under their young adult and youth marketing program. GM was committed to WSSM right up until the end at mid-1963. Z-11 Impalas, Super Duty Catalinas, Chevy’s “Mystery” canted valve 427, and Pontiac’s 421 HO Grand Prix were all aimed at the more affluent buyers.
Prior to the ban, GM’s efforts at the youth market was to be circled around the Chevy II and their soon to be released and exciting new full-frame mid-sized car. But part of the problem was fall out from the racing ban – GM overreacted and limited them to engines no larger than 340 CID.
1964 Opens – Here we go GTO!
Ford had covered their plans really well, introducing the Mustang I “small” sporty car
in 1962-63. Since Pontiac had no entry in that field, and since their big cars were not
going to attract the youth market, their product planning and advertising would be about the mid-size car.
Enter John DeLorean and Jim Wangers of Pontiac Marketing
Back in 1963, the X body mid-size Pontiac Tempest had been hotted up with all sorts of power plants from ½ V-8s all the way to a 280 horsepower 326 CID V-8 block. They were exciting and sold well, but the new mid-size car would be their attack point for the youth market. Chevrolet didn’t even have a mid-size car before 1964, relying on their Chevy II (Nova) to attract younger buyers.
For Pontiac, irksome was the limitation of the 326 280 HP V-8 in the soon to be released new true mid-sized Tempest. With that motor, it would be destroyed by a 421 HO engined Catalina. How to increase performance buyers from the youth market with this setup was a conundrum. Rather than beating the 326 to death speed equipment that would make the car too finicky to sell – they decided install the 389 high performance V-8 in the car and make it an “option” but call it a special model – the “GTO” and skirt GM’s CID ban. The rest – and the car – the GTO – is history.
The battle begins
The GTO is a smash Hit, with 32,450 sold! There may be no Mustang in the stable,
but for mid-size sales at 32,450 – this was 15% of Pontiac’s production
and would pave the way for a 400 CID limit on V-8s in GM mid-size cars.
While GTO is gestating, Oldsmobile takes a different approach. Their new Cutlass already has the brand new 330 CID “Rocket” V-8. At 290 HP it is perky, but with some tweaks it belts out 310 HP. Coupled with their excellent Olds-only Police suspension, the “442” emerges.
Only 2,999 are sold, but the journalistic raves abound as its performance falls in line with that of the single 4-barrel Pontiac GTO.
The Early War – It’s GM Against GM
Ford is happy with the Mustang; Chrysler has released the Hemi, and they can’t figure out why no one is buying the Barracuda.
The Muscle Car War in 1964-65 was a battle – but between Buick, Olds and Pontiac with Chevy hamstrung until the Mark IV big block arrived.
It was a civil war – among GM, with each brand trying to add excitement to their mid-sized sales.
In 1965 it ramps up, with the Chevy SS with the Z-16, Pontiac with the GTO ram air, Olds with the new 400 CID 442, and Buick arriving with the Gran Sport. GM was battling it out – and suddenly Ford and Chrysler took notice of all the publicity and advertising.
The onlookers at Ford and Chrysler saw that GM’s total mid-sized sales were astounding. In 1965 Pontiac sold 359 thousand Tempests, of which 27% were Tempest GTOs! This was versus Plymouth’s Belvedere/Satellite sales of 159 thousand total! Over at Ford, where next year’s Fairlane would be close in size and price, only 224 thousand ‘65s were sold!
Who didn’t get much mention – or were excluded in the 1964-65 period
Chrysler Corporation
Surprisingly, Plymouth and Dodge were excluded, not because of their performance but because they were perceived as full size cars. In actuality, this was a marketing decision on the part of Chrysler Corporation, who did not “get” the market in this early period. Fact: Plymouth was truly a mid-sized car with a wheelbase of 116”, and Dodge fell just above, with a 119” wheelbase. They both were also lighter than full size cars due to their unit body construction – falling in the weight class of mid-sized muscle.
As a further surprise, they offered brutal 426 CID street engines https://over-drive-magazine.com/2023/12/13/1958-1964-mopar-b-and-rb-wedge-performance-growth/ and their 383 CID V-8 had comparable performance to other 4-barrel muscle cars of the period. Here’s a comparative road test of the 426 https://over-drive-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1964-03-CL-1964-Dodge-Polara-426-4spd-Convt-Test-1-5.pdf
Ford
In 1964-65 Ford was stuck with a mid-size car that was too narrow to fit an FE Series V-8. See https://over-drive-magazine.com/2023/01/19/ford-fairlane-grows-up-continued/ When they redesigned the car for 1966, room was made for the FE, but Ford seemed to wander into the competition with just one version of the FE. They were distracted by their NASCAR and Drag racing competition with Chrysler and had their focus in these arenas. This hurt, because by 1966 the GM muscle cars had performance options – and Chrysler began to offer the Street Hemi. Ford moved slowly until the arrival of the Cobra Jet in 1968.
The War 1964-67 – Who Won?
We’d have to say it was a tie on on publicity between Pontiac and Olds, on race results almost the same, and on sales – Pontiac by a wide margin. Ford & Chevy were also rans as far as journalistic coverage, and on performance the SS 396 was strong, and the Ford GT was weak. Dodge, and Plymouth had great runners, but were not compared to the mid-sized muscle, even though they should have been.
Chevrolet
For Some reason, Chevrolet did not sponsor the 350-360 HP SS 396 in drag events in 1966 and ’67, and the 375 HP version was bumped up a class by the NHRA, so it did not compete with Pontiac and Olds. But you should see how effective their muscle was. Go to their 1966 Fact Sheet HERE and the ’67 Sheet HERE.
So on to 1968 and forward from there, everyone in the game wised up – and the option lists, advertising, and journalistic coverage increased. We’d have to say it was the time of the real war – and it was “game on”.
COMING NEXT –
IF THERE’S GOING TO BE A REAL WAR,
DID ANYONE WIN?