Detroit tried one last time to introduce small cars to the American public, but this attempt was far less successful than all others before it. GM created the Chevrolet Vega, and Ford had the Pinto. Both cars were available with many accessories and trim options, but both suffered from severe design mistakes. "These cars were poorly made, did not perform well, and were the most dangerous automobiles on the road since Chevrolet introduced its Corvair ten years before." (Gartman, 1994) the failure of the Vega and Pinto secured the upcoming dominance of imports in the small car sector. Detroit's dominance ended, and so did the era of the muscle car.
Conclusion
The enforcement of government emissions standards, combined with the switch to lower octane gasoline eventually lead to the death of the muscle car. Ford had developed a canted-valve 429 big block, for its 71 Mustang, and then dropped the design in 72. Chevy hung on a little longer with its 454, as did Pontiac with its 455 for the 1973 and 74 Trans Am. By the end of the 70s, the big-block muscle car era was over.
These personalized cars are in our midst on the highways and back roads in our cities and towns. A seemingly endless amount of time, effort, and money go into the revitalization and customization that is performed by enthusiasts of muscle cars even today. "Cars will continue to be the objects of our collective affection for generations to come. And like the trends in the fashion industry, enthusiasts will continue to improve upon ordinary vehicles to make living with the automobile a more personal experience." (Wernick, 1994)
In conclusion, I want to add some comments from my neighbor whom I interviewed for this paper. I asked him for his thoughts on the muscle car and how things have changed for the automobile over the years. "Cars have changed. The big, overpowering, gas guzzling V-8s are dead, replaced by smaller, more efficient...
Twenty years ago, you could work on a brand-new car and learn about cars and engines, but now that isn't very true. One, cars are very good and you do not have to work on them very much, and two, without lots of specialized gear, there isn't very much you can do. The car culture that came about in the 1950s and '60s is disappearing. Many people can't even change tires, much less be able to rebuild a carburetor, yet 20 years ago, almost any teenager not only could work on their car, but WANTED to work on cars. Now I see people don't even change their own oil."
I guess some things will never be the same as they were. Muscle cars are something that will always hold a fond place in our memories, but an era we will probably never be able to duplicate. Today, we are more interested in cars that do everything for us and look good at the same time. No longer are we interested in putting that much work into it. But there are still some of those muscle car enthusiasts around today and with them, the era will never quite die.
Bibliography
1. Anselmi, Angelo T., Henry Robert Flood, Jr., and Strother Macminn. Automobile and Culture. Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Publishers. New York, 1984.
2. Gartman, David. Auto Opium - a Social History of American Automobile Design. Routledge. London, 1994.
3. Holls, Dave and Michael Lamm. A Century of Automotive Style. Lamm-Monada Publishing Co. Inc. Stockton, CA 1996.
4. Wernick, Andrew. "Vehicles of Myth: The Shifting Image of the Modern Car." In Signs of Life in the U.S.A. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon (ed.) St. Martins Press. Boston, 1994.
5. Walker, L 1999 "Hydraulic sexuality and hegemonic masculinity: Young working-class men and car culture," in White, R. (ed) Australian youth subcultures: on the margins and in the mainstream. Hobart, Tas: Australian Clearinghouse for Youth Studies, p178-187
