No...not in a strict sense, obviously you could check the correct boxes and outfit a full-size Galaxie with a very potent combination. That combination could and would run with the pack, but it still wasn't a capital "M" "Muscle car".

The generally accepted definition of a muscle car is one which was sold as a more or less separate model, with high performance options already optioned, as part of the package. That package was big block, of 380 - 400 ci, body was mid-size (or smaller) body, 2dr hardtop or sedan, with few non-performance options. The idea was to sell cheap perfomance.

After the fact, many cars are being re-defined as muscle cars, based on performance. But that wasn't the criteria of the original genre.

Many of us who have an optioned out Galaxie, factory , clone or modified, have shown the way home to many a traditional "Muscle car", but I doubt if a full-size car...even with a large motor fits the definition of a "Muscle car", they were too expensive, had to be special ordered and were not sold off the dealer floor or from dealer stock.

If you want to call your Galaxie a muscle car, that's up to you, but expect to be called on it ... often. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Prior to the start of muscle cars...usually defined by sale of the 64 GTO, there were quite a few performance sedans the Chrysler "Letter" sedans, supercharged 312 Fords/FI Chevy's from the 50's, but speed was mostly a rich mans game. The Duesenburgs from the 30's and of course the factory big blocks, lightweight and "FX"s of the 60's were very capable, fast cars...but were not usually unavailable to the average guy on the street.

Even if he could get one, the price was high and availablity was limited. We all owe some debt to grass-roots hot rodding and tinkering, NASCAR and drag racing as the catalyst for bringing about affordable performance cars in this country. Even the Europeans own some debt...all they had were sports cars, mostly with dinky engines, at the lower end or high maintenace Ferrari, Jaguar and Mercedes at the upper end. It took Americans to show the way to fast afforable cars.

Where Europe was messing with finicky engines equipped with multi-valves, mechanical fuel injection, overhead cams, multiple speed gear boxes...US car makers took a page fromt he "big book of everything"... page one "There Ain't No substitute for Cubic inches"! The simple fact is that no matter what you can do to make a powerful small engine...you can do to a big engine. Kind of like that concept of x + n = mo' better!
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They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety ... deserve neither liberty nor safety.
-- Benjamin Franklin


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Beoweolf on 7/3/05 11:35am ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: beoweolf on 7/3/05 12:34pm ]</font>