Unfortunately, drivers never recognized those compact muscle cars as full-fledged members of the muscle car Hall of Fame.It was probably due to the fact they never were as fast or as attractive as their full-size cousins.

Basically, it was a Chevrolet Nova sister model. Today, those last year GTOs generate some attention because they are the last of the breed.

Which one was your favorite? We tested muscle cars with small engines, and we tested them with V-8 monsters.

The International Standard ISO 3833-1977 Road vehicles – Types – Terms and definitions also defines terms for classifying cars. So, keep reading to learn a bit more about this segment. For now, we’ll focus on the Nova, all thanks to a rendering attempting to bring back the badge.The Nova has had its share of highs and lows. Email alerts available. Here are 10 models almost anyone can afford.

However, everybody agrees that the ’74 Ventura GTO is an ugly and slow muscle car with just a famous name.obscure American cars you can still find today. However, in the Pontiac version, the Sunbird had an interesting muscle version the called the Formula with an optional V8 under the hood.The borrowed the name from the Firebird line up because it always marked a model they equipped with a V8 engine. Muscle cars were sold at an affordable price and intended for street use and occasional drag racing. Compact muscle cars were the answer to the growing downsizing and emissions concerns. Corvette, Camaro, Mustang, Hemis and many more. A muscle car is an American term referring to a variety of high-performance automobiles typically classified as domestic 2-door cars with rear-wheel drive and powerful V8 engines designed for high-performance driving.

Some drivers still wish you could find some of them among the.Pontiac downsized the once-mighty GTO from a separate model to only a trim line option for the 1974 Pontiac Ventura.

And the 1970 model year was the paramount year for the classic muscle car period.But just five years after, all the legendary models were gone. Although they faced many The Ford Mustang is a perfect example of a pony car, and widely Most Camaros will cost you in the range of $400,000 in an auction for a car that is fully restored and ready to hit the roads. It is a compact, front-wheel-drive hatchback Chevrolet produced from 1980 to 1985. The compact muscle car class included those performance models they built on the smallest platforms from Detroit. This car was a fine line between an American hot hatch and compact muscle car since it featured aspects […] 1983 to 87 Dodge Charger Even though the Charger from the late ’70s was a lame, slow car that threatened to kill the muscle car reputation of the glorious late ’60s and early ’70s, Dodge felt the name deserved another chance. But to be perfectly precise, the Malaise Era is the decade between 1973 and 1983. Despite the relative success of the smaller Trans Am/Firebird line, the GTO just wasn’t popular enough to justify the investment into a separate model. Unfortunately, drivers never recognized those compact muscle cars as full-fledged members of the muscle car Hall of Fame. All they did was slap some decals on an economy model and add a 5.7-liter V8 engine pumping out a measly 200 HP.Pontiac experienced slow sales for the GTO line for a few years. And despite the relative success of the smaller Trans Am/Firebird line, the GTO just wasn’t popular enough to justify investing in a separate model. [1] This is the infamous, “Dark Age of American Cars.” And this was when the performance market was killed due to the strict safety and environmental standards.During those forgettable years, domestic car manufacturers fought a tough battle between their buyer’s expectations, their foreign competitors and the growing governmental restrictions.