BARGAIN MUSCLE CARS

The evolution of affordable performance

- MATT BOYD

Throughout most of the 1950s, as America’s economy boomed, the auto industry’s fortunes soared right along with it. Record-setting sales numbers were accompanied by a growing consumer appetite for larger, more stylish, more feature-laden cars that projected prosperity. Domestic manufacturers were happy to ride that wave of success; advances in engine technology and the proliferation of large, powerful V8s meant that performance became a luxury commodity—available to customers who could afford the premium it commanded. But as the decade drew on the economy started to soften. In 1957 car sales slowed as recession loomed; just about the time the ‘58 models started arriving at dealerships, the bottom fell out. Many of those big, extravagant models now sat unclaimed on dealer lots. Execs at the Big Three realized they had been focusing too much on the narrow (if highly profitable) upscale market segment and had conceded economy-minded buyers to the imports and off-brand domestics like American Motors and Studebaker, leaving themselves more vulnerable to the economic downturn. In response, each of the Big Three immediately began developing new economy-oriented compact platforms which arrived virtually simultaneously for the 1960 model year.

To no one’s surprise, this new generation of affordable small cars emphasized frugality over performance. Chevrolet, Ford, and Plymouth all came to market with compact models starting at around $2000. They employed unibody construction to save weight and limited themselves to small, fuel-efficient engines with 6-cylinder power as the top option. None of the initial crop of economy cars offered a V8 option except the AMC Rebel and Studebaker Lark, but that would soon change…

AMC