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Muscle: America's Legendary Performance Cars

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  • List Price: $50.00
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  • Studio: Motorbooks
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  • Avg. Customer Rating: 5 Stars
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Product Details

Editorial Reviews

Product Description: In the 1960s three incendiary ingredients — developing V-8 engine technology, a culture consumed by the need for speed, and 75 million baby boomers entering the auto market — exploded in the form of the factory muscle car. The resulting vehicles, brutal machines unlike any the world had seen before or will ever see again, defined the sex, drugs, and rock & roll generation.

Muscle: America’s Legendary Performance Cars chronicles this tumultuous period of American history through the primary tool Americans use to define themselves: their automobiles. From the street-racing hot rod culture that emerged following World War II through the new breed of muscle cars emerging from Detroit today, this book brings to life the history of American muscle. Featuring exquisite photography of classic muscle cars by top photographer David Newhardt and a text that pulls no punches, Muscle: America’s Legendary Performance Cars is the definitive muscle car history.

Customer Reviews

 
Fantastic musclecar book - especially for a Hemi fan
Reviewer: Einjerhar , Date of review: May 25, 2010
Avg. Customer Rating: 4 Stars

The contents of the book take one back to the very beginning of the street racing scene during post-war America. It only gets better as you turn each page. A must have for a gear-head of any brand - Ford, GM, or Mopar. The author does sem to favor the 426 Hemi as his favorite engine; he doesn't come right out and tell you, but you will get the picture not even a fourth of the way into the book. The only issue that I had while reading my book cover to cover was the cheap build of the binding/spine. The glue separated from the spine and looks awful now. Keep in mind that I do not bend the ever-living-daylights out of my paperbacks when reading, in fact I take great care NOT to crease them. This book however, was not built to quality standards. Do not let this detract from the plethora of hisory and horsepower within the pages of this book. Enjoy.
These cars are SSSSSMOKIN' hot in mythic proportions of appeal for the driver on the road driving!
Reviewer: Peppercorn (sydney australia), Date of review: March 10, 2010
Avg. Customer Rating: 5 Stars
This book is an embodiment of an era where cars were cars they were full of muscle and speed. In the 60's baby boomers had an obsession and need for speed that exploded in the form of factory muscled cars. Muscle cars were what distinguished post war boomers to a new generation that wanted what they wanted and got it. Muscle chronicles this tumultuous period with absolute truth. The automobile was what was used to define one's self esteem in driving and this book depicts that period of baby boomers cars within it in absoulte detailed perfection. From street racing to hot rod racing through to the new breed of muscle cars this book brings to life the history of American muscle cars. Exquisite photography and exact text that transports your mind into an era that was really sssmoking!!hot! A must read for anyone with a serious passion in muscle car history this book captures that essence in significance of that era. These cars started a revolution in driving for racing car drivers and marque collectors alike of models that continues today, these cars dating back 40 odd years are as treasured and as valued as they are today. They reignite the passion in the need for speed within the vibrancy of the art that has made their mind and bodys transform into the model,s they produced. These cars were fast, loud and so thunderously good looking they defined the driver for what he was and they also defined a generation of baby boomers in that they started a revolution in what was to become a war of design and speed.As the mask would say from the (1994) fantasy comedy movie they are SSSSSMOKIN'hot in mythic proportions of appeal for the driver on the road driving.
Best muscle car book for beginners
Reviewer: Vajda Botond (Banska Bystrica, Slovakia), Date of review: August 29, 2009
Avg. Customer Rating: 5 Stars
I just get into muscle cars a few years ago, and I ordered this book as a reference book. It was a good decision, I learnt so many new things from this book...
I definately recommend it to any beginner, or even advanced muscle can fan.
A modern muscle fan's take
Reviewer: Abdulla (Abu Dhabi, UAE), Date of review: March 21, 2009
Avg. Customer Rating: 5 Stars
I own the middle easts fastest modern Charger, 2006 (a custom built 409 making 565 hp) and I also own a holden WM branded as a Caprice Impala SS, 2009 model (6.0 liter, 362 hp)

This book is amazing, it gives someone as passionate as myself with modern muscle, and of my age (I am 27) the ability to learn how this love started, how each company and model came into play in what makes my passion today, and adds to the understanding of how important these cars were to later models, not just in terms of power, rawness, and performance, but also in technologies.

The content is good, not the best, but good, and very good for someone who wasnt even born back then. The pictures are amazing, and the story telling style is excellent.

I proudly display this book in my office (at a bank) where my clients and I often talk cars. That helps bridge into me trying to sell them a car loan!

5 stars. Truly a great book.
Great overall muscle car book
Reviewer: PK (NH, USA), Date of review: September 30, 2008
Avg. Customer Rating: 5 Stars

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

I was looking for a book to go through all the muscle cars of the era and found it with this book. It covers all the makes and the major changes through the years. Beautiful pictures. Because it covers so many cars, it doesn't go into details for each one. So if you want to know which engines and colors were available for a 1969 Chevelle, it won't tell you.