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Automakers
Revive Classic
Muscle Cars
While the Chevrolet Cor-
vette and Ford Mustang have
been in continuous produc-
tion for decades , other popu-
lar American muscle cars of
the '60s and '70s are being
brought back to life with a
modern twist.
Pontiac began the trend
with its 2004 GTO, a modern
incarnation of the popular car
from the '60s that is often de-
scribed as the first true mus-
cle car. Ford followed r
with its 2005 Ford GT, .-:¦¦¦¦ ¦- . .» mm _»___ Jr-Ss
automatically deactivates four
of the cylinders when extra
power is not needed , such as
when cruising on the highway.
As a result, Chevrolet esti-
mates highway fuel economy
of at least 30 miles per gallon.
For the Dodge Challenger
concept , designers worked
to create a vehicle that was
reminiscent of the initial 1970
model, only better.
"Instead of merely recreat-
ing that car, the designers
endeavored to build a Chal-
lenger most people see in
their mind's eye - a vehicle
without the imperfections
like the old car's tucked-un-
der wheels, long front over-
hang and imperfect fits ," said
Tom Tremont , Vice President
of Advance Vehicle Design.
"We wanted the concept
car to evoke all those sweet
memories ... everything you
thought the Challenger was,
and more."
Six inches longer and two
inches wider, the Challenger
concept has an aggres-
sive look accented /%
by Dodge 's signature <-*/
¦
¦ . . . ¦¦. mm ___¦ ¦__ urn ¦
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crossbar grille and four, deep-
ly-recessed headlamps. The
four-seater is a true two-door
hardtop, lacking a support pil-
lar at the side window. Inside,
the Challenger features a
black interior with satin silver
and orange accents. High-tech
gauges include a computer
that logs top overall speed as
well as quarter-mile times and
speeds.
While neither the Chevrolet
Camaro or Dodge Challenger
concept cars were confirmed
for production at press time,
several of these modern
muscle cars are available at
dealers now. Cars such as the
Dodge Charger, Ford Mus-
tang and Pontiac GTO fall
in the low end of the muscle
car spectrum with starting
prices in the $20,000 to $30,000
range. The heavyweights of
the muscle car world will run
you a bit more. The Chevrolet
Corvette Z06 start s at about
$65,000, while the limited-pro-
duction Ford GT is priced at
around $150,000.
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508-775-3049 • 1-800-439-3049
www.tracyvw.com
The renewed interest in modern muscle cars has meant
an increase in popularity of the classic muscle cars of the
I '60s and '70s. Hagerty Insurance , the leading insurer of
collector vehicles, has seen a 175 percent increase in the
number of muscle cars it has insured since 2000. Hagerty's
2005 Collector Hobby survey revealed that the surge in
popularity is at least partially due to automakers trend to
transform these classics into modern muscle.
"Car lovers are still in love with the cars of their youth
and the automakers are listening," says McKeel Hagerty,
CEO.
This trend
has also
meant an
increase
in value.
Hagerty
has seen an
89 percent
increase in
value in classic muscle cars it insures since 2000. Prices at
auctions also reflect the trend. At the 2006 Barrett-Jack-
son Scottsdale auction, the largest collector car auction in
the U.S., many classic Camaros, Challengers, Chargers and
GTOs were bringing over $100,000. Auction prices for the
1969 Chevrolet Camaro, for example, ranged from $52,380
to $221,400.
© 2006,Tara Baukus Mello,All Rights Reserved.
Popularity of
classic cars
increases