The New Musclecars Wars?
 

I'm not talking Mustangs, Camaros, and Challengers. No I'm talking about the Focus/Fiesta, Dart, and Spark. These are all cheap hatches that can carry people, junk in the trunk (pun intended) and carry decent hp numbers. Of course I'm biased towards the Focus/Fiesta ST (i've followed the ones in Europe since I can remember) but gosh how can you argue with 250+ hp from a four banger. Heck Mazda's 3 speed is another good example. I'm just throwing it out there in case i'm not the only one who has thought of this.

I think these little cars can be quite fun, but the concept is def not new, Chrysler had had them since the 80's and I'm sure others did as well. If anyone cares, the Shelby dodges can be quite fun and they had the 225HP 4 banger R/t's back in 1991, though they were not cheap at the time. As long as these newer cars are done right, it's a win win, IMO.

I'm not sure I would call them muscle cars. Maybe of the younger generation that never drove of rode in a care like a 69 Road Runner with a 426 Hemi, or a Ford with a 427 FE motor, or a Chevy with a 427 or 454. When you were pushed back into your sit by torque that you couldn't pull yourself forward if you life depended on it.
Those were muscle cars. Here was one from the day.
Craig

Well that's why I said new. I completely understand what a musclecar is, but some of these little hatchbacks are freaking fast. 280 ft-lbs of torque of a turbo four in the Mazda 3speed is a good example. Thats an fun little car there.

meh that's a trailer queen. When you look back at what cars in the 60s ran in the 1/4 mile and what cars today run, I'm sure glad they don't build them like they used to.

As noted these 250 hp cars are cranking out 1/4 mile times equal to or faster than muscle cars of the past while being, safer, more fuel efficient, reliable and generally more economical.

I have to say pulling the doors off of a "muscle" car in an mildly modded Escalade if pretty fun in my book.

While I like that they're bring back small, decently powered cars, first, I'm glad that the engineering dept seems to have finally won over marketing and shown that efficiency doesn't mean weak, second, the old muscle cars looked better.

These days they all look like cousins or something. I am glad the styling is better than the late 90s tho, everything looked the same. I figured that by now the only real differences in the car would be a Ford powerplant vs a Chevy powerplant.

Thursday while getting a haircut I was reading a Road and Track article that featured a road test between the Focu ST and the VW GTI. The VW ultimately won over the judges but Ford gained some respect from a non modified showroom Focus.

I think that article was rigged a little bit. I dont things such as "interior quality" should be rated in a performance test. And if I remember correctly the gti had like 40 more horse than the us version would have

The car you posted isn't even a muscle car, it's an A/FX altered wheelbase drag car.

Don't get me wrong I'm a huge muscle car fan, my last one was a '69 Skylark with a built 455, TH-400, Chevy 12 bolt posi with 3.36 gears. Massive torque in that car but it couldn't turn or stop, got 8-10 mpg and was very, very basic in almost every area.

I sold it in the early 90s and miss it to this day and one day I will own another.

But, the current hot hatches are very quick (drive one if you don't believe it), they handle like go-karts, they have great HVAC systems, stereos and get good mileage at the same time.

The hot hatch is more of a Pony car though, cars like the Mustang (amusingly the original pony car), Camaro and Challenger are the new Muscle cars.

-Steve

speaking of muscle cars,holy hell!! 350 hp 4 cyl mustang!! 2015 Mustang: Four-cylinder in, Shelby out?

I am of the opinion that after 40 some years of technology improvements landing people on the moon, rovers on mars, transplanting hearts lungs guts and faces, as well as delivering HD porn to handheld devices, our cars had better be better than before. Or else we suck.

that being said, it is interesting to note chevy dodge and ford all had the current muscle car slated for execution until they made them look like the 1969ish version...you know, the version where the young buyers say 'my dad, grandad, uncle had one of these'....

There is something to be said for styling and stare factor that lets the owner of a 1974 Caprice convertible get more driving joy and envious stares than anything ever built by mazda et al.

Personally I find it more enjoyable to look at a mint 66 GTO at a show than being able to buy a new mustang. But then again I also prefer older movies over the kardashians and prefer Cream, Traffic and Deep Purple over anything with 'backup dancers'....

I hear you there.

Ford has decided that the retro thing is over. It is going to be a bit funny to see how that bites them in the arse.

Might not matter, but it looks like the direction Ford wants to go in isn't the one that most Ford fans like, kinda like the SciFi channel turning to Syfy and showing wrasslin.

The new musclecars are more musclecar than the old musclecars ever were. (say that three times fast)

For example, these new cars are faster, quicker, handle better and more fuel efficient than their predecessors were EVER in their best trim.

A new 2013 V-6 Mustang puts more power to the ground than a 1969-1970 mustang I-6 through the 351. The 5.0GT model has more HP than ANY of the ford production model engines offered in a mustang from 1964.5 until now!!!

This isn't just a trait for the ford motor company, but almost all manufacturers. Even Hyundai, being the affordable, eco friendly car maker has a fire breathing, affordable car that can knock the pants off of any musclecar. The Genesis 3.8 V6. This thing has an 8 speed automatic and 348hp. In several tests, pitted against like autos from other manufacturers, the Genesis beat them all in every category (those cars being the v-6 mustang, challenger and camaro). They even have a 1.6L four banger that is 138hp!!! That was unheard of ten years ago. An engine of that size could BARELY make 80 HP in 1990, just imagine how anemic it would have been in 1968.....

European cars are no slouch nowadays either. Audi has several 400+hp V-6 engines cars, and an awd, 560 HP, twin turbo, V8 sedan that could DUST an SRT-8 Challenger or GT/whatever Mustang.

I believe the time is NOW for musclecars. The cars of the 60's and 70's were just a precursor to what we have today.

Sorry these compact and subcompact little fart boxes like the Focus don't do anything for me. I guess too many kids racing around in those obnoxious lowered dung heaps that sound like a duck call on the end of a leaf blower ruined it for me.

The "pony cars" and some others are faster, handle better, ride smoother and etc over the old muscle cars no doubt. However you still don't get the "feel" of an old muscle car or truck. people whom enjoy automobiles will still want the older stuff around because in certain ways they are better than what we have today. I would rather Ford just axe the Mustang than throw in a 4cylinder again.

I'm sorry but a little subcompact and FWD is NOT a muscle car. Just no.