The 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 and 1964 Pontiac GTO are generally regarded as the first American muscle cars. The era they spawned saw many other carmakers strap powerful V8 engines onto a lightweight chassis in an effort to make driving more enjoyable. The muscle car era fizzled when environmental regulations and corporate average fuel economy standards emerged in the early and mid ’70s. Many European manufacturers heard the siren song of beefy V8s and used U.S.-made motors in their
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