Why are American cars called Muscle Cars?
A two-door, rear-wheel-drive car with a high-powered V8 engine, created between 1960 and 1970, is collectively called a “muscle car” in the United States. Never mind the handling, it is simply a big power, fast, straight-line leader. The word “muscle” (muscular) is probably used to describe this muscularity and fierceness. The Plymouth “Road Runner” introduced here was the antithesis of those vehicles that were too expensive at the time and were unleashed on the world at an inexpensive price setting so that even the young could afford it.
I was in my 20s when I fell in love with Mitsubishi and AMC Jeeps
The mainstream participants in the Senomoto Grand Prix 2024, held on May 5, 2024, at the Senomoto Highlands in Aso County, Kumamoto Prefecture, were domestic cars. Next were European and American cars in about equal numbers. Among them, the large Plymouth “Road Runner,” with an overall length of over 5 meters, was a conspicuous presence at the event.
The owner of the Road Runner is Kenichiro Ono. He looks somewhat like a certain popular celebrity, and it was impressive to see him standing side by side with his beloved car.
“I love this square, large body shape and the round-eyed, four-light design in it. I’ve been looking for over 10 years and finally got it about 2 years ago.”
“In a similar era, the Dodge Challenger and Charger also have the look I like, but I wanted to drive a car that would be as unmistakable as possible.
Mr. Ono’s big dream was a Dodge Coronet. He had a friend living in the U.S. look for one for him, but the local price skyrocketed as the value of the vehicle rose. In addition, the price fluctuation in Japan was also changing dramatically, so he gave up the idea of importing the car from the US. We looked for a Road Runner in Japan, a sibling of the Dodge and Chrysler family with a so-called “B-body” configuration, and found a store in the Kanto area that specializes in American cars that had a vehicle for sale on consignment. As a result, he purchased the vehicle.
translated by DeepL
