The original muscle car, it's not what you think!

Mention the first muscle car and you will get nominations from the mid '60's. Many experts say it all started with the '64 GTO. I claim they missed it by well over 40 years. I believe the first muscle car was the "sport bodied" 1917 Chevrolet V8 "Chummy Roadster"! 288 cubic inches, dual exhaust. Ever see one? In person? Here's a picture or two. More on my website. All the way at the bottom.

 

There's a fellow down under who has a similar V8 Chevy.

 

saw one this summer in a little museum in Elkhorn Manitoba 1918 Chevrolet

 

here are the pics

 

I often wondered why Chevrolet did not continue to make this motor. Was it plagued with mechanical problems? Was it too powerful for the day? Not enough brakes to stop it, tranny and rear end too weak? Anybody know the story of its demise?

 

I was going to guess Hudson Hornet, never knew a Chevy like this existed. Pretty darn cool!

 

Louis Chevrolet wanted to build higher end cars than what Billy Durant wanted. This was the point of contention between the two and is what caused Louis to get mad and leave.

 

Exactly what I was going to post.

You reading my mind? If so, can you tell me where I put my keys when I got home last night?

 

i always thought the 55 chrysler 300 with 331 hemi dual carbs ...300 hp in a 2dr car....it was a pretty big heavy car though..

 

x2 here

 

They are at our place you didn't make it home last night.

I don't know that I would call the '17 Cheby a "Muscle car" it wasn't really what you would call a production car as production cars go. if you are going to do that you could go back in time and pick any number of old cars that were either one off or nearly one off cars built by the factory.

That said I have seen one of the engines buit not an entire car in person. That '17 Chevy is pretty cool.

 

first thing that came to my mind was the 1949 Olds 88. V8 horsepower in a smaller bodied car. I believe that is the generally accepted definition of a muscle car.

but I sure do like that old Chevy V8 and appreciate the photos. Wish I had one! I would certainly claim it to be the first muscle car.

 

that is awsome. add that to the list of car i must see in person before i pass.

 

36 horsepower......yea right a hot rod.....2X on the Chrysler 300, with the 57 Eldo Barritz as second (2x4) very powerful.

 

Longtime motorsports commentator and writer Tom McCahill was the first person to coin the phrase "American Muscle Car", and he was referring to the 55 Chrysler 300. I like to bring this point up to the GTO minions, most get mad and won't discuss it. 9 years behind the times boys.

 

the first thing that came to mind was the 57 chevy power packed 283 with fuel injection....they would out race a ford flathead!!

 

The 64 GTO was hype advertised just like the Mustang............Other cars of the same basic class that were as fast or faster and cost less,64 Plymouth or Dodge B with a 383-330 4 speed.In fact in 62 when the smaller lighter Mopars came out they were Muscle cars with a 361 3 speed stick or Automatic tranny.Never mind the 413..
A 64 Chevelle with a 327-300 4 speed was pretty fast... Some say the 300 hp was not available in 64,some say it was.
I've read more than once that a well driven 49 Caddy with a 3 speed stick in the lightest model was the first common US car to reach 0-60 in less than 12 seconds and do 100 mph.
But it seems Vettes were always the fastest.late 50's Vettes with 4.11's and the 270 carb 283 or fuelie could run off 14 second 1/4 mile times.

 

First "production" muscle car? Duesenberg SJ, or Marmon Sixteen. Yes, they were expensive...

 

My vote has always been the '54 Buick Century:
They took the smallest body in the company (the Special, which came with a 264-inch 2bbl, backed by auto or weak 3spd manual), and fitted it with the biggest engine from the line (the 322 Roadmaster V8 with 4bbl carb), backed by a heavy-duty 3spd manual trans (not available in the Roadmaster, and stronger than the Special's), and finished with the Roadmaster's bigger rear brakes.
The Century was billed as "The Banker's Hot Rod" and was built with one reason: to be a fast performance car.

It WASN'T a family sedan with a big engine... it was purpose-built to be a performance car.

-Brad

 

Sweet car, very cool engine.

As far as the first muscle car question, you guys are bringing up good points. I also wondered why the 409 chevy never gets mentioned either (409hp in '62, 425hp in '63 with dual quads).

 

Because you couldn't just walk into any chevy dealer and buy one.

When the "muscle car" era actually happened you could walk into pretty much walk into any dealship any where in the US and buy a factory hotrod, right off the showroom floor. The big 3 flooded the market with them, all you neede to have the one of your choice was credit.

A 2x4 409 4 spd bisquet for example was a special order car and originally intended to be sold to racers not the general public. The '65 427 medium rise Galaxie was the same way. They were available but you had to know what to order and they were sold in limited quantities to the public.

 

A local antique car buff had a 1915 Chev touring car with a V8 powerplant,... He had fun with betting what year Chevvy marketed their first V8 !!!!!

4TTRUK

 

The supercharged Duesenberg model J was pretty muscular for its time. 320 hp and 150 mph.

 

The Stutz Bearcat wasn't that impressive but it was still a pretty impressive car as well. There have been a lot of pretty neat cars over the years manufactured right here in our country.

 

Don't forget the 64 442's.4 barrel,4 speed,dual exhaust.

 

The OHV V8 '49 Olds Rocket 88... It might have been considered a 1917 Chevy if they had written what WOULD have been the first Rock and Roll song about it.

I think quantity of first counts.

 

Think about it. "Sport bodied". big engine (V8, even!) Dual exhaust. That's a recipe for a musclecar, no way around it!

 

"A 64 Chevelle with a 327-300 4 speed was pretty fast... Some say the 300 hp was not available in 64,some say it was."

It was. I had a number matching one.

On a side note. the 1917-18 chevy V8 was cool. saw one in a museum in Hershey Pa. years ago. Also saw my first tucker back then.

 

When the "muscle car" era actually happened you could walk into pretty much walk into any dealship any where in the US and buy a factory hotrod, right off the showroom floor. The big 3 flooded the market with them, all you neede to have the one of your choice was credit.


I still think a factory Hot rod is an oxymoron. Especially on this site. I guess I just dont like Muscle cars although they make great parts cars. Please dont hate me cause I like real hot rods.

 

More information on this car. There were 502 1917 V8 "Chummy Roadsters" built. Chevrolet built quite a few more V8 touring cars but I'm not sure of that number. Touring cars were 5 or 6 passenger. The "ChummyRoadster" was a 4 passenger car, thus classifying it a sport model. I am not sure if the touring cars had dual exhaust. There are only two "Chummy Roadsters" known to exist. One is restored and in a national museum, I'm not positive exactly where. The one in the picture is the only unrestored one known.

I have a couple ideas why they didn't catch on. They were expensive. The engines had an open valve train. Exposed pushrods, lifters, the valve covers were not sealed tightly. The rocker arms are lubricated by hand and there is also a heavy felt pad that is manually oiled. If the float sank fuel overflowed right over the top of the engine, lots of fires. Considering being made in 1917, 502 units qualifies as a production car. Considering the roads available in 1917, I'm sure most of the engines were just ate up from the dust.