Simple Poll, is the GTO the first muscle car. Go by how you define a muscle car, and simple Yes or No as to weather or not you believe the Pontiac GTO is the original.

 

Poles iz nice ...

I vote yes ...

 

I had to vote yes even though there was a lot of American muscle out there before the 64 GTO. The "muscle car era" is really a term that came sometime after even though muscle and performance may have been used to describe a car earlier the goat became the first car that started an "era" of performance muscle cars that became sought after by collectors to restore and in many cases enhance on.

 

If small or mid-size bodies with large cubes and horsepower qualify a car to be a muscle car (which is my opinion), then we have to go further back in time than the GTO. If the term was exclusively used for the GTO in the early article back in the sixties or early seventies, then perhaps it was not meant to go any further. But now that this term has evolved a life of its own in today's car talk, it has become a more broad statement to include additional makes.

 

You mean "North American Production Muscle", right? If not, there's lots of guys who beat Poncho to the draw rodding a whole slew of other cars.

 

I had to vote yes as the 1964 GTO is what seemed to get the ball rolling in the 1960's big motors into small cars theme. (by today's standards these cars are now HUGE in size). I do agree though that there were potent cars being built prior to this. Most articles I've read seem to express this view although just because a lot of people say so doesn't mean its true .

 

muscle don't have to be mid size or "pony cars", just designed for performance. the first one i remember seeing was a 1961 chevy impala with a 409 4-speed

 

I agree and let's not forget the 63 Riviera with a 425 big block and dual quad's.