From McHenry and Beyond – America’s love affair with the car lives on

Shelby! Hemi! Boss 302! Supercharged! Muscle Car! Hotrod! Pony Car!

These are words that generate a sense of power and individualism. They speak directly to America’s love affair with the car.

The automobile provided a kind of mobile independence that allowed Americans to wake up in McHenry in the morning, and watch the sun set in the Gulf of Mexico that evening. Considering that, in the horse-and-buggy days, it was an all-day excursion to Chicago, the automobile transformed the world and figuratively shortened distances.

More than just independence, the automobile gave Americans a platform for personal expression. It wasn’t just getting from Point A to Point B; it was a question of getting there in style. And, as Americans expressed themselves with their cars, they fell in love with the automobile and what it meant in their lives.

It is said that the term ‘Hotrod’ had its origins in the late 1930s. Young men were personalizing their cars. They performed mechanical feats to increase the power from engines until a hopped-up jalopy had more horsepower than an engine in a car straight from one of the Big-3 automakers factories (Ford, Chrysler and GM).

They painted cars. They added chrome or removed it. By the ‘50s, modifications often included something as simple as hanging fuzzy dice from the rearview mirror. But the big changes continued and improved.

Performance tricks were cranking out more and more horsepower. Dragstrips dotted the countryside from coast to coast. Road races were popular weekend pursuits. And some found professional pursuits in auto racing.

By the ‘60s, auto manufacturers had gotten into the swing of things. They built pony cars that had the impressive powerplants straight out of the factory. They provided paint jobs that enhanced the visual appeal of performance models of their cars. That approach lasted into the ‘70s where it hit a snag with concerns about gas prices and pollution.

The government was requiring cars that met certain guidelines for gas mileage and limitations on pollutants. The Big-3 still sold sports cars but horsepower dropped as government requirements were met.

Auto Manufacturers Bring Pony Cars Back In A Big Way

For those who might have thought that the day of the muscle car was over, think again. Auto manufacturers are packing more horsepower under the hood than hotrodders from the ‘60s and ‘70s ever would have thought possible.

Consider the following comparisons:

The Muscle Car Era

1970 Chrysler 426 ci Hemi – 425 horses
1970 Chevy 454 LS6 – 450 horses
1970 Ford 427 Cobra Jet – 370 horses

Performance Engines of Today

2021 Dodge Challenger 6.2-liter high-output supercharged Hemi V8 – 807 horses
2021 Chevy Camaro 6.2-liter V8 – 650 horses
2021 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 – 760 horses

Clearly, America’s love affair with the automobile lives on. And you don’t need 800 horses under the hood to love your car.

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