IS THIS THE END?

DODGE CHARGER DAYTONA SCAT PACK VS. FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE

- WORDS CHRISTIAN SEABAUGH

What precisely is a muscle car? Depends on who you ask. Younger readers will likely point to modern iron like the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, and Dodge Challenger coupe and Charger sedan—any American car with rear drive and an optional V-8. Our esteemed older readers likely have different ideas—dismissing the aforementioned as pony cars and pointing to intermediate-bodied coupes with V-8s as prime examples—your Chevelles, Fairlanes, or original Chargers.

No doubt most if not all agree, however, about what a muscle car does. It announces you've begun your day and when you've arrived. It encourages you to look over at the driver next to you at the light and think, “Yeah, I got 'em.” It inspires you to tell your buddies, “Watch this!” as you roast your rear tires and next week's paycheck in a parking lot. We're talking about a type of car that invites viral mobs to take over intersections so you can show off how many donuts you can (or can't) do before smacking into a light pole. These are cars for hooligans and responsible enthusiasts, united in their love of shenanigans.

Muscle cars have of course been at risk before, but you might say things look dire as we round out the first quarter of the 21st century. The future of the V-8, long viewed by many American enthusiasts as a birthright, is uncertain. Beyond the social hurdles at play, automakers haven't invested much in them as of late, preferring smaller, more power-dense turbocharged six-cylinders or electric motors in their place.

The segment is also undergoing another period of contraction and change. The Camaro, long the Mustang's foil, is dead yet again, with GM offering vague promises about its future return.