Look into this fascinating book to discover the intoxicating world of muscle cars. Includes information on models, facts, and other interesting information on America's pride and joy.

Of the legendary names in the history of the Ford Mustang, one stands apart: Boss. Originally created to homologate the new Boss 302 engine for SCCA Trans-Am racing, the Boss 302 Mustang was built in limited numbers for the street. Designed by legend Larry Shinoda, the Boss cars were easily distinguished from their less potent stable mates by their unique front and rear spoilers, rear window slats, and the omission of the standard Mustang's (fake) rear fender brake ducts. Also standard was a shaker hood scoop and bold graphics. Though Mustang performance faded to all-time lows as the 1970s rolled on, there was good news on the way. The pairing of the venerable 302 Windsor engine with the new Fox-body platform for the 1979 Mustang might not have seemed significant at the time, but it was the first edition of what would become a performance institution in the late 20th century: the 5-liter Mustang was an overwhelming force on the streets and tracks through the end of its production in 1995. With no small amount of fanfare, Ford is paying homage to its performance past with the re-introduction of the 5.0 liter powerplant in the Mustang GT for 2011.

Get the full history of the American muscle car in The All-American Muscle Car, from it's origin as an act of descent, to where it sits now.

Discover every high-performance muscle car built by Ford Motor Company from 1961 to 1970 in The Complete Book of Classic Ford and Mercury Muscle Cars.

Relive Oldsmobile’s most potent muscle car offerings when the simple letter W intimidated all takers. Oldsmobile’s foray into the developing muscle car wars of the 1960s came as little surprise to most in the automotive industry. What was surprising was that it wasn’t the first to develop it! Oldsmobile’s Rocket 88 has been viewed by some as the beginning of performance offerings from automobile manufacturers. The 4-4-2 was Oldsmobile’s volley back at the Pontiac GTO, and in 1966, Olds attempted to spike the ball home with its all-new W-30 high-performance drag racing package. During the course of the next pair of decades, Oldsmobile offered the W-code on a host of platforms (the Cutlass, F-85, 4-4-2, Toronado, and Delta 88) with an assortment of engine packages (400, 455, and 350). As muscle cars fell by the wayside during the struggling 1970s, Oldsmobile continued to carry its flagship W-30 all the way through the 1980 model year. This book by muscle car historian and esteemed photographer David Newhardt revisits and celebrates Oldsmobile’s legendary W-optioned performance machines. So, sit down, strap in, and let Dr. Oldsmobile do the driving.

Expertly rendered illustrations of fast, flashy, and powerful sports cars, among them the 1962 Ford Thunderbird, 1964 Corvette Stingray, 1968 Chevy Impala SS427, 1969 Camaro Z-28, 1970 Ford Torino Fastback, 1971 Mustang Boss 351, 1974 Firebird Trans-Am, and 37 others. For coloring book enthusiasts and "muscle car" fans.

This is the muscle car history to own--a richly illustrated chronicle of America's greatest high-performance cars, told from their 1960s beginning through the present day! In the 1960s, three incendiary ingredients--developing V-8 engine technology, a culture consumed by the need for speed, and 75 million baby boomers entering the auto market--exploded in the form of the factory muscle car. The resulting vehicles, brutal machines unlike any the world had seen before or will ever see again, defined the sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll generation. American Muscle Cars chronicles this tumultuous period of American history through the primary tool Americans use to define themselves: their automobiles. From the street-racing hot rod culture that emerged following World War II through the new breed of muscle cars still emerging from Detroit today, this book brings to life the history of the American muscle car. When Pontiac's chief engineer, John Z. DeLorean, and his team bolted a big-inch engine into the division's intermediate chassis, they immediately invented the classic muscle car. In those 20 minutes it took Bill Collins and Russ Gee to bolt a 389 ci V-8 engine into a Tempest chassis they created the prototype for Pontiac's GTO--and changed the course of automotive history. From that moment on, American performance cars would never be the same. American Muscle Cars tells the story of the most desirable cars ever to come out of Detroit. It's a story of flat-out insanity told at full throttle and illustrated with beautiful photography.

In 1970, the American muscle car was as fast and outrageous as it would ever get. But the end was nigh, and 1970 Maximum Muscle dives head-first into the storm before the calm. Wherever you mark the beginning of the muscle car era—Oldsmobile’s 1949 Rocket 88, Chrysler’s 1951 FirePower engines, the 1964 Pontiac GTO—one thing is certain: in 1970, the era that had witnessed a parade of gloriously powerful, stylish, and brawny cars apt to make the hearts of even the most dispassionate squares go pitter-patter was sucking fumes. Gasoline shortages, skyrocketing fuel prices, insurance-industry bean counters, rising ecological concerns, and new, more fuel-efficient imports all conspired to consign the American muscle car to an ugly and unseemly denouement. Yet 1970 saw the actual zenith of the cars themselves, the year manufacturers pulled out all the stops and produced the most powerful and stunning machines the automotive world had ever seen. 1970 Maximum Muscle not only explores the factors that led to the decline of the most exciting era in the American automotive industry, it details some of the new models and model options that arguably made 1970 the climax of the muscle car era from engineering, styling, and cultural standpoints. As the war among GM, Ford, Chrysler, and AMC played out at dealerships, dragstrips, and drive-ins, ready-and-willing gearheads drove off dealer lots in potent behemoths like the Buick GSX, Oldsmobile 4-4-2, and Ford Torino Cobra. Muscle car stalwarts like the SS Chevelle, Pontiac GTO, and Plymouth ’Cuda became available with optional LS-6, Stage 1, and Hemi engines, respectively. Manufacturers ratcheted up the advertising hyperbole at the same time, offering performance packages with names like “Six-Pack,” “Ram Air,” and “Cobra Jet,” while spoilers, scoops, hood tachometers, and decal packages were de rigueur. Meanwhile, on the popular SCCA Trans Am circuit, top drivers campaigned more nimble muscle off-the-rack cars like the Camaro Z/28 and Boss 302 Mustang. 1970 Maximum Muscle is an entertaining and rollicking look at the muscle car's peak year!