Ok So I am curious, everytime I see the question brought up as to what is the first/original muscle car. I see everybody go off on the 1964 GTO, Now my question is, What about Chrysler's Original 300C I have heard it said many times by people who are of that era that the 300C is arguably the first of the muscle cars. Now I'm not a Name dropper but the people that I have heard this from are reputable in the muscle car and hot rod world. so I am just curious as to why nobody has brought it up. not trying to stir up $#it, just trying to learn more.

It just depends on who you talk to. Muscle cars mean different things to different people. You can even go back further than the Chrysler 300 and find what some people consider a muscle car, even back into the 1930's.
Generally speaking though,,,,,the term muscle car didn't really come around until the 60's, and the 64 GTO gets most of the credit for starting that phrase. Doesn't necessarily mean it was the first, but a good example of one. Larry.

i personally think that "GTO-1st musclecar" was a self-implied name.

p.s. i think the 61 impala was the first musclecar.

Got it so in a nutshell, It's one of those things that doesn't have an awnswer, just has an opinion.

You got that right! And we could revive this thread all over again.
Muscle Cars is a term that didn't even come about until the 80's.

There are way too many experts willing to tell you what is the first and what is or isn't a muscle car...............and there are always exceptions.

You can go back into the 50's, even the 40's and 30's and find out there is something that may or may not be a Muscle Car.............and to top it off no-one can agree on the definition.

1957 Rambler Rebel 327

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1972 Pontiac GTO 400ci TH400 (restoration project)
I know what I like, and I like what I know.

this is just my feeling, but havent we sortove beat this topic to death over the past month or so?

o and i might as well give my opinion on this topic...again... i think that while there may have been previous "muscle" cars it was the '64 Tempest GTO that kicked off the muscle era (i remember, i was 20 when it happened) i was racing cars already at that point but once that Tempest rolled off the line the entire attitude changed and a new era was born. it was enough to get me to buy the first 65 GTO i found the next year

you don't think that all of the mopar max wedge cars and ramchargers racing team had anything to do with it- along with all the super stock racing taking the country by storm. Of course Pontiac guys will say the Goat was the first and since they said that first then technically they're right- just like the Mustang was the first "pony" car(whatever that means?) according to the ford guys and of course mopar guys have a list of different ones- since there is no deffinate definition of what a muscle car is then there will never be a right or wrong answer. I think we should all just agree that we all love our muscle cars and should enjoy them as such. It would be like trying to figure out what the first Hot Rod was- you'll never find the answer!

Mustang was first pony car because it has a horse name?????

Actually that falls under the idea of long hood, short deck.

So that makes my 62 Valiant a ponycar??????????

Thats why I hate categorizing.............

The 300 was NOT that first musclecar, it was far too expensive. If its not the GTO its the "Hot One" 55 Chevy

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I like to let 'em stick with me for 1st and 2nd, then put the hurt on 'em when I chirp third