American Supercars: Dodge, Chevrolet, Ford

American Supercars: Dodge, Chevrolet, Ford — page 3
THE US HOME OF THE SUPER-MUSCLE CAR The United States long straight roads are perfect for powerful cars with really big engines American car companies build muscle cars that are super-fast super-sporty and SUPER-powerful In 1963 Chevrolet released the Corvette Stingray It had a revolutionary fiberglass body and a 6997 cc V8 engine that ran on race fuel only Its overall height of 40 inches 102 cm gave the car its name it is a grand-touring GT car that is 40 inches high SUPER-MUSCLE CAR Many people feel the Ford GT40 below was the first American supercar It was based on a race car but about 30 of the cars Ford originally made were adapted for the road Weighing just a ton the GT40 was extremely lightweight but had a massive 4 7 liter V8 engine based on the one used in a Ford Mustang Main body panels made of reinforced fiberglass the carbon fiber of the time for lightness JUST WHAT IS A SUPERCAR There is no definition of exactly what makes a supercar But most of them share some of these features Expensive Made in tiny numbers High-performance in every area of their design Very fast and probably very light Tricky to drive Not that good for daily driving 4 What’s it like to drive We have never driven a car that attracted so much attention People would stop dead in their tracks drop their jaws and stare open-mouthed The driver feels completely safe at speeds upwards of 120 mph and it keeps on pulling long after most supercars have quit 1968 review of a GT40 in Car and Driver magazine