Page 80 - Experience Magazine Spring 2022

POWER MOVES

PALM BEACH FLEXES ITS MUSCLE

Postwar America gave rise to exuberant designs that Unconstrained freedom led to the muscle car wars. With
reflected the optimism and prosperity of the Eisenhower freedom comes excess; in this case, that means only one
era. During this time, automotive stylists were given an thing: more power.
unprecedented amount of freedom that pushed the design By 1964, youth culture was ready to explode, the Beach
envelope to a breaking point.
Boys topped charts with songs about a fine 409 and little
Enter the 1960s, a decade remembered for rapid — and deuce coupes, fuel was cheap, the economy was strong, and
often radical — change. The New Frontier, Vietnam and all you needed was a steady job and a heavy right foot.
a youthful counterculture influenced everything from Pontiac first used the term "muscle car" to describe its 1964
fashion and music to politics and science. Tempest GTO. Chevy had its Chevelle SS ready to go, and
The culture of change also was evident in the automotive Plymouth's Barracuda was prepared to hit the streets. But
world. If the 1950s showed stylists what they could do, none of the domestic brands would be ready for what the
by the 1960s, there was a new appreciation for what they Ford designers in Dearborn, MI, were about to unleash.
should do.
Bear in mind, more power equals more fuel. Just as quickly
As the decade progressed, cars began to gain more power as muscle cars entered America’s consciousness, they were
without adding size, which gave drivers the speed they as quickly forgotten with the onset of the gas crisis in
craved. Easily identifiable by their classic two-door coupe 1973. If rising gas prices weren’t enough to kill them off,
design and potent engines, muscle cars parked themselves the ensuing emissions laws and tightening fuel economy
in most motorist's hearts. regulations coupled with a stagnant economy certainly did.
The 1960s represented the last decade in which Consequently, the short-lived age of American muscle has
manufacturers were free to design cars without federal led to these cars being some of the most desirable vehicles
safety, fuel economy and emission-control regulations. In to cross the block. Enjoy this selection of muscle cars
other words, bumpers didn't have to take bumps, hardtop offered at the 2022 Palm Beach Action, held April 7-9 at
roofs didn't need strong B-pillars, and good mileage was the South Florida fairgrounds.
strictly optional.

80 BARRETT-JACKSON EXPERIENCE SPRING 2022