Anybody who wanted to go toe to toe with the Big Three in the 1960s had to produce credible muscle cars. American Motors Corporation did exactly that with the SC Rambler and the incredibly fast AMX. Some argue, however, that AMC's insistence on pouring its relatively limited resources into the "muscle wars" ultimately led to its demise. Illustrated throughout with modern photography of restored and factory-original cars, archival images, AMC concept drawings, period advertisements, and cutaway illustrations, this color history primarily focuses on the conception, development, production, and performance of the AMX, as well as the Javelin upon which it was based. Special models like the Mark Donohue Signature Edition Javelin, along with the less-than-well-received Marlin, Rebel, SST, Hornet 360, Gremlin X, and others are also included.

This full-color reference to more than four decades of American-made muscle cars covers Ford, Pontiac, Chevrolet, AMC, Oldsmobile, Dodge, Plymouth, and more. Every car is featured in full-color. Listings include original specs, options, production figures, and a pricing guide with six condition grades.

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.

Formed in 1954 by the merger of The Hudson Motor Car Company and Nash-Kelvinator Corporation, American Motors Corporation was no ordinary company. It was the last, and the very best, of the great independent automakers, producing such notables as the muscle-flexing AMX and Javelin, and the forward-designed, 4-wheel-drive Eagle. Highly regarded AMC historian and expert, Patrick Foster, gives us an in-depth look at AMC and its cars from its beginning in 1954 through its demise in 1987. Over 300 photos combined with informative captions show all of AMCs cars. A great reference for the AMC enthusiast!