HORSEPOWER, RIVALRY & THE DETROIT WARS
Muscle Cars
The rise, peak and reinvention of American muscle.
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Follow the horsepower race, the badges, the rivalries and the regulations that changed it.
Mustang
Camaro
Charger
GTO
Performance wars
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Sep 26, 2026
How the Ford Mustang Became an American Icon
The first Mustang looked like a break from ordinary Ford sedans. Under its long hood, though, sat practical Falcon-based engineering—a decision that made its low price, rapid development, and enormous reach possible.
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