Hybrid Jungle

Even though some of us weren’t around to enjoy it, we still cant help but hold a piece of the muscle car era somewhere in our hearts.  Big cars, big horsepower, plenty of sunshine and just enough chrome.  You don’t see cars made the same way anymore, back then it was lots of steel and not so many toys.  Power windows weren’t the norm, now cars have auto up and down windows with pinch protection.  The advanced dual zone climate control systems we are growing accustomed to were eons away so you got by with a dealer added air conditioner that most likely entailed bolting some vents to the bottom of your dashboard.  But gas was cheap and oil was plentiful, or so we thought.  But the days of the big motors from the big three were coming to an end.  The fifties and sixties were a good time for auto enthusiasts as well as auto manufacturers.

Somewhere down the road we came across a decade called the seventies and about half way through that time we ran into high gas prices and stricter emissions regulations.  Ford launched the Mustang II, a smaller more fuel efficient four cylinder version and at the same time we saw Ford take away the short lived GT40, a car that is still considered one of the greats even with its short lifespan of only four years.  Chevrolet stayed away from creating new models of cars and just rode the wave into the mid 80s.  The Corvette didn’t change from 1968 until 1982 and the Camaro stayed the same from 1970 all the way until the newer version hit showroom floors in 1982.  Everyone remembers the Cuda’s with the big 426 and 440 hemi engines and after 1974 they were only available with a 318 or 360 engine package. With gas prices soaring and consumers looking for smaller more compact fuel efficient cars the import manufacturers exploded like no one expected.  Other than a couple of trucks, 1964 was the first year Toyota sold a passenger car in the United States.  In the 1970’s we saw Toyota selling the Corolla, Celica, Corona, Cressida, and also the Land Cruiser.  Honda sold its first passenger car in United States in 1963, named the S500.  By the 1970’s Honda had the Accord, Civic, and Prelude.  Nissan was making a good push in the 70’s too with the Z cars in their forefront, models were available either under the Nissan or Datsun name, but in that time most were wearing a Datsun badge.  The future of the muscle car was in great peril.  Would they truly become a thing of the past or did they just need a short break and a chance for fuel prices to recover?

Well we are in the same predicament once again.  Until recently times were good for people here in the states.  We were making money and our housing market was exploding, things were looking up.  The big three were singing to our hearts with retro versions of some of the greats.  This is a time when Ford gave us the fastest production Mustang ever, labeled as the GT500, along with a heavy hitting line of many powerful v6 and v8 mustangs.  From 2003 until 2006 they also brought us the newer version of the GT40 labeled the Ford GT.  Chrysler debuted the Charger, the Magnum, and Challenger and most were available in Daytona packages.  Chevy has stood strong with the Corvette and we started hearing rumors of a Camaro being launched again within a few years.  On the other side of the coin manufacturers foreign and domestic had projects going that might just revolutionize the way cars are built.  Hybrid vehicles had been launched by Honda and Toyota, GM was working on hybrid platforms and on their lineup of flex fuel vehicles made to run on normal gasoline or on E85 biofuel.  Someone was thinking ahead for us consumers.  We are back in the seventies again with gas prices through the roof, oil being depleted and our dependence on foreign oil could be called frightening as an understatement.  At this point in time it’s obvious that big powered rear drive v8s are not going to be the commuter car of the future, but do we really want them to go away for good?  The people building cars are getting pounded into the ground over high horsepower, higher emissions vehicles but its still safe to say that these cars aren’t the norm.  Most people purchasing a vehicle like this aren’t buying it to make the 50 mile drive to work in.  Its more of a toy, something you can shine up and take for a cruise on the weekend, something to waste some time on fixing things that don’t need fixed and making them faster.  If it was up to me I would have a Prius that I drove to work everyday and would have a mustang sitting in the garage for those rare weekend days when the sun is shining and the road is calling, and I have time to take advantage of it.

There is always going to be the need to balance the environment, dependence on foreign oil, and pure automotive enjoyment.  We are on the right track with numerous hybrid vehicles available to us now and many plug in type hybrids right around the corner.  These are steps that need to be taken and people are becoming more and more receptive to hybrid vehicles.  Some automakers are even building performance based hybrids using electric power to boost performance.  They are talking to us that crave horsepower and quick cars, but it will never be the same as the raw grunt of a big v8.  Restrictions on automakers are going to force them to make less and less fun cars and more and more boring commuters just to be able to stay in business.  We are on the horizon of some amazing technology that will help to cut our negative impact on the environment, as well as make our automobiles cheaper for us to drive.  The future looks bright concerning our ability to be more self sufficient as far as fuel for our vehicles.  Hydrogen power is coming along, plug in hybrids are on the way and our gas/electric hybrids are continuing to do a good job of cutting our fuel consumption.  But hybrids and alternate fuels aren’t going to find a home for the true enthusiasts, so where do we go to find that thrill?  If we don’t find that balancing point of efficiency and excitement then those of us that look for fun in a vehicle will start looking at older muscle cars instead of the ones built to modern standards.  We will start shopping for pre 70s cars that don’t have to stick to smog laws.  How does that affect our environment compared to producing modern low emissions powerful cars?  I would have to say that a new car that still boasts a good time would be much less of a negative impact than purchasing a used 67 Camaro that isn’t required to stick to any smog laws.

The modern rebirth of the muscle car may be coming to an end, giving way to hybrids and other fuel efficient vehicles because of outrageous gas prices.  This isn’t the way it has to be and the two can coexist at the same time without having to make a choice as long as those writing the rules allow it to happen.  Automobiles are a big part of our nation’s history and new technology is a big part of our future.  But can we find a way to have our cake and eat it too?  Where would we be without our outings on the weekend for good times and good people surrounded by cars worth looking at?  And where would we be if we were all stuck getting 12 mpg on our commute to work?  We can’t have everything we want or enjoy in one vehicle but it’s not fair to allow the legislators to write rules that make my mind up for me.  We should be able to find a way to let people choose what they want to drive but also make a reasonable difference in our use of oil and impact on the environment.  If we force automakers to make nothing but fuel efficient cars then enthusiasts don’t have something to look forward to in the years to come.  On the other hand we are in desperate need of more fuel efficient and enviro friendly vehicles as well.  Demand for better fuel economy is driving the automakers to build cars suited to that.  They will build what the consumers want with or without the regulation from the government.  Why not let them build something for everyone?

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