Take a roaring ride through every year of Chrysler performance-car history led by stunning photography, lively commentary, and detailed specification tables for every model. Expanded and updated,
The Complete Book of Dodge and Plymouth Muscle Cars details all of the classic Mopar muscle cars from 1960 to today in one handsomely designed volume. Explore every aspect of the:
- Early 1960s factory lightweights
- Boulevard brawlers like the Road Runner, GTX, and Super Bee
- Super collector cars like Hemi-powered ’Cudas, Challengers, and Superbirds
- 21st century Charger and Challenger
Over the course of nearly 75 years, Chrysler’s (now Stellantis) Dodge and Plymouth brands have offered some of the most memorable and exciting muscle cars ever loosed on the motoring public. Arguably, it all began with the 1951 release of the vaunted V-8 Hemi engine. This legendary beast passed through a handful of displacements until finally morphing into the all-conquering 426. Chrysler’s V-8 prowess shone in early 1960s factory-lightweight drag cars then moved to muscle-era classics like the
Charger,
Roadrunner,
GTX,
Super Bee, and
Superbird.
But it wasn’t just about Hemis; Chrysler offered a variety of V-8 engines including 340, 383, and 440 displacements fitted to other top-flight cars like the
Barracuda,
Challenger,
’Cuda, and
Duster. No other Detroit automaker offered a wider variety of performance cars in the 1960 and early ’70s.
Emissions requirements and ever-increasing insurance tabs put the squeeze on performance cars beginning in the mid-1970s, and Mopar performance declined for decades. But it returned with a vengeance in the 21st century, first in the guise of a
new Charger (4-door!) and then the beloved
retro-design Challenger. Both of these iconic models were put to rest in 2023, but not before unleashing the wild 807-horsepower
Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye and the outrageous 1,025-horsepower
Dodge Challenger SRT Demon. Power to the people, indeed!
The Complete Book of Dodge and Plymouth Muscle Cars is a must-have reference for all Mopar muscle fans.
MOPAR Muscle features Chrysler Corp’s classic rear-drive slant six and
V8 compacts of the ’60s and ’70s. From economy cars to muscle cars,
these marvels challenged rivals and inspired a generation.
THE AUTHOR
Marc Cranswick has written about and drawn the cars and trucks of the
Big 3 and independent automakers for over 15 years. He writes
enthusiast-directed model history books, and has involvement with many
car clubs. In the Mopar world he is known for the reference book The
Cars of American Motors - An Illustrated History, as seen on NBC’s
business channel CNBC. His other books include Ford Midsize Muscle -
Fairlane, Torino & Ranchero; Mazda Rotary-Engined Cars, and Pontiac
Firebird - The Auto-Biography.
