Due to the growing prevalence of stock car racing, muscle cars rose to power in the 1960s, what has become known as the golden age of muscles. From 1960 to 1972, muscle cars enjoyed over a decade of power and, sadly, a four-decade hibernation. Over the past six years, muscle cars have reemerged in the form of the Charger, Challenger, Mustang and Camaro. The styling of the new cars pays homage to their Golden Age predecessors. This is the new era of muscle cars, with competition and corporate pride higher than ever. Some say auto racing began when the second car was built. For over a hundred years, competition has driven innovation in the automotive industry, hence the industry maxim, “Win ​​on Sunday, sell on Monday.” NASCAR and drag racing contributed greatly to the success of muscle cars. Muscle cars arose from these competitions as factory-produced race cars. For this reason, the muscle car quickly went from a special item in limited quantities to the image of the American automotive scene. Every brand had to have one, and each needed better performance and personality than the next. The golden age began in the 1960s with the introduction of more performance models such as the Chevy SS Impala and Ford Galaxy Starliner (Auto Editors). size models. Many drivers, however, were looking for something in between these full-size and compact models; this interest gave way to a new class, the intermediate one. With many innovations between 1960 and 1964, such as Ford's 406 cubic inch V8, General Motors' 389, and Chrysler's wedge V8s, the golden age of muscle cars began in 1964. The Pontiac Tempest G. ..... middle of paper......New York: Routledge,1994.Lamm, Michael and John Hooper. "History of the 1967 Z/18." Home page of 67Z28.COM. Network. November 15, 2011. .Lealos, Shawn. "10 Modern Muscle Cars | Handcrafted." Mademan.com. Break Media, August 22, 2010. Web. November 8, 2011. .MotorTrend, comp. “2010 Dodge Challenger.” Motortrend magazine. Source Interlink Media, November 2, 2010. Web. November 8, 2011. "History of Muscle Cars." Muscle Car: Reviews and Performance Statistics. Network. 08 November 2011. . Neil, Dan. "2010The Auto Editors of Consumer Guide. "How Muscle Cars Work" January 16, 2007. HowStuffWorks.com. November 03 2011.