UDMan's Offbeat and Obscure Performance Muscle Cars: Part 1; The 1950's Beauties

Offbeat or Obscure Muscle Cars are a growing phenomena. For all those articles that you read about the Hemi powered Plymouths or Dodges, or the Big Block Chevys, Pontiacs, or Oldsmobiles, there is a plethora of performance available to the collector of muscle, and at reasonable prices. This is part one of this series that will be run here at Car Throttle, and it's a collection of postings that I have done over at CarDomain. Part 1 will deal with the pre-dawn of the classic Muscle Car era (which is generally thought of as the 1960's), from about 1950 to 1959.

The Fabulous Hudson Hornet:Reaching back to the dawn of the 50’s, when most cars has less than 100 HP under the hood, handling was scary at best, and brakes were an afterthought. However, the racing tracks across the country were breeding innovation. Engines were being tuned to produce power, braking systems were being upgraded to handle the extra power and speed, and the cars were becoming more and more reliable on the track. In NASCAR racing, one car was busy winning races all across the country from 1951 through 1955. Read more about the Fabulous Hudson Hornet.

The 1956 to 1958 Studebaker Golden Hawk:It has been over 50 years since the Studebaker Golden Hawk graced America’s highways. Since Studebaker is no longer in business, can we now ask if the Golden Hawk is or is not a muscle car? I think it’s worth taking a look. With 2 different powerplants in this period, both producing 275 HP, in a low slung Raymond Lowey designed coupe, it was certainly a performer. It was also one of the few factory produced cars that introduced a Supercharged engine. Read more about the Studebaker Golden Hawk.

The 1957 Pontiac Bonneville:Pontiac wasn’t always known as the excitement division; by the early 50’s it had earned a reputation of appealing to older drivers, with plodding engines and unexciting styling. The turning point came in the fall of 1956 with the introduction of Pontiac’s first performance car: The fuel-injected, limited-edition Pontiac Bonneville Convertible. It was one of the first cars to introduce Fuel Injection to the public. Read More about the 1957 Bonneville here.

The 1957 Rambler Rebel:In 1956, AMC was only two years old, the result of a merger between Nash and Hudson. They were known as a company that produced dependable, if somewhat lackluster cars. However, in the fall of ‘56, they stunned the public and the automotive press by introducing a veritable rocket. Say hello to the 1957 Rambler Rebel.

The 1958 Packard Hawk:This featured car is that last of the once great Packard line of cars, but by this time they were nothing but glorified Studebakers. It was equipped with the same Supercharged V-8 from the Studebaker Golden Hawk, but it had an entirely new front end, a new rear trunk (boot) lid, and a different interior. Read more about this rare bird, the Packard Hawk here.

There you have it, some rare and exciting early Muscle. If you like this series, please leave a comment, and tell me what make you would like to be outlined.