Power, speed and performance – those are the three major traits of a muscle car. When first produced, muscle cars were just pretty darn amazing because they combined the efficiency of a lightweight, mid-sized body with the performance of a high- power V8 engine and special design features that further increased the cars? acceleration capabilities. Because muscle cars topped all other vehicles in terms of power, speed and performance, they were ideal for racing.

Muscle cars were produced from the mid-1960s into the early 1970s, but the production of such beasts fell drastically due to a number of factors. First was the controversy over whether it was wise and responsible to make such powerful vehicles available to the general public, primarily due to road racing. Because muscle cars were often used irresponsibly, liability relating to them was pretty high which forced insurance companies to increase rates for insuring muscle cars. Emission control requirements intended to curb pollution also played into the picture making it near impossible for automakers to produce muscle cars that met the standards they had to adhere to.

Needless to say, the muscle car industry changed quickly due to these influences. Demand decreased because many ?would-be? buyers of muscle cars couldn?t fathom paying the enormous insurance rates for a high-power vehicle and automakers had to meet the challenges presented by pollution control standards.

Since muscle cars were produced for a limited number of years, they are valuable items for collectors and are still highly desirable to those who enjoy racing or desire a quick, powerful, mid-sized car. Since the decline in the production of muscle cars, some automakers have attempted to bring the muscle car era back to life by producing powerful vehicles that resemble the legendary muscle cars, but in my opinion, they don?t hold a candle to classic muscle cars like the GTO, the Road Runner or the Chevelle SS.

It will be interesting to see how the history of muscle cars plays out. Will present day automakers renew production of true muscle cars that are fast and powerful? Will there be enough demand to make muscle car production worth it to them? Or, will muscle cars continue to be limited to those classic models that were produced in the 60s and 70s?

Classic muscle cars are pretty amazing pieces of machinery. One that is restored and in cherry condition is really worth a lot of money. As time goes on, there are fewer muscle cars available which makes them even more valuable to classic car collectors and muscle car enthusiasts.

Volvo 140 Owning Up to Its Personal Space in Automobile History
Kenneth McKinley

In its own history, Volvo is a Swedish world leading manufacturer of commercial vehicles, buses, and construction equipment, drive systems for marine and industrial applications, aerospace components and service, and this group also provides complete solutions for financing and service. Volvo Cars, however, which is the manufacturer of automobiles that we know at present, has since been owned by the Ford Motor Company starting the year 1999.

The name Volvo is a Latin word that means “I roll”. This name surely fits well as a description of their products – vehicles – that the company crafts. However, originally, it is a name for a ball bearing that was being developed by the company which, at that time, provided funding to a small number of employees for them to be able to set up the car manufacturing business. Today, the Volvo Group has been manufacturing vehicles in twenty five countries with its sales in more than 185 markets around the globe.

Some of the reasons why Volvo had took the initiative to sell the automobile manufacturing was because of the increasing development costs for new car models, added up with the fact that at that time it was a relatively small producer of such. Its strategy was then to grow as a truck manufacturer where it had a stronger market position. Now, Volvo the line of vehicles is included and part of the Ford Motor Company's line up.

The list of Volvo models could look seemingly endless with new models coming up out in the market regularly. A part of the list includes the Volvo 140 which consists of the models Volvo 142, which is a two door vehicle, the Volvo 144, which has four doors, and the Volvo 145, which is an estate wagon. This model was first introduced in 1967. The Volvo 140 series was the start of using a three number system for their crafts. It is some sort of acronym for the first number indicates the series, the second number displays the number of series, and the third number shows the number of doors.

The very first Volvo to feature the classic boxy look is the Volvo 140. This provided a lot of interior space, as compared to the Volvo Amazon. It also bore a radical new design with the only similar features to the Amazon being the split grill and some parts of the interior. The basic shape of the Volvo 140 lived into the 1990s with the 200 series. It used the same 85 hp engine, and then later was changed to the B20 engine. A 115 hp engine was also made available. Going back to 1966, the Volvo 140 had been awarded and had been named as the Car of the Year for that year by the Swedish magazine Teknikens Varld.

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