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.

Car marketing
Ankesh Kothari
Years ago, some one in the car industry had a stroke of genius. They came up with an idea of engraving their name on each and every car that comes out of their factories. This small idea has generated free publicity worth millions of dollars for these car companies over the years.

M.K. tried to adapt the car company's' idea for his business. M.K. was a general contractor. He used to go to houses and fix them up. He could handle everything from fixing tables to installing electrical lines to plumbing work. M.K. thought why should he advertise General motors instead of his own company? So he bought a customized magnetic sign for $45.95 and stuck it on his truck.

Whenever he went to a house to work on it, he made it a point to park the car on the street instead of the highway. Many cars passing by would slow down and people would jot down M.K.'s number from the magnetic sign. The 46-dollar sign generated so much business for M.K. that he stopped buying ads in yellow pages and local newspapers saving him hundreds of dollars a year.

M.K. started asking people how they found out about him to track the results his advertising dollars generated and he found out that 70% of people had read his truck!

Action summary:

* Why promote a car company when you can promote your own company instead? Customized stickers and decals can be bought for as low as 15 dollars. Why not invest in them?

* Go one step ahead. Instead of promoting nike, wear shirts and caps that bear your company logo on them. This alone will run up more business for your company. Buy shirts for your employees too. When big companies like Comcast can do it, why can't you?

About the Author

Ankesh Kothari publishes the Marketing Hotsheet 24 times a year, twice every month. Each hotsheet reveals 6 ***tried and tested*** profit making marketing tactics that you can use to build your business. http://www.MarketingHotsheet.com

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