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.

Toyota Hoods: Made for Protection and Customization
Mark Clarkson

Toyota is currently the leading and largest Japanese automobile manufacturer. It assures all Toyota owners the best parts for their cars. Through time, they have acquired expertise in the employment of auto technology, design, and engineering since they had been in the industry for more than sixty golden years. Thus, it has allowed them to come up with notable and outstanding vehicles. Two of the world's top-selling cars were crafted by this company, which are the Toyota Corolla and the Toyota Corona. Another feather in their cap is that Toyota also was the creator of the first mass-produced hybrid vehicles – the Toyota Prius and the Toyota Highlander.

At present, it has 12 manufacturing plants in North America. In the year 2004, Toyota has been able to produce more than 1.44 million vehicles and automobiles, and is still counting. Toyota predicts that by the year 2008, they will have the annual capacity to be able to manufacture 1.81 million cars and trucks.

One of the leading automobile parts produced and crafted by Toyota is the Toyota hood. Toyota Parts Online holds an extensive collection of these. These Toyota parts have gone through and passed testing to provide Toyota owners great satisfaction.

The Toyota hood is certainly an essential part of the vehicle for it has the function of serving as a “door” or a shield to the automobile parts underneath it. Providing strength is its inner panel for they have braces crisscrossing in the underbelly making the hood strong and rigid. And, on the other hand, the outer panel of the Toyota hood is a metal cover which provides covering – it serves and is used to shield the engine from rain and other foreign materials. The underside of the hood is most of time covered with a sound-absorbing material so as to minimize the roar of the engine.

Some of the hoods created have openings which are called as hood scoops. This kind of hood enhances the Toyota engine's efficiency by allowing air to pass through directly to the filter. Some people consider the Toyota hood as another door of a vehicle for the reason that it serves as an entry point to gain access to the vehicle's engine.

Toyota hoods have also been accessorized and customized. Some of these accessories are for protection and performance enhancement while others are just for personalization and aesthetic purposes. Whatever purpose these Toyota hoods have been crafted for, Toyota has certainly kept in mind to make them the best kind of hood that only a Toyota would be worthy of.

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