The idea of installing a powerful engine in a post WWII mid-size car was introduced in 1957. The American Motors (AMC) Rebel showcased AMC?s new 327 in³ V8 255 hp with a 4 barrel carburetor (fuel injection was to be optional), thus making it the first American factory hot-rod hardtop sedan. The Rambler Rebel came with a manual or automatic transmission, and dual exhaust. The Rebel was promoted as the fastest four-door car in America from 0-60 mph and ran the quarter mile in 17.0 seconds. It was one of the quickest production automobiles at that time.

The popularity of the muscle car grew in the 1960s. Among these was the Pontiac Tempest. For 1964 and 1965, the GTO was an option package that included Pontiac's 389 in³ (6.5 L) V8 engine, floor-shifted transmission with Hurst shift linkage, and special trim. In 1966, the Pontiac GTO was no longer an option, and became its own model. The project, spearheaded by Pontiac division president John De Lorean, was technically a violation of General Motors policy limiting its smaller cars to 330 in³ (5.4 L) displacement, but it proved far more popular than expected, and inspired a host of imitations, both at GM and its competitors.

This marked a general trend towards factory performance, which reflected the importance of the youth market. A key appeal of the muscle cars was that they offered the burgeoning American car culture an array of relatively affordable vehicles with strong street performance that could also be used for racing. The affordability aspect was quickly compromised by increases in size, optional equipment, and plushness, forcing the addition of more and more powerful engines just to keep pace with performance. A backlash against this cost and weight growth led in 1967 and 1968 to a secondary trend of "budget muscle" in the form of the Plymouth Road Runner, Dodge Super Bee, and other stripped, lower-cost variants.

Although the sales of true muscle cars were relatively modest by total Detroit standards, they had considerable value in publicity and bragging rights, serving to bring young buyers into showrooms. Automakers saw these as halo models and some, such as the AMC Rebel Machine, were factory upgraded to be turn-key drag racers. The 1970 Machine even came with flamboyant and patriotic red, white, and blue reflective body graphics for maximum street and racetrack visibility. The fierce competition led to an escalation in power that peaked in 1970, with some models offering as much as 450 hp (and others likely producing as much actual power, whatever their rating).

The Dodge Charger, known for its appearance as the villan's vehicle in the movie BullittAnother related type of car is the car-based pickup. Examples of these are the Ford Ranchero, GMC Sprint, GMC Caballero, and one of the most famous examples, the Chevrolet El Camino.

About the authorKathleen Gage is a an award winning business advisor, keynote speaker, and trainer that helps others gain dominance and visibility within their market. She is the 2004 Giant Step Award recipient for business creativity and success. Call 80
19f1 TITLE: Visibility, Credibility and Position Through Articles and Celebrity Testimonials
Author: Kathleen Gage
Email: kathleen@turningpointpresents.com
Word Count: 877
Copyright: © 2004 by Kathleen Gage
Web Address: www.kathleengage.com

Publishing Guidelines: You may publish my article in your newsletter,
on your web site, or in your print publication provided you include
the resource box at the end. Notification would be appreciated but is
not required.

Visibility, Credibility and Position Through Articles and Celebrity Testimonials
By Kathleen Gage

A huge problem for many people who are working on market visibility and position is the amount of competition vying for the same market. An extremely effective strategy for gaining visibility is by writing articles. This positions you as more of an expert and valuable resource rather than just another vendor or salesperson.

Writing articles is a great way to niche yourself as an expert in your field or specific industry. By providing practical information, you can reach specific audiences. This can create exciting opportunities for you and your business.

The great thing is you can begin immediately to utilize the power of articles. Many people believe you have to wait until an editor approaches you before you can be published. In today's world of technology, you can write and article in the morning and by afternoon reach thousands of folks all over the world.

Not only can you submit articles to various resources online, you can also use articles in a press kit, marketing kit and as a service to your client base. Additionally, you can start you own e-zine (online newsletter).

A simple search on the Internet of your area of interest and the word newsletter in that search will bring up countless places looking for well-written articles.

If you are a good writer and your information is valuable, other people actually help you to reach more people by sending them a copy of the article or sending a link to your article or e-zine. I have had numerous experiences where my clients so liked an article they would duplicate it and send it to their client base. The only thing I require when someone does that is they include by byline. (Definition and example below)

This is a fantastic way to gain an even greater reach with my information. The fact that it is sent out by my client to their clients lends itself to even more credibility.

Another great way to gain massive credibility is through celebrity testimonials. Recently, I had the opportunity to write an article about Hot Rod Hundley. A former NBA All Star player, Hall of Fame winner and the Voice of the Utah Jazz, Hot Rod Hundley graciously shared his upbringing, some of his professional experiences and shared stories about his dentist, Dr. Scott Kiser. The fact that a well-known figure like Hot Rod, who is considered one of the greats in the NBA shared his experiences about Dr. Kiser is one of the best endorsements a dentist can get. To read the full article click http://www.greatsmilesutah.com/spotlight.htm

Types of articles for promotions and publicity:

-Tips
-How To
-Column
-Interviews

When asked to write an article you absolutely must make sure to keep articles at the length requested by the editor. If they ask for 500 words, then give them 500 words. They know exactly what they need and if you can accommodate them, there is a greater chance you will be asked to write for them again. They have specific areas in their publication they must fill and if you give them too much, or too little, you make their job more difficult. The idea is to make their job as easy as possible.

Secondly, make sure the articles are well written. No typos, good sentence structure, no misspelled words. Although I consider myself to be a very good writer, with many of my articles I send my information to my editor to tighten up the information.

Always submit your work by the deadline given. If possible, get it to the editor before their deadline. Again, this makes their job easier.

Keep in mind that once something is in written form, there is no turning back. You never know how long the life of an article is, nor do you know how many people might see the article. That is why it may pay to have your own professional editor.

Study the publication for which you would like to write. There is no point to write for a publication that doesn't reach your target market. Again, this is about gaining exposure within your market. When I first started writing for publicity, I would write for just about any publication and often on topics that, although qualified to write on, were not focused on the area I wanted recognition as an expert. I soon came to realize that this was a waste of time, money and energy. Now, being fully focused, I am getting extremely great results.

I mentioned a byline. Simply put, that is the section at the end of the article that tells readers a bit about you. In many cases you will be allowed to include your contact information such as a phone number, email address and web address. If given a choice between the three, I will put the web address over the other items. My website can provide even more information about my company and the services I provide.

Sample Byline
Kathleen Gage is a business advisor, keynote speaker, and trainer that helps others gain market dominance and visibility within their market. Call 801.619.1514 or e-Mail kathleen@turningpointpresents.com . Get Gage's FREE 4 day online marketing course by visiting www.kathleengage.com.

About the Author

About the author
Kathleen Gage is a an award winning business advisor, keynote speaker, and trainer that helps others gain dominance and visibility within their market. She is the 2004 Giant Step Award recipient for business creativity and success. Call 801.619.1514 or e-Mail kathleen@turningpointpresents.com . Get Gage's FREE marketing e-zine by visiting www.kathleengage.com.

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