Will the Corvette ZR1 Be the Last Detroit Muscle Car?

Written by Muscle Car Tech

Friday, 07 December 2007

Recent comments by auto engineers in Detroit have suggested that the end of the muscle car could be arriving sooner than you think. Next month is the scheduled unveiling of General Motors’ new model of Corvette, the Corvette ZR1. The chief engineer in charge of designing the Corvette ZR1, Tadge Juechter, has stated that it may be the last performance car produced by the Motor City, as recent legislation regarding the levels of fuel efficiency which auto makers are expected to comply to my make it impossible for such cars to be produced any more in the future. Recent comments by auto engineers in Detroit have suggested that the end of the muscle car could be arriving sooner than you think. Next month is the scheduled unveiling of General Motors’ new model of Corvette, the Corvette ZR1. The chief engineer in charge of designing the Corvette ZR1, Tadge Juechter, has stated that it may be the last performance car produced by the Motor City, as recent legislation regarding the levels of fuel efficiency which auto makers are expected to comply to my make it impossible for such cars to be produced any more in the future. The laws that have recently been passed by President George W. Bush have required that car manufacturers increase the fuel efficiency of the automobiles that they create and that ethanol be used more as a fuel source for cars, decreasing the dependency of the country on foreign oil and improving the impact that the auto industry has on the environment. Other analysts in the auto industry have said that it is unlikely that there will be any forced end to the muscle car – good news for people who are enjoying one of the strongest muscle car style revivals of the past few decades. Arguments that have been made against the end of the muscle car include the fact that the new emissions laws are worded so as to require only that the average fuel efficiency of cars produced by a manufacturer must improve. With the production of more and more smaller cars which have higher fuel efficiency auto makers will be able to adapt to the requirements of the new law while still producing the muscle cars that auto enthusiasts love. This means that there will only be a greater selection of automobiles, and people who want to enjoy the lower costs of gas price shaving hybrids will be able to buy them for city use while people who are interested in purchasing a car for power will still be able to do so. Another thing to remember as laws for the auto industry change is that electric cars may not always be seen as being low power compared to traditional gas guzzling autos. The Tesla Roadster, which is being released this year, combines the attractive stylish design of a muscle car and a tremendous amount of power with the surprising fact that it is entirely battery based. Inexpensive speed may no longer be merely a dream. The entire first year run of the Tesla Roadster is said to be pre-sold already, but there’s always next year if you want to find out just how fast a modern electric car is capable of going. All this leads one to the conclusion that complaints by auto engineers and manufacturers over the new law may just be an inevitable bit of blowback as the new laws come into play, and may not herald the end of the muscle car at all. While the technology behind muscle cars may change as the years go by, it is unlikely that people will ever tire of exhilarating muscle car speed.