The World of Speed is a motorsports museum located in Wilsonville, Oregon. The museum features about 100 vehicles as well as educational exhibits on motorsports. The Museum’s exhibits change regularly, and they recently had an exhibit featuring muscle cars.
While the 1950s had been the era of the rocket-styled automobiles, the 1960s introduced the concept of muscle cars in which big engines in smaller cars appealed to younger, speed-oriented buyers.
Mopar (“Motor” and “Parts”) in the world of racing and muscle cars refers to Dodge, Plymouth, and Chrysler. By 1965, Dodge and Plymouth had developed a street version of the Hemi engine which was stuffed into intermediate-size cars.
1970 Dodge Challenger Hemi Convertible
According to the Museum display:
“When the Dodge Challenger rolled out in 1970, it was a latecomer in the ‘pony car’ wars kicked off by the Ford Mustang. While its Chrysler E-body brother, the Plymouth Barracuda, was designed to compete with the Mustang and Chevy Camaro, the Challenger was envisioned as a slightly more luxurious car, a rival to the similarly upscale Mercury Cougar and Pontiac Firebird.”
1971 Plymouth Hemi Barracuda
According to the Museum display:
“The 1970 redesign of the Plymouth Barracuda hit at the climax of the muscle car period, and—in divorcing the Barracuda from its Plymouth Valiant roots—helped the ‘Cuda shed its economy-car image in the eyes of the public.”
2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat
According to the Museum display:
“As part of the muscle car renaissance, the rereleased Dodge Challenger combined the iconic aesthetics of its classic forebears with modern technology and luxury.”
1969 Dodge Charger Daytona Hemi
According to the Museum display:
“With a sleek nose that improved downforce and reduced drag and a 23-inch-tail wing in back to balance things out, it was a car built for speed. It was as fast as it looks; on March 24, 1970, Buddy Baker topped 200 mph in a tire test at Talladega.”
1967 Plymouth Belvedere Hemi GTX
According to the Museum display:
“The Belvedere GTX was a gentlemen’s muscle car; it was designed to blend powerhouse performance with the class and style of the Belvedere, Plymouth’s mid-size brand.”
1969 AMC Hurst SC/Rambler
According to the Museum display:
“What do you get when you take a manufacturer’s smallest, most budget-oriented compact car, and you cram the largest engine the factory has to offer into the front? Whatever it is, it probably looks a lot like the SC/Rambler, because that’s exactly what AMC and Hurst Performance did.”