DAILY DIRT: Muscle cars have been ‘as much a part of the country’s fabric as baseball and apple pie’

We’ll soon be saying good-bye to the Chevrolet Malibu … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,086 of The Daily Dirt

1. If you grew up in the era of the original muscle cars, this news is borderline tragic.

General Motors has announced it is discontinuing another Chevrolet model — the iconic Malibu — that years ago was among its most popular. But in the era of the electric vehicles and SUVs, those old muscle brands have sadly become dinosaurs.

Malibu production will end in November, leaving Chevrolet’s mainstream brand only selling trucks, SUVs and the iconic Corvette in the United States. Earlier this year, Chevy let us know the once-popular Camaro brand would be another casualty of this era. The final sixth-generation Camaros came off assembly lines about nine months ago, according to information supplied by Chevrolet.

Johnny Hunkins, a contributor to motortrend.com, once wrote how difficult it would be to imagine an America without the ’60s-style muscle cars — those with an above-average ability to accelerate … and looked so good doing just that. 

“They’re as much a part of the country’s fabric as baseball and apple pie,” Hunkins wrote in 2023.
But, sadly, here we are. Even though many “car guys” remain fascinated with muscle cars — and that particular era of the 1960s and 1970s — the reality is that future generations will never realize the thrill of hearing, seeing or even feeling the power of such magnificent rides as a Pontiac GTO, Plymouth Superbird, Plymouth ‘Cuda … or a Malibu. For argument’s sake, here are my favorite muscle cars from that bygone era:

Gold medal: 1969 Chevrolet COPO Chevelle, top speed: 140 mph. About 300 were built, and an estimated 66 remain, according to Motor Trend.

Silver medal: 1967 Ford Shelby Mustang GT 500, called by writer Dennis Kariuki Njoki “the most famous special variant of the original pony car,” with a top speed of 132 mph.

Bronze medal: 1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88. Corvettes from the muscle-car era were both lightweight and refined, not necessarily features that match the definition of a true muscle car. But Chevrolet’s most famous brand has always been considered a part of the muscle family. “Stand next to an L88 Corvette when it starts and you can practically feel the big Holley 850 carburetor fighting to pull the air out of your lungs,” according to edmunds.com. “There have been faster Corvettes than the L88, but none more uncompromisingly aggressive.” The car’s actual horsepower was around 550, with a top speed of 193 mph.

Honorable mention: 1967 Chevrolet Camaro L78, 1967 Mercury Cougar GT-E.

2. Did you know (Part 151)

That legendary rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix once claimed the best overall guitarist he had ever seen was country artist Roy Clark.

• That the much-anticipated Snickers bar with pecans is now on the market.
• That strawberry-flavored Goldfish snack crackers are now available for public consumption.
• That it would be a good idea to have a cold drink nearby when trying the new Totino’s “Spicy Hellfire Club” Pizza Rolls.
• That Pumpkin Spice Twinkies have returned to supermarket shelves. Oh joy …

3. Here are the payrolls of the four teams remaining in the MLB playoffs;

• New York Mets: $341.5 million
• New York Yankees: $303.8 million
• Los Angeles Dodgers: $288.8 million
• Cleveland Guardians: $106.8 million

Steve Thought O’ The Day — Shohei Ohtani is pretty much a given to become the first DH to win the National League MVP award. Have you stopped to think that The Great Ohtani will also be PITCHING in 2025?

Steve Eighigner writes daily for Muddy River News. The Dodgers should probably look at using Ohtani as a high-leverage reliever, given his durability issues when it comes to pitching.