USA
U.S.< producers made the milestones and have written history of coupe cars. Till the 80's, American coupe did not have competition in size and body volume of engines and automatic transmissions and rear drives. The first car with front-wheel drive was the Oldsmobile Toronado. Luxury coupe in length measured more than 5 meters and an average of nearly 5.5 m or up to 6 meters. These vehicles had engines with a volume, which was used in Europe in trucks. V8 engines have become synonymous. Today, they are very popular among collectors and hobbyists. By the 80's and till downsizing, American vehicles did not have nearly any competition in design and performance. American coupes are roughly divided into muscle cars and prestigious coupes with the comfort of a Saloon. Producers were forced to reduce the size and volume of the body and the engine power in the 80's. From then on, certain models were not able to achieve the same fame and popularity of earlier generations. Only Corvette and Mustang managed to maintain their reputation. In the 90’s several prestigious coupes were removed from production such as the; Buick Riviera, Ford Thunderbird and others. Recently producers brought back to life names of the icons Camaro and charger. Unfortunately the global crisis resulted the end of certain marks that used to mean fame and success. It may be reawakened in a decade.
For the automotive enthusiasts it is difficult to understand that in the past, when the purchasing power was smaller, so many marks were able to survive. Manufacturers have launched very large number of models in comparison with Europe.
The Muscle car is a peculiarly American type of sports car, popular from the 1960s until a combination of spiralling insurance costs and the 1973 energy crisis largely killed off the category. A smaller offshoot, the Pony car, still exists in the form of the Ford Mustang. The epitome of brute-force power, these cars shoe-horned giant engines into mid-sized cars (by the then US standard) which were often, from the factory, inadequate to handle the power and performance; handling was subordinate to straight-line acceleration. • Chevrolet Camaro • Chevrolet Chevelle • Dodge Charger • Mercury Cougar • Plymouth Barracuda • Plymouth Road Runner • Plymouth Superbird • Pontiac GTO
