A muscle car is an American term referring to a variety of high-performance automobiles typically classified as domestic 2-door cars with rear-wheel drive and powerful V8 engines designed for high-performance driving. Muscle cars were sold at an affordable price and intended for street use and occasional drag racing.

The official definition of a muscle car, at least according to Merriam-Webster back in 1966, is “a group of American-made two-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving.”

The term "muscle car" originally applied to mid-1960s "performance"-oriented street cars produced to fill a newly recognized niche, and entered the general vocabulary through car magazines and automobile marketing and advertising.

The “Muscle Car” has roots dating back to the late 1940’s, evolving out of post-WWII American hot rod culture and into a segment all its own. By the 1960’s and 1970’s, the term was broadly given to 2-door, 2-row American sport cars that boasted powerful V8 engines that sent power to the rear wheels.

The term muscle car came about to describe cars from the late 1960s and early 1970s. These American muscle cars were automakers' sportiest midsize cars fitted with powerful V8 engines — think Pontiac GTO, Dodge Hemi Charger or big-block Chevy Chevelle.