How to Make a Muscle Car Handle

Filed in archive Muscle Cars on July 1, 2007

I'm sometimes accused of tuning out when it comes to muscle cars, not giving them their due when the collector car world is prepared to pay outrageous prices for a rare, or even not-so-rare, example. Let me explain. I was test driving cars for various media during the muscle car era and had first-hand experience with most such vehicles. The acceleration was neck-snapping, as it should be when a monster V-8 is stuffed into a compact or mid-size body. Handling, however, left a lot to be desired, especially when compared to the European cars we were also testing. By today's standards, they're less secure through a corner than your average minivan. At least that's the opinion of Hemmings Motor Newsletter, which made me aware, via its latest issue, of a new line of suspension mods aimed at making muscle cars handle as they should have in the beginning. The Hemmings article informs us that tuner company Global West has developed a line of bolt-on suspension and brake components that "improve vehicle handling through enhanced geometry and reduced deflection." Not being a tech guy I won't go into the nuts-and-bolts of how they work but I'm sufficiently impressed with the variety of parts available and the range of cars to which they can be attached. Given a chance to drive one I might even begin to tune in.