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A muscle car is a high-performance automobile. The term principally refers to American, Australian and South African models with large-capacity engines produced between 1964 and 1973 for American cars and between 1968 and 1976 for Australian cars.

The term muscle car generally describes a rear wheel drive mid-size car with a large, powerful engine (typically, although not universally, a V8 engine) and special trim, intended for maximum torque on the street or in drag racing competition. It is distinguished from sports cars, which were customarily and coincidentally considered smaller, two-seat cars, or GTs, two-seat or 2+2 cars intended for high-speed touring and possibly road racing. High-performance full-size or compact cars are arguably excluded from this category, as are the breed of compact sports coupes inspired by the Ford Mustang, the "pony car". Another factor used in defining classic muscle cars are their age and country of origin. A classic muscle car is usually but not necessarily made in the US or Australia between 1964 and 1975.