Muscle car power vs compact car power?

A muscle car is a high-performance automobile. The term principally refers to American, Australian and South African models and generally describes a 2-door rear wheel drive mid-size car with a large, powerful 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. Other factors used in defining classic muscle cars are their age and country of origin. A classic muscle car is usually made in the US or Australia between 1964 and 1975.

Notably, the term "muscle car" did not enter common usage until after production of the cars had essentially ended. During their heyday, print media usually referred to this class of vehicle as "supercars". An alternate definition is based on power-to-weight ratio, defining a muscle car as an automobile with (for example) fewer than 12 lb (5.4 kg) per rated 1 horsepower (0.7 kW).

Such definitions are inexact, thanks to a wide variation in curb weight depending on options and to the questionable of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) gross hp ratings in use before 1972, which were often deliberately overstated or underrated for various reasons. Focus on performance among the major American automakers after World War II was rekindled by the Chrysler 300 letter series in 1955. They can be considered the muscle car's ancestors, though much more luxurious, expensive, exclusive, and larger in size.

Other makes soon offered high-performance engines in their "standard"-sized models. The idea of installing a powerful engine in a post WWII mid-size car was introduced in 1957. The American Motors (AMC) Rebel showcased AMC’s new 327 cu in (5.4 L) V8 producing 255 horsepower (190.2 kW) with a 4-barrel carburetor (fuel injection was to be optional), thus making it the first American budget-priced and intermediate-sized, factory hot-rod hardtop sedan.

The Rambler Rebel came with a manual or automatic transmission, and dual exhaust. The Rebel was promoted as the fastest four-door car in America from 0–60 mph (0–96.6 km/h) and ran the quarter mile in 17.0 seconds. It was one of the quickest production automobiles at that time.

The popularity of the muscle car grew in the early 1960s. Among these was the 1962 Dodge Dart 413 cu in (6.8 L) Max Wedge, with mid-13-second 1/4-mile performance at over 100 mph. Both Mopar (Dodge, Plymouth, and Chrysler) and Ford battled in the early 1960s for drag racing supremacy; these were the true muscle cars that ruled the road and the strip.

For 1964 and 1965, Ford had its 427 cu in (7 L) Thunderbolts and Mopar unveiled the mighty 426 cu in (7 L) Hemi engine. The Pontiac GTO was an option package that included Pontiac's 389 cu in (6.4 L) V8 engine, floor-shifted transmission with Hurst shift linkage, and special trim.