Take Our American Muscle Car Personality Test! What Kind of Muscle Car Enthusiast Are You? Does it take a ‘type’ of person to enjoy classic American muscle cars? Find out what kind of muscle car enthusiast you are in our personality test by having a read of our 5 main types of personalities. We won’t patronisingly give you little letters and numbers to add up. You can decide for yourself. You might recognise yourself instantly or find yourself spread across a couple; let us know how you do on our @Instagram! (Remember, this personality test is just a bit of fun. But you never know: it might open your eyes to new nooks and crannies of the muscle car world, or maybe understand it from another perspective.) 1. The Golden-Agers “Because they’re ‘real’.” Golden-Agers tend to: Always go for classic when choosing upgrades or restoration paths. Research a lot of ‘classic’ looks and the history behind each Camaro or Ford Mustang before making a decision. Take pride in the skill it takes to drive classic cars. The kind of ease and strength of movement that develop from hours of practice and devoted care. Be willing to travel to find that one dealership or garage for the parts or bodywork they need. These days it’s easy to get lost in all the technological features of modern cars, from Bluetooth connections to inbuilt-GPS, touchscreen computers, sophisticated reversing and self-driving programming. Golden-Agers really enjoy the rustic simplicity of the old designs in muscle cars. ‘Real’ manual transmissions, mechanical rollup windows and nothing automatic. They like that they are built of iron and steel, so that a dent can usually be straightened out. They like that certain parts will fit and work on multiple cars. In Stan Hanks’ words, they like cars that “weren’t mass-produced like toasters, but functional works of art.” Perhaps most of all, Golden-Agers enjoy that it takes skill to drive classic cars. Like most hobbies, it takes time and effort to get good at them. With no gimmicks to get in the way – or worse, to try and rectify our driving mistakes – there is less opportunity to develop careless habits. In a classic, you don’t learn to drive with side-wheels, you learn to drive without screwing up. 2. The Designers Designers tend to: Go for ‘original’ when they can get it, but will consider ‘quirky’ if it adds a personality trait to their car Draw a lot of their research from films, posters, advertisements and catalogues – anything with the aesthetic to set the scene. LOVE upgrades and restoration. It’s not all modern plastic. Just another opportunity to tinker and fine-tune the finer points of their car. If you can have the look, feel and sound of a classic while keeping warm and avoiding period-specific mechanical issues, then what’s to lose? Appreciate any boundary-pushing elements of car designs (including modern ones) before anything else. If the car lacks in character but the speed and handling are too good to be true, give it a go! If the engine could do with more power, but those sleek lines and plush interior bring to mind your favourite Old Hollywood films, what are we waiting for? Focus on details: options, colours, fabrics, patterns, specs! It’s usually love at first sight for Designer classic car enthusiasts. The charm of old cars is difficult to deny: anyone mechanically inept and their mother would turn and look around at an AC Cobra or Shelby GT 500 roaring around the corner. ‘Analogue’ is a good word for it. Back when those elegant shapes and flowing lines we know and love were traced with pen and paper, instead of vector-loving computer software used by modern designers. Designers long for the days before the seventies, when a greater number of car companies (each significantly smaller than today) consistently delivered distinctive looks, always pushing engineering and design boundaries. (Read more on design evolution in our muscle car reviews). Two-seaters with an engine in the back and three-wheeled cars were daring moves, as well as wooden flooring and inserting new gears. Incredibly varied options included detachable and mobile roofing for convertibles, bi-tone, spoilers, and racers. In other words, Designers seek cars that look like they were meant for particular and separate owners, who take on the characteristics of those people. Quirks of the cars, what today many of us would call ‘problems’, were known and loved as part of the car’s personality. Cars back then were a funnel for expression. They still are, because now the genres ‘classic’ and ‘timeless’ are how the Designers of the world indulge in nostalgia. Classic muscle cars are still held as an echo of a long-gone era, which Designers are doing their best to revive and remember. According to many of Muscle Car UK’s customers, Mustangs are particularly nostalgic. 3. The Visionaries Visionaries tend to: Not always know what they’re looking for until they see it. Having the choice is paramount. Daydream about classic muscle cars in their time period, picturing the model they would have bought. They think about all the details, from the trim of the wheels, to the badge, colour of the interior and size of the grille. Focus on style. Half the fun of driving muscle cars is people watching you. Prioritise looks over specs. A classic car isn’t just an object, it’s a gateway to a whole era and priceless aesthetic. Visionaries are all about the aesthetic. They can find choosing cars tricky because they love variety and options. They find it easier in the US, whose sheer size and status as the birthplace of muscle cars mean there is greater choice there. Classic cars for sale in the US are also often in better condition than in Europe, where the climate is often less suitable to maintaining classic cars. Read more on how to find the best muscle cars out there. Visionaries tend to go for bigger, louder, flashier. But it’s not always about speed. After all, people can only take a good look if you slow down. But what makes up for that is sound. There’s nothing in the world that will make a Visionary go weak at the knees than the roar of a freshly-tuned V8 engine, especially if that engine stands any chance of becoming theirs. 4. The Empaths. “There’s a personal bond with each car.” Empath muscle car enthusiasts tend to: Be mechanically-minded and very hands-on. Know the ins and outs of the maintenance of classic muscle cars Predict the behaviour and/or deterioration of a car so quickly it feels like intuition. Think of their cars as one big organism, and more than the sum of its parts. They form bonds and close understanding with each car in their care. Know exactly where to look for an answer, even if isn’t obvious at first. Armed with an affinity for all things moving, the wealth of internet knowledge at their fingertips, and their own deft use of a spanner, there’s very little they can’t figure out by themselves. The ‘vets’ of classic cars (that could stand for ‘veteran’ as much as ‘veterinary’, by the way), Empaths naturally connect to their cars on a very observational level. They know every habit and trait of their charges, from smooth handling to cranky engines, and effortlessly run their diagnostics from there. They tend to only need assistance with aesthetic-related fixes. Everything from routine maintenance to repairs is a quest. With classic cars, Empaths know there’s always a certain amount of research involved, and knowledge to be gathered from sources you might not expect. American muscle cars were built in a time when ‘routine maintenance’ didn’t mean ‘go to the dealer when the service light comes on’. It was personal, and frequent. Each Empath car owner forms their own routine according to their car model, commute, lifestyle and level of knowledge. 5. The Adventurers “It’s as much about the people and the memories as the cars themselves.” Adventurers tend to: Be the life and soul of classic car events like salons or Goodwood SpeedWeek. They know everyone, make introductions, remember names and faces and have a knack for making useful connections. Recall details about anything from manufacturing dates to auction prices. Participate in rallies, auctions, car shows, salons and exhibitions as often as possible. Trust and hire specialists to maintain and fix their car. Extremely knowledgeable on the big picture, but less so on the internal microcosms of muscle cars, they prefer to entrust their beloved classic into the mechanical expertise of professionals. Some of the best things about getting introduced to classic cars are the new places, new friends, and great memories that last forever. It’s not uncommon to hear stories along the lines of “Well, I always loved old cars, but I never knew who to turn to for advice, so I founded my own group on…” Countless groups, societies, mailing lists and forums have been founded as a result of a shared passion, and a very human need to nudge like-minded people and excitedly point at something. Adventurers are intensely aware that a great deal of the underlying emotion around classic muscle car is good old nostalgia. Classic cars aren’t just about speed, practicality or efficiency, but the exclusivity of the experience. And style! You can’t fake style. That’s the beauty of it. Want in? A good Mustang has already had a good life, and we’re helping to continue it. Let us know your muscle car personality type! Reach out on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. To browse our American muscle cars for sale, click here. Liked This Article? More Like This: Ladies With Drive – Charlotte Vowden Tips on How To Prepare Your Car For Summer