These days, it is good to be a muscle car. Ford, GM, and Chrysler, despite their precarious positions in the automotive marketplace, are selling muscle cars left and right. The Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger have rekindled performance enthusiasm in retiring baby boomers and new car nuts alike. The Camaro in particular has been received with unbridled enthusiasm, outpacing its crosstown rivals in both sales and available aftermarket variants.

This begs the question though, with today’s emphasis on fuel economy and fiscal responsibility, is there room for muscle cars in the Big Three’s lineup? Could we see more old names brought back to life? Muscle cars used to make up a majority of the offerings from the Big Three in their heyday; could we see an influx of old names returning to the marketplace, infusing the lineup with the mark of heritage?

While there is no way to answer that question definitively, we can safely say there are at least five muscle cars that, for one reason or another, are very unlikely to ever grace a dealer showroom again.

Oldsmobile 442

During its 107 history, Oldsmobile worst enemy was always its own name. Yet they still managed to put out some very competitive and interesting muscle cars during their peak in the 1960’s. The 442 was no doubt the best known of Old’s muscle cars, an option package for the Cutlass and F-85 models that eventually became its own model in 1968. The 4-4-2 designation came from the four barrel carburetor, four speed transmission and dual exhaust pipes. Eventually, legendary automaker Hurst even made a modified version of the 442, one of the most desirable collector cars out there today.

Why we’ll never see it again: Oldsmobile was killed by GM in 2004, costing that company over a $1 billion in closing costs and shutting the door forever on names like Cutlass and 442.

Plymouth Road Runner

Plymouth, like Oldsmobile, is a brand dead and buried in the annals of automotive history. But it is a brand even better remembered for its outrageous muscle car history. No car better emphasizes this point better than the Plymouth Road Runner. Essnetially a rebadged b-body, Chrysler paid $50,000 to Warner Brothers in 1968 to use the name and trademark “meep-meep” horn (which cost another $10,000 to develop). The Road Runner was no doubt popular among the youth, although the meaning behind the name would no doubt be lost on today’s youth. Available with a Hemi engine, it was almost a cartoon caricature of itself, separating itself from the pack not with more power or outrageous looks, but instead, a silly name and horn.

Why we’ll never see it again: No Plymouth, no Road Runner, though you can pay just a shade under a $1 million to get a concept car on eBay.

Mercury Cougar

Mercury has always been rather oddly positioned in the Ford lineup. During the 60’s, it was considered Ford’s upscale brother brand, while in the 70’s it became more akin to a younger sibling of Lincoln with a huge body and lofty price tags. The first and second generation Cougars were based on Mustang body styles, sporting Mustang engines, and were only available with V8 engines (even the Boss 302 was available in the Eliminator package). But in the mid 70’s, both Mercury and the Cougar shifted away from muscle cars, and into the entry-level luxury market. The final Cougar came in sport compact flavor, but failed to ignite any passion among would-be buyers before fizzling out in 2003, probably forever.

Why we’ll never see it again: Ford has announced plans to import a small SUV from Europe named the Kuga, and there are no plans to expand the Mustang platform into Mercury.

Picture: DougW.

Chevrolet Impala

There is really only one word to describe the Impala; big. Everything about this car has always been big, especially its big-block, SS powered versions. The zenith of Impala styling came in the early 1960s, when it could be had with a 409 big block engine. In the mid 90’s, GM returned brought the Impala SS back from 1994 to 1996, based on the Caprice body style and equipping it with the LT1 V8 engine, making the car an instant cult classic before reverting back to front wheel drive format in 1997. It remains iconic in the eyes of many, though relegated mostly to rental fleet duty these days.

Why we’ll never see it again: The Impala name lives on, but Maximum Bob Lutz has pledged it will remain a front wheel drive vehicle, crushing the hopes of Impala SS enthusiasts everywhere.

Ford Torino

The Ford Torino was an intermediate muscle car designed as an upscale version of the Fairlane. It was always a more quiet muscle car, going through numerous body altercations between 1968 and 1976 when the car line was cancelled, never quite establishing itself as a market performer. Still, there were many high power versions of the Torino, such as the Cobra, King Cobra, and Talladega. Plus, the car gained widespread notoriety for its constant stunk work in the television show Starsky & Hutch, and Clint Eastwood directed and starred in a recent movie named Gran Torino, giving the quiet muscle car a much-needed one up.

Why we’ll never see it again: While time hasn’t forgotten the Torino, Ford executives likely have. However, there may be a glimmer of hope, as Ford recently announced it was bringing a new Police Interceptor to market in 2011; might a civilian version be named the Torino? It would go with the whole cop theme, after all.