Mike Savage, a New Canaan, CT resident, has enjoyed great business success in life. As the founder and CEO of a multi-million dollar virtual accounting firm, Savage knows how to get the best out of a team. Savage recognized early on in his career that small businesses could benefit from the same big four level of service when it came to their accounting practices. It was in that spirit that he created 1-800 Accountants. The business model was a clear focus on eliminating complicated bookkeeping and tax preparation stress for small business owners. In doing so, 1-800 Accountant stands today as one of the largest, small business accounting firms in the nation with over 200,000 businesses as clients. Now, he’s turning his attention to philanthropy. For years New Canaan’s Michael Savage and his wife Sandra have been helping Honduran children and families suffering in poverty by donating clothes, bedding, books and other necessities to families in need of help and a kind heart. To that end, Savage has formed a foundation to raise awareness about the need to feed and clothe children in Honduras. His non-profit organization is called the Savage Rivera Foundation.

5. TOP FIVE CLASSIC MUSCLE CARS

6. TODAY THE TERM MUSCLE CAR REFERS FOR ALL SORTS OF CARS WITH LARGE
ENGINES AND GREAT PERFORMANCE. HOWEVER, "BACK IN THE DAY" IT
DESCRIBED MID-SIZED AUTOMOBILES THAT HAD BIG ENGINES STUFFED
BETWEEN THE FENDER WELLS. CORVETTES, CAMAROS, AND MUSTANGS WERE
NOT CONSIDERED MUSCLE CARS BY THE PURISTS. EVEN TODAY MANY GEAR
HEADS ONLY CONSIDER THE MID SIZED CARS FROM THE 1960'S AS TRUE
MUSCLE CARS. EVERYTHING ELSE IS A SPORTS CAR, PONY CAR OR JUST A PLAIN
OLD CAR.

7. SO WHAT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT OF THESE ORIGINAL MUSCLE CARS? WE
HAVE CHOSEN FIVE OF THE MOST POPULAR CARS FOR A RETRO COMPARISON TO
DETERMINE THE KING OF THE HILL. THE SELECTEES ARE THE 1961 CHEVY
IMPALA SS, THE 1964 PONTIAC GTO, THE 1964 FORD FAIRLANE, THE 1966
DODGE CHARGER AND THE 1968 PLYMOUTH ROAD RUNNER. LET THE
SHOWDOWN BEGIN.

8. 1961 CHEVY IMPALA SS
MANY CONSIDER THIS THE FIRST TRUE MUSCLE CAR. A 409 CUBIC INCH MOTOR
WAS DROPPED INTO THE CHEVY IMPALA AND A LEGEND WAS MADE. WITH THE
HELP OF THE BEACH BOYS AND THEIR SONG ABOUT THE CAR ('SHE'S SO FINE, MY
FOUR-OH-NINE') IT BECAME AN ICON FOR THE BABY BOOMERS. CHEVY'S
MARKETING FOR THE CAR DESCRIBED IT AS DESIGNED "FOR YOUNG MEN ON THE
MOVE...(WHO) WON'T SETTLE FOR LESS THAN REAL DRIVING EXCITEMENT.“
PERFORMANCE WAS VERY GOOD FOR THE ERA WITH MOTOR TREND DRIVING
ONE FROM ZERO TO SIXTY ON SEVEN SECONDS AND COMPLETING THE QUARTER
MILE IN 14 SECONDS AT 98 MPH. THE CAR BECAME A LEGEND.

9. 1964 PONTIAC GTO
THE GTO WAS ANOTHER MARKETING SUCCESS FOR GENERAL MOTORS.
ALTHOUGH THE CAR WAS NOT THE FASTEST CAR ON THE MARKET IT QUICKLY
BECAME SUCCESSFUL AS AN ALL A ROUND MUSCLE CAR. IT WAS RELATIVELY
AFFORDABLE, RELATIVELY FAST AND RELATIVELY HANDSOME. MANY CONSIDER
IT THE FIRST MODERN MUSCLE CAR. ALTHOUGH THAT IS DEBATABLE, IT IS
DEFINITELY THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL MUSCLE CAR IN TERMS OF SALES.
PERFORMANCE WAS VERY GOOD WITH CAR LIFE AND MOTOR TREND BOTH
MEASURING ZERO TO SIXTY TIMES OF LESS THAN SEVEN SECONDS AND
QUARTER MILE TIMES OF AROUND 14 SECONDS.

10. 1964 FORD FAIRLANE
IN 1964 THE FAIRLANE WAS REDESIGNED AND THE TAIL FINS WERE REMOVED.
OTHER IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDED UPGRADES TO THE SUSPENSION IN ORDER TO
IMPROVE RIDE-QUALITY. INTERIOR ENHANCEMENTS INCLUDED FULL CARPETING
FOR THE FLOORS AND TURN SIGNALS THAT TURNED THEMSELVES OFF AFTER THE
STEERING WHEEL WAS TURNED. HOWEVER, THE BIG NEWS FOR 1964 WAS THE
THUNDERBOLT. THE THUNDERBOLT WAS ONE OF FASTEST DRAGSTERS EVER
PRODUCED BY A MANUFACTURER. FORD STUFFED A HEAVILY MODIFIED 427
CUBIC INCH ENGINE WITH TWO FOUR-BARREL CARBURETORS MOUNTED ON A
HIGH-RISER MANIFOLD INTO THE RELATIVELY LIGHT WEIGHT FAIRLANE. THE CAR
HAD A RAM-AIR INDUCTION SYSTEM WITH AIR VENTS MOUNTED IN OPENINGS IN
THE GRILL LEFT BY DELETING THE INBOARD HEADLIGHTS.

11. OTHER MODIFICATIONS INCLUDED: EQUAL-LENGTH HEADERS, A TRUNK-MOUNTED
BATTERY, FIBERGLASS HOOD, DOORS, FENDERS AND FRONT BUMPER,
PLEXIGLASS WINDOWS, AND OTHER LIGHTWEIGHT OPTIONS INCLUDED
DELETING THE REAR DOOR WINDOW WINDERS, CARPETING, RADIO, SEALANT,
SUN VISORS, ARMRESTS, JACK, LUG WRENCH, HEATER, SOUNDPROOFING, AND
PASSENGER SIDE WINDSHIELD WIPER. PERFORMANCE WAS AMAZING. GAS
RONDA DOMINATED NHRA'S 1964 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BY RUNNING HIS
THUNDERBOLT THROUGH THE QUARTER MILE IN 11.6 SECONDS AT 124 MPH.
LATER, THE NHRA CHANGED THE RULES TO REQUIRE 500 MODELS OF A CAR TO
BE MANUFACTURED FOR SUPER STOCK COMPETITION, AND FORD, WHICH HAD
BEEN LOSING $1500 TO $2000 ON EACH THUNDERBOLT SOLD AT THE STICKER
PRICE OF $3900, GAVE UP. IN THE END, IT WAS THE NHRA AND ITS ABILITY TO
CHANGE THE RULES THAT STOPPED THE FORD FROM DOMINATING THE DRAG
STRIPS FOR MANY YEARS.
ALTHOUGH THE FAIRLANE FADED FORM FORD'S PERFORMANCE SPOTLIGHT AS
THE MUSTANG TOOK OFF. IT CAME BACK IN 1966 AND 67 AS A VERY NICE
LOOKING CAR. LARGE ENGINES 'ENCOURAGED' GREAT PERFORMANCE NUMBERS
ALSO.

12. 1966 DODGE CHARGER
ALTHOUGH IT RESEMBLED A CORONET WITH A FASTBACK, THE PRODUCTION
CHARGER CARRIED DESIGN CUES FROM THE CHARGER II CONCEPT CAR. BOTH
MAINTAINED THE SWOOPY FASTBACK THAT WAS VERY POPULAR DURING THE
MID-SIXTIES. THE ELECTRIC SHAVER GRILL USED FULLY ROTATING HEADLIGHTS
THAT WHEN OPENED OR CLOSED MADE THE GRILL LOOK LIKE ONE-PIECE. INSIDE,
THE CHARGER USED FOUR INDIVIDUAL BUCKET SEATS WITH A FULL LENGTH
CONSOLE FROM FRONT TO REAR. THE REAR SEATS AND CONSOLE PAD ALSO
FOLDED DOWN WHICH ALLOWED FOR MORE CARGO ROOM INSIDE. IN THE REAR
THE FULL LENGTH TAILLIGHTS CARRIED THE CHARGER NAME.
THE CAR WAS RADICALLY DIFFERENT THAN ANYTHING ELSE ON THE ROAD AND
WHEN FITTED WITH A STREET HEMI IT WAS ONE OF THE FASTEST CARS ON THE
ROAD. A HEMI EQUIPPED CAR COULD DO ZERO TO SIXTY IN LESS THAN SEVEN
SECONDS AND THE QUARTER MILE IN ABOUT 14 SECONDS. IT WAS A BIG AND
RADICALLY DESIGNED CAR. AND BEST OF AL, IT WAS FAST.

13. 1968 PLYMOUTH ROAD RUNNER
BY 1968, MUSCLE CARS HAD BECOME FAST, LUXURIOUS AND EXPENSIVE. THE
YOUNG PEOPLE THAT CONSISTED OF THE PRIMARY MARKET FOR THESE TYPES
OF TRANSPORTATION HAD BEEN PRICED OUT OF THE MARKET. PLYMOUTH
RECOGNIZED THIS AND EXPLOITED TO ITS FULLEST POTENTIAL. FIRST, THE
STRIPPED DOWN A BELVEDERE TO ITS MOST BASIC FORM AND THEN GAVE IT A
LARGE MOTOR. THEN THE MARKETING DEPARTMENT FOUND A SIMPLE WAY TO
CHANGE THE IMAGE OF THE CAR FROM THAT OF A BARE BONES RACER TO A
UNIQUE AUTOMOBILE. A POPULAR CARTOON CHARACTER AND A UNIQUE HORN
WAS ALL THAT WAS NEED TO BRING THIS CAR TO THE MASSES.
THE ROAD RUNNER WAS AN INSTANT SUCCESS. THE COMBINATION OF
AFFORDABILITY PLUS OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE HAD WON THE DAY AGAIN.
PERFORMANCE WAS REMARKABLE WITH 13 SECOND TIMES FOR THE HEMI AND
15 SECOND TIMES FOR THE BASE ENGINE IN THE QUARTER MILE.

14. THE WINNER
ALL FIVE OF THESE MUSCLE CARS WERE TREND SETTERS IN THEIR DAY. BUT THE
ONE THAT APPEALS TO THIS AUTHOR AS THE GREATEST OF THE EARLY MUSCLE
CARS IS THE 1966 DODGE CHARGER. IT WAS A RADICAL DEPARTURE FROM THE
PAST WITH ITS FAST BACK DESIGN AND THE FOUR PASSENGER BUCKET SEATS. IT
JUST LOOKED LIKE A MUSCLE CAR. PERFORMANCE WAS STRONG AND THE PRICE
WAS REASONABLE. THE 1961 CHEVY IMPALA SUPER SPORT IS A CLOSE SECOND
AND IF MORE HAD BEEN MADE IT MAY HAVE ACTUALLY WON THIS LITTLE
COMPRESSION.