Muscle cars are a key part of American automotive culture and some of the most popular cars on the planet. Over the decades, automotive manufacturers such as Ford and Chevrolet have produced exceptional muscle cars that continue to this day.
This list will contain 13 of the best muscle cars enthusiasts know and love in history. It will mix modern and classic muscle cars, giving as much variety as possible to showcase as many eras of the muscle car as possible.
First-Generation Ford Mustang
The first generation of the Ford Mustang is the most iconic muscle car in history. The original pony car kick-started the muscle car revolution of the 1960s, and despite a few missteps along the way, the Mustang has remained a core part of the muscle car landscape.
The Mustang’s long hood and short deck made the new muscle car instantly recognizable and proved very popular with consumers. Although the base model only had an inline-six under the hood, the Mustang became most famous for its association with the Ford big and small block V8 engines. One of the best-loved versions of the first-gen Mustang is the 1964 289 HiPo “K-code” with 271 hp and 312 lb-ft of torque.
1987 Buick GNX
In the late 1980s, Buick wanted to give its Grand National a fitting send-off. So, the American manufacturer enlisted the help of McLaren and their USA division to do just that. McLaren worked their magic and created a muscle car monster.
Under the hood, the turbocharged 3.8-liter V6 engine gained extra power to 276 hp and 360 lb-ft of torque. However, Buick’s estimate is widely believed to be conservative, and the engine produced over 300 hp. The stealthy appearance of the GNX earned it the nickname “Darth Vader’s Car,” which was also thanks to its release at the height of the popularity of the Star Wars films.
1969 ½ Dodge Super Bee A12
The Dodge Super Bee was essentially a higher-performance version of the Dodge Coronet. 1968, it came with a 383 ci V8 or the massive 426 ci Hemi engine. However, halfway through the 1969 model year, Dodge added the 440 ci Six-Pack engine to the range, and this Super Bee gained the option code A12.
The A12 Super Bee had 390 hp and 490 lb-ft of torque, the same as the Hemi 426 version. To differentiate it from other Super Bees, the A12 had a matte-black fiberglass lift-off hood plus a large Ford-facing scoop on the hood. A little-known fact is that the Six-Pack A12 Super Bees went through their final assembly outside the Dodge factory at the Create Industries plant in Detroit.
Plymouth Superbird
The iconic Plymouth Superbird is one of the most recognizable muscle cars. This is mostly thanks to its streamlined shape and the outrageous speeds that the Superbird produced while trying to dominate NASCAR in 1960. That shape and the large rear wing saw the Superbird and its sibling, the Dodge Charger Daytona, become the “aero-cars.”
The speeds became so frightening, and with rivals such as Ford producing cars to match them, NASCAR had to do something. The series banned aero specs on vehicles with engines bigger than 305 cubic inches, making the Superbird obsolete. By 1972, the Superbird was gone, and NASCAR returned to more conventional-looking cars.
1969 AMX/3
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The 1969 AMX/3 is a muscle car you have likely never heard of, and there is a good reason for that. The exotic-looking AMX/3 never entered production despite its promising promise. The car was an international affair and a collaboration between an AMC team led by Head of Design Dick Teague, ItalDesign, and Italian engineer Giotto Bizzarrini. BMW also helped out with the development of the AMX/3.
The AMX/3 wasn’t light at 3,300 lbs, but an AMC 390 ci V8 engine under the hood produced 340 hp. Performance figures were good, too, with a 0-60 mph time of just over five seconds and a top speed of 170 mph. However, the car never made it to AMC showrooms, mainly because it would have cost close to $15,000 to sell.
1989–95 Ford Thunderbird SC
The 1980s was, for the most part, a lean period for muscle car enthusiasts. We all know about the disaster of the early Chevrolet Camaros of the decade, but an exception to that rule is the 1989-’95 Ford Thunderbird SC, which showed muscle cars were getting good again towards the end of the 1980s.
Under the hood was an offshoot of the Ford Windsor V8, a Ford V6 producing 210 hp and 315 lb-ft of torque. This was enough to match the Chevrolets and Dodges of the time and showed enthusiasts that muscle cars were starting to fight back. Ford upgraded the engine in 1994, boosting power to 230 hp and 330 lb-ft of torque, and across the 1/4 mile, the Thunderbird SC was fast, able to pull passes of 15 seconds.
Jensen Interceptor
It might be a British car and not American, but the Jensen Interceptor is every bit a muscle car like the first-generation Mustang. Jensen went to Chrysler for the powertrain of the Interceptor, and under the hood, they gave their British muscle car the small block LA V8, so the cult following of the Interceptor began.
Jensen went bigger and bolder with the Interceptor with the introduction of the Jensen SP. This was a mighty version of the Interceptor, thanks to its 440 ci V8 engine producing 330 hp. It is also one of the rarest muscle car versions, with Jensen producing just 232 of them.
1970 Oldsmobile 442
Amidst all the Dodges, Chevrolets, and Fords, it is easy to forget that Oldsmobile was once a massive player in the muscle car world. One of the finest Oldsmobiles was the 442 because of its four-barrel carburetor, four-speed manual transmission, and dual-exhaust setup.
The 442 shared its platform with the Chevrolet Chevelle SS and Pontiac GTO, and after just being a trim level, by 1970, the 442 was its model. Under the hood, you could get a 442 ci big block V8 engine and add in the W30 parts available; the Oldsmobile 442 produced 360 hp and a whopping 550 lb-ft of torque. The 0-60 mph time was also impressive, with the 442 able to hit it in less than six seconds.
1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429
Ford has produced some genuinely exceptional versions of the Mustang over the years. However, one of the highlights is the remarkable 1969 Mustang Boss 429. At the time, NASCAR was going through its best period up to that point, and Ford wanted a slice of that action with a massive V8 under the hood of the Mustang.
This led to the creation of the 375 hp, 429 ci V8 engine, one of the most powerful ever to sit in a Mustang. However, many believe Ford was conservative with this estimate, with the actual power figure closer to 500 hp. Ford had to work hard to cram the massive V8 into the Mustang. However, after it proved troublesome, Ford gave up on racing the Boss 429 and produced 1,356 examples for road-going use.
Equus Bass 770
Of all the muscle cars on this list, the Equus Bass 770 is the most unusual. It is a modern muscle car with a mixture of old and contemporary, with the company behind it taking inspiration from classic versions of the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, and Dodge Charger, to name just a few.
Even the interior sports a vintage look with retro gauges, although it’s pretty modern. The Bass 770 has the performance to back up its design thanks to a 6.2-liter LS9 supercharged V8 engine. This monster powertrain produces 640 hp and 605 lb-ft of torque, and the 0-60 mph time is an impressive 3.4 seconds.
Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
How do you make an already mighty and potent muscle car even more of a monster? By shoving a 6.2-liter turbocharged V8 engine under the hood. That is exactly what Chevrolet did with the Camaro ZL1, one of the best muscle cars of the modern generation.
That massive turbocharged V8 engine produces 650 hp and 605 lb-ft of torque, propelling the beast to a 0-60 mph time of just 3.5 seconds. Like the other versions of the Camaro, the ZL1 bowed out in 2024 as Chevrolet withdrew its muscle car from its lineup. With no return on the horizon, it’s likely we have now seen the last of the formidable ZL1.
2006 Pontiac GTO
While classic versions of the Pontiac GTO are the most fondly remembered, its last call in 2006 is very underrated. The sleek and subtle 2006 GTO was a sleeper, and this underdog had a 6.2-liter V8 engine under the hood, good enough for 400 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque. It still has the power to take on modern sports cars in a very discreet package.
General Motors products of the mid-2000s could age poorly, especially concerning the interior. That is no problem with the 2006 GTO, which has a classy and refined interior and some neat red gauges on the dashboard that hint at its muscular credentials. The 2006 Pontiac GTO is an underrated classic and shows us that muscle cars can sometimes be very discreet.
Dodge Magnum SRT8
It might stretch the truth about what a muscle car is, but the Dodge Magnum SRT8 is worthy of a mention on this list. The Magntum SRT8 is, in reality, a muscle wagon, combining all of the practicality of your typical station wagon with the performance and ferociousness of a muscle car.
This grocery-getter has a monster 6.1-liter Hemi V8 engine under the hood, producing 425 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque. It might be big, but it is good enough for a 0-60 mph time of just 5.1 seconds, and the top speed is a jaw-dropping 170 mph. The Magnum SRT8 still holds a candle to more modern machines, and it’s one of the most underrated muscle cars of the last two decades.
