13 Iconic American Muscle Cars
There is nothing more American than the muscle car. With considerable V8 power, bold and beautiful designs, and the ability to burn rubber and tear up the drag strip, there is nothing quite like the American muscle car.
Names such as Ford Mustang, Dodge Charger, Pontiac GTO, and Plymouth Barracuda resonate with muscle car enthusiasts. Although there have been some genuinely brilliant muscle cars since the 1960s, only a handful can gain iconic status.
We’ve gathered 13 of the finest American muscle cars to showcase the best of American muscle. We chose these cars based on their legacy, design, and, of course, performance.
First-Generation Ford Mustang
While it might appear an obvious choice, the first-generation Ford Mustang is undoubtedly one of the finest muscle cars ever produced. Ford launched the Mustang in 1964 for the 1965 model year, and its popularity skyrocketed quickly.
Key to this was the design, with the long hood and short deck becoming wildly popular with the American public. It would even force rivals to follow suit and adopt similar designs. While base models had Thriftpower inline-six engines under the hood, the Ford small and big block V8s made the Mustang and caused its popularity to rise further.
Plymouth Superbird
In the late 1960s, Chrysler was looking to dominate NASCAR, so it came up with the Dodge Charger Daytona, followed by the Plymouth Superbird. These two became the “aero-cars” with their massive rear wings and incredible top speed, unlike anything NASCAR had seen before.
Plymouth introduced the Superbird in 1970. It had an advantage over the Charger Daytona as it was quicker on the drag strip and faster on acceleration thanks to the increased downforce of its nose and wing.
Power came from either the 426 ci 7.0-liter Hemi V8 or the 440 ci 7.2-liter Super Commando V8, with the Hemi the rarer of the two. The world record for a Superbird auction was at Barrett-Jackson in Las Vegas 2022, where a Hemi version sold for $1.65 million.
Buick GNX
It’s not the prettiest muscle car produced, but it’s easily one of the most dramatic. The Buick GNX came about after Buick decided to give the Regal a big farewell. So, they partnered up with McLaren’s U.S. division to create the GNX, which became the final form of the Regal.
McLaren worked their magic to tune the 3.8-liter V6 engine, adding Garrett turbocharging that boosted the power to 276-hp and 360 lb-ft of torque. Yet this was a conservative estimate from Buick, with the actual figures around 300-hp and 420 lb-ft of torque. With so few produced, Buick GNXs are now worth at least $300,000.
1981 Ford Mustang McLaren M81
One of the most unknown versions of the Mustang is also one of the most striking. The gas crisis of the 1970s hurt muscle car performance figures, but Ford partnered with McLaren’s U.S. engine division to rectify that. The partnership came thanks to Ford’s success at the 1981 24 Horus of Daytona, which featured a car built by McLaren and Motorcraft.
McLaren worked magic on the Fox-Body Mustang’s engine to create the gorgeous Papaya Mustang M81. Under the hood, the 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder now produced 174-hp with its “hot rod tune-up,” a respectable figure for the early 1980s. The M81 is now ultra-rare, with Ford and McLaren only producing ten.
1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88
Traditionally, the Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car, not a muscle car. However, the Corvette L88 very much falls into the muscle category. Chevrolet added a massive racing package to the Corvette, with a big block V8 under the hood, solid lifters, and Can-Am-spec cylinder heads.
For various reasons, Chevrolet only spoke about the L88 in hushed tones and kept quiet about the project. The L88 itself wasn’t quiet, as the highly modified 427 ci V8 produced between 540-580-hp despite the factory officially stating it made 435 hp. This was good enough for the L88 to run the 1/4 mile in just 11 seconds, and now this muscle icon is worth up to $1 million.
1964 Pontiac GTO
While the Ford Mustang shook up the muscle car segment, it is widely acknowledged that the car that started it all is the 1964 Pontiac GTO. Production began in September 1963, and while initially offered as an optional package for the mid-size Pontiac Tempest, the GTO soon became a model in its own right.
It made history, becoming the first truly mass-market muscle car to use a big displacement engine. The 389 ci 6.4-liter V8 replaced the Tempest’s 140-hp six-cylinder engine. At the top of the GTO tree was the triple carburetor 348-hp package. For a car that came out in the early 1960s, the GTO was very impressive, with a 0-60 mph time of just 5.7 seconds.
1967 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake
The 1967 Shelby Cobra Super Snake is the muscle car to end all muscle cars. The late Carroll Shelby designed the 427 Super Snake to become the ultimate street-legal version of the Shelby Cobra. He shoved a massive 7.0-liter V8 under the hood to achieve this and added two superchargers to the engine.
This meant the Cobra now produced a frightening 800-hp. Shelby would only make two examples of the Super Snake: one he kept for himself and the other he sold to comedian Bill Cosby. However, Cosby returns it after becoming terrified by its power, so Shelby sells it to Tony Maxey. Sadly, Maxey crashed and destroyed the Cobra after the throttle stuck open, causing him to lose control and the car to plunge off a cliff.
1984 Chevrolet C4 Corvette ZR-1
The stunning 1984 C4 Corvette ZR-1 is another Chevy Corvette that can easily claim to be a muscle car. It was a rare bright spot in a difficult time for performance cars, with a 32-valve 5.7-liter V8 engine under the hood producing 380-hp and 370 lb-ft of torque.
Design-wise, the C4 ZR-1 is one of the best Chevrolets ever produced. It was sleek, stylish, and sporty, and the ZR-1 was a massive boost over the relatively weak and meager 205-hp small-block version of the C4. The C4 ZR-1 was the first ultra-performance Corvette since the 1960s, and it has become one of the most desirable on the classic car market.
1965 Ford Shelby Mustang GT350
Following the new Ford Mustang launch, Carroll Shelby and his team didn’t take long to extract even more performance from it. Shelby upgraded the Mustang to make it better suited for racetracks to develop the Shelby Mustang GT350. Under the hood, the GT350 had a 4.7-liter Windsor K-code V8 with a four-barrel carburetor and enough power for 306-hp and 329 lb-ft of torque.
Of all Mustang versions, the GT350 is one of the rarest. Ford and Shelby produced just 562 of them, and they looked truly stunning in the Wimbledon White paint with the blue strips down the hood and across to the rear of the car. The GT350 is more than just a classic; it is a legendary muscle car.
1985 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z
The 1980s were tough for muscle car lovers, but there were a few bright spots amidst the doom and gloom. One was the 1985 Camaro IROC-Z, one of the decade’s best-looking and best-performing muscle cars. Power came from a fuel-injected V8 engine that, in 5.7-liter form, could produce 245 hp and 345 lb-ft of torque.
This was a respectable figure for a 1980s muscle car, and it came underneath one of the best-looking Camaros. The straked hood vents and inset headlights helped the IROC-Z stand out from its rivals of the decade. The IROC-Z offered a glimmer of hope in a dark decade for gearheads.
Dodge Charger Daytona
It would be remiss to mention the Dodge Charger Daytona and not give it its own entry. Chrysler’s engineers worked hard to make the Charger Daytona as fast as possible, even taking the standard Dodge Charger to a wind tunnel to find out what they needed to change.
The additions included the two-foot-tall rear wing, a flush rear window, and a long, sloped nose. All these changes combined made the Charger Daytona the first car in NASCAR history to break the 200 mph barrier. Dodge would dominate in 1969 and continue to rack up wins in 1970 alongside the Plymouth Superbird. NASCAR would restrict engine displacement in 1971 to deliberately outlaw the Charger Daytona and the Superbird. Like its Plymouth sibling, the Charger Daytona is now highly valuable.
Plymouth Road Runner
Perhaps even better known than the Superbird is the iconic Plymouth Road Runner. Initially based on the Plymouth Belvedere, the Road Runner started with a particular version of the Chrysler 383 ci V8 engine, producing 335-hp and 425 lb-ft of torque. Things improved in the early 1970s, as Chrysler’s new fuselage styling came to their muscle car.
This led to a dramatic and imposing car with enough power to rival the best of Ford and Pontiac. Only the tightening of emissions regulations would hurt the Road Runner later into the 1970s, but Plymouth had shown just what it was capable of with a true muscle car icon.
2006 Pontiac GTO
It might not be the best-looking or most beloved muscle car ever produced. But the 2006 Pontiac GTO was the final act for the legendary muscle car, and its sleek but mundane looks hid one of the best sleeper cars of the 21st century.
Beneath the plain exterior was a mighty 6.0-liter LS2 V8 engine, producing 400-hp and 400 lb-ft of torque. Even in 2024, those are performance figures that stack up incredibly well. Thanks to its relative obscurity now, the 2006 GTO isn’t the most expensive muscle car on the used market. So, if you want an underrated muscle car icon, the 2006 Pontiac GTO is the one for you.
