Few vehicles do it better than sports cars for thrills and spills on the road. Fast and agile, they provide some of the most outrageous speeds, but more notably, they are superb in the corners.

While many might view Europe as the sports car heartland with the likes of the Porsche 911 and Lotus Emira, America has produced its fair share of them, such as the Chevrolet Corvette and Dodge Viper.

Our list contains 13 of the very best American sports cars based on looks, speed, power, and how they handle in the corners. We’ve included a mixture of older and newer models, creating a list that is as varied as possible and includes multiple generations of the same model.

2020 Chevrolet C8 Corvette

The C8 Corvette is a groundbreaking sports car. It is the first time in Chevy Corvette’s history that it is a mid-engine sports car, ending the tradition of the front-engine design. This move transformed the Corvette, creating perfect weight distribution and earning rave reviews for the new model.

Adding to how good the C8 feels is how low you sit to the ground as the driver and the raw V8 power that sits under the hood. The mighty LT2 V8 engine has 495-hp, yet despite the large horsepower number, many say that the C8 Corvette delivers the power as smoothly as butter. The C8 Corvette is already a modern classic and earns its status as an iconic American muscle car.

Dodge Viper RT/10

When Dodge launched its new Viper RT/10 in 1991 for the 1992 model year, few could have expected the ferocity of it and how wild the driving experience was. Dodge gave their new sports car an 8.0-liter Viper V10, producing 400-hp and 450 lb-ft of torque. What made the Viper even scarier, however, was its terrifying lack of safety and driver aids.

The Viper did not have traction control, and the first editions had no airbags. There was also no proper folding roof, and the Viper had plastic side windows. Dodge would slowly add more features and aids to future generations, but nothing could take away the ferociousness of the 1992 RT/10.

1984 Chevrolet C4 Corvette ZR-1

The 1980s was not the best decade for fans of performance cars. The gas crisis of the 1970s and the tightening of emissions rules meant that power figures went down dramatically. But Chevrolet gave everyone hope with its 1984 C4 Corvette ZR-1.

Under the hood was a 32-valve 5.7-liter V8 engine producing 380-hp and 370 lb-ft of torque. The C4 ZR-1 was also one of the best-looking sports cars of the time, with its new and sleek lines and sharp curves, making it a big step from the previous C3 Corvette. The C4 ZR-1 was also a significant boost over the regular small-block V8 version of the C4, which produced just 205-hp. The C4 ZR-1 was also a historic Corvette, the first ultra-performance Corvette since the 1960s.

Hennessey Venom GT

Tuning giants, Hennessey Performance is currently delivering the first examples of its stunning Venom F5 hypercar. Before that, however, Hennessey created the Venom GT, an exceptional sports car that used the Lotus Exige as its basis, which was apparent in the Venom’s design.

The Venom GT was much more than just a Lotus with a fancy new set of clothes. Sitting under the hood of the Venom GT was a 7.0-liter 427 ci twin-turbocharged LS7 V8 engine producing 1,244 hp and 1,155 lb-ft of torque. Hennessey produced less than 30 examples of the Venom GT, making it one of America’s rarest sports cars.

2016 Ford GT

The 2016 Ford GT was launched to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Ford’s victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours with the GT40. Ford would go on to win the GT category at Le Mans in 2016 with its new GT, and of course, the Blue Oval created a road-going version of this iconic new sports car.

Under the hood is a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine, which might not sound that exciting, but this V6 produces 638-hp and 550 lb-ft of torque. It might be the same Ecoboost engine you can find in Ford trucks, but it propels the GT to over 200 mph. Ford ceased production of the GT in 2022, marking the end of one of the best sports cars in American history.

2006 Ford GT

Ten years earlier, Ford had marked 40 years since its iconic victory at Le Mans with another version of the Ford GT, packing a 550-hp and 500 lb-ft of torque V8 under the hood and styling very similar to the GT40 of 1966. The new GT was very old school, with the raw power of the V8 a far cry from the refined nature of the 2016 GT.

Yet, with some practice, the 2006 GT can be driven much more controlled while showcasing its outrageous speed. It will top out at 205 mph, with a 0-60 mph time of just 3.7 seconds. Sadly, many of these Ford GTs have become garage queens, meaning you will be lucky to see them on the road while you are out and about.

Dodge Stealth

Some sports cars fly under the radar even if they deserve more attention and recognition. The Dodge Stealth is one of them, but its roots lie in the Mitsubishi 3000GT, which garners more attention than its American cousin. Yet the Stealth, like the 3000GT, is a classy-looking 1990s sports car ahead of its time.

The Stealth had features such as anti-lock brakes and all-wheel drive. These features are standard in 2024 but were few and far between at the time of the Stealth. Compared to sports cars such as the Nissan 300ZX Turbo, the Stealth stacked up well thanks to its 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 that produced 300-hp and 307 lb-ft of torque. Car and Driver described the Stealth as unpolished but unforgettable.

Shelby Cobra

Few sports cars can claim to have such legendary status as the gorgeous Shelby Cobra. The late Carroll Shelby and his team turned the British AC Cobra into something extraordinary, placing large Ford V8 engines under the hood and extracting as much power as possible from the sports car.

The excellent handling of the AC chassis and the big American V8 turned the Cobra into a Corvette beater, and it meant it could give cars like the Jaguar E-Type a run for their money. Despite the extra weight from the V8 engine, the Cobra was still incredibly agile, and adding rack-and-pinion steering significantly improved its handling.

Shelby GT500

When is a muscle car no longer a muscle car? When it produces enough power to start troubling supercars. That is precisely the case with the Shelby GT500, introduced in 2020, which seriously shook up the sports car establishment. Sitting under the hood is the 5.2-liter Predator V8, churning out 760-hp to unleash a true muscle monster.

Thanks to the rear multi-link suspension, the Shelby GT500 also proved it could turn, and if that wasn’t enough, Ford and Shelby offered the GT500KR. This pushed the power level to 900-hp, making the GT500 a modern classic. As of the time of writing, Shelby is not offering a GT500 with the new 2024 Mustang, but who knows what the future might hold?

2002 Ford Thunderbird

A quick look at the internet would make you think that the 2002 revival of the Ford Thunderbird was one of America’s worst sports cars. Yet at its launch, the 2002 Thunderbird earned huge applause with much of that, thanks to the brilliant retro design, harking back to the days of the classic Thunderbird.

Looking at the Thunderbird more closely reveals a solid, early-2000s sports car that deserves a reputation change. Under the hood, Ford gave the Thunderbird a 3.9-liter quad-cam V8 that produces 250-hp, more than enough for a sports car costing less than $40,000. Power would increase after 2003 to 280-hp, thanks to variable valve timing, and the underpinnings of the Thunderbird were reliable and of high quality. It is a massive shame that the 2002 Thunderbird carries a reputation it doesn’t deserve.

Chevrolet C1 Corvette

As a sports car, the very first generation of the Chevrolet Corvette was a stinker. The Bow Tie rushed the car into production to capitalize on the concept car’s reaction, nearly killing the entire project. However, Chevrolet turned things around with notable improvements to kickstart one of the best sports car lines ever.

The C1 found new life when Chevrolet added the 4.3-liter 265 ci V8 to its sports car, and the 195-hp engine transformed the Corvette’s performance. Chevrolet transformed the car for the 1956 model year, with a revised front-end design and extra power from the V8, taking it up to 225-hp. Chevrolet had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Ford Mustang GTD

While rivals Chevrolet and Dodge were bidding farewell to their muscle cars, Ford launched the Mustang’s latest generation, with the 2024 model breaking cover in 2023. But if the mighty 5.0-liter Dark Horse Mustang wasn’t enough, Ford decided to launch the Mustang GTD.

This puts the Mustang into supercar territory, with a massive 5.2-liter V8 engine under the hood set to produce up to 800-hp. Think of the Mustang GTD as a road-going version of the Mustang GT3 currently racing in IMSA and the WEC. It’s the highest horsepower street-legal Mustang ever developed by Ford, and thanks to its new rear wing, front splitter, and active aero, it will likely be one of the fastest as well.

Saleen S7

The Saleen S7 is one of America’s rarest sights and best sports cars. Many consider it to be the first actual mid-engine American sports car. It was conceived as a street-legal race car that could reach speeds of up to 220 mph and excel in the corners so it could take on some of the world’s most challenging racetracks. Previously, Saleen had made a name for itself by tuning Ford Mustangs.

Saleen took design inspiration from the McLaren F1, and then they put their own 7.0-liter V8 engine under the hood, producing 550-hp. Saleen upgraded the engine in 2005, adding twin Garrett GT3582R turbochargers and making 5.5 PSI of boost, which is enough to worry the Ferrari Enzo. Power would increase to 750-hp and 700 lb-ft of torque, and adding the Competition package bumped it up to 850-hp, with the option of going further to 1,000-hp.