The muscle car landscape has undergone a significant shift, with Dodge and Chevrolet stepping back from their offerings. However, the future is not without promise as Ford steps up with its highly anticipated 2024 Mustang, a beacon of hope for muscle car enthusiasts.
However, there are at least classic muscle cars for us to enjoy. There is also a lot of variety, ranging from old Mustangs and Camaros to Plymouths and Oldsmobiles.
This list contains some of the best classic muscle cars that gearheads and enthusiasts worldwide will dream of. We have some of the best-looking and best-performing muscle cars on this list and some of the most valuable ones.
Plymouth Superbird
The stunning Plymouth Superbird is one of the best muscle cars in history. Plymouth developed the Superbird to utterly dominate in NASCAR and take the fight to Chrysler’s sibling Dodge and their Charger Daytona.
The Superbird featured a streamlined front end with a large rear wing. The company also produced road-going versions with either the 7.0-liter Hemi V8 or 7.2-liter Super Commando V8 under the hood. The Superbird is best remembered for carrying the iconic Richard Petty Blue in the 1970 NASCAR season.
Dodge Charger Daytona
The Dodge Charger Daytona preceded the Superbird and had a stunning streamlined design with a large rear wing. The Charger Daytona and Superbird earned the name “aero cars,” and the upgrades saw unprecedented speeds at NASCAR events.
Powering the Charger Daytona was either the 426 ci 7.0-liter Hemi V8 or the 440 ci 7.2-liter Magnum V8. The Charger Daytona set numerous race and pole records, but NASCAR banned aero specs on cars with engines bigger than 305 cubic inches for the 1971 season. This effectively banned the aero cars from NASCAR competition, which meant that the Plymouth and Dodge would race for just a couple of seasons.
1989–95 Ford Thunderbird SC
A muscle car from the late 1980s might seem odd for this list, but there is a good reason for it. The supercharged Thunderbird SC was a bonafide muscle car with the performance to rival comparable GT and sports cars.
The Ford V6 was an offshoot of the Windsor V8, and in the Thunderbird SC, it produced 210 hp and 315 lb-ft of torque. This made it more than a match for its rivals from Chevrolet and Dodge. Ford upgraded the engine in 1994 to boost power up to 230 and 330 lb-ft of torque, and across the 1/4 mile, the Thunderbird SC could make a pass in just 15 seconds.
Plymouth Road Runner
Plymouth was once one of the biggest names in American automobiles, and one of its finest products was the Road Runner. Plymouth paid Warner Bros $50,000 in licensing fees to use the Road Runner name and produce a more basic model to sell alongside the GTX.
The Road Runner used the Chrysler B platform and had various engines under the hood, including the iconic 426 ci Hemi V8 and the 440 ci 7.2-liter V8. Plymouth sold the Road Runner as a “back-to-basics” muscle car, and it was exceptionally popular over the 12 years it was in production. This was a welcome change of direction as muscle cars had become increasingly expensive up to that point.
First-Generation Ford Mustang
No list of muscle cars is complete without a look at the first-generation Ford Mustang. Arguably, the first-generation Mustang kickstarted the muscle car revolution, and of course, the car is about to enter a whole new generation.
The Mustang’s styling proved instantly famous thanks to its long hood and short deck. Base models only had inline-six power under the hood, but Mustangs with the Ford small and big block V8s became instant classics. The most potent 1964 Mustang was the 289 HiPo “K-code” with 271 hp and 312 lb-ft of torque.
1966 Plymouth Barracuda
One of Plymouth’s other fine creations is the Barracuda, a much-missed muscle car. It is relatively easy to get hold of a 1966 Barracuda, which was, in reality, based on contemporary versions of the Plymouth Valiant.
The 1966 model year saw the Barracuda gain a few upgrades, such as new taillamps, front sheet metal, and an instrument panel. Plenty of power was under the hood, starting with the basic 2.8-liter slant-six and up to the 180-hp 4.5-liter LA V8. At the time, this was an all-new engine for Chrysler, and it had the added benefit of being both compact and light and having a two-barrel carburetor.
Ford Mustang Boss 429
The Ford Mustang Boss 429 is one of the ultimate versions of the Ford muscle car. The Blue Oval created it specifically to compete in NASCAR, which required several road-going examples to homologate the muscle car.
The sheer size of the 429 ci V8 engine meant Ford had to undertake a lot of work to cram it into the Mustang. It proved so troublesome that Ford decided against running the car in NASCAR, and in total, Ford produced just 1,356 examples of the Boss 429 Mustang. Ford rated the power output at 375 hp, but many believe that to be conservative, the reality is closer to 500 hp.
Jensen Interceptor
You might question why a British sports car is on a list of muscle cars. In reality, the Jensen Interceptor was just a British muscle car under the hood; it even had the mighty LA small block V8 from Chrysler.
The Interceptor produced up to 330 hp thanks to the 440 ci engine, all found in the Jensen SP version. The British manufacturer produced just 232 examples of the SP Interceptor. The Interceptor proved to be a massive sales boost for Jensen when it badly needed a sales increase. It is one of the few muscle cars not to originate from the United States.
Aston Martin V8 Vantage
The Aston Martin V8 Vantage is another muscle car that was not produced in the United States. The British manufacturer unleashed the V8 Vantage in 1977 despite the gas crises that stymied the muscle car market at the time.
The V8 Vantage was spectacular thanks to its 5.3-liter and 6.3-liter V8s, with the 5.3-liter powertrains having 390 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. Aston Martin also offered the X-Pack as an upgrade, allowing the V8 Vantage to utilize the 6.3-liter version of the V8 engine with 450 hp. The V8 Vantage is now considered one of Aston Martin’s finest creations, and the name has seen further use multiple times in the Aston Martin range.
1964 Pontiac GTO
When Pontiac introduced the GTO name, it did so as an option package for the Pontiac LeMans. It wasn’t until 1966 that the GTO became its own model. However, the 1964 GTO, based on the LeMans, is worthy of a mention on this list.
The extra $295 you spent on the GTO package gave you a 6.4-liter V8 under the hood with 325 hp, sharper steering, and firmer suspension. Pontiac also added a few styling upgrades to the GTO package to differentiate it from the standard LeMans. Pontiac would continue to offer the GTO until 1974 before it briefly returned from 2004 to 2006.
1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
It was rare to find an American muscle car in the 1970s that offered enough power to satisfy enthusiasts. This was due to the decade’s gas crises, which significantly limited what power engines could produce as manufacturers focused on efficiency.
However, the 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am is a rare exception. While it was most famous for its role in Smokey and the Bandit, the 1977 Trans Am is a great muscle car in its own right. The 6.6-liter V8 under the hood produces 200 hp, a good number at the time, and the distinctive gold graphics ensured you could live out your Burt Reynolds fantasies. A revival of the Pontiac and Trans Am names would likely be hugely popular in the 2020s.
1970 Buick Skylark GSX Stage 1
Buick is no longer the force in America that it once was, like when it introduced the Skylark GSX Stage 1 to take the American automotive industry.
The GSX Stage 1 was a gorgeous muscle car with some of the best styling ever to grace a muscle machine. The double-circle headlight setup and split double grill were particular highlights. The upgrades saw the 455 ci V8 engine placed under the hood, which produced 360 hp and 510 lb-ft of torque. However, many believe this is a conservative estimate, and the reality is closer to 400 hp.
1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454
While many see the Camaro as the Chevrolet muscle car, the Bow Tie’s first foray into the muscle car world came with the Chevelle Super Sport, first introduced in 1964. Early versions struggled to match the likes of the Pontiac GTO, but soon Chevrolet turned a corner.
The 1970 model year was the peak for the Chevelle SS. Enter the Chevelle SS 454, with the massive 7.5-liter 454 ci V8 under the hood, with 450 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque. This led to a 0-60 mph time of just over five seconds, making the Chevelle SS 454 one of the fastest-accelerating cars in the world at the time.
