While the automotive landscape today features everything from the Tesla Cybertruck to the Hyundai Veloster N, it wasn't always this way. In the 60s, automotive technology was always more about brute force than it was about finessing every last bit of efficiency out of the powertrain. Cars were big too. The majority of them were entirely built from steel and so a lot of power served them well. There are a few notable exceptions though and the most famous was one that set a new bar so much higher than others believed was possible.

What might surprise you is that most of these cars are fairly inexpensive to own today too. They're pretty easy to maintain as well since they were built with fairly simple technology. Each one has an interesting history, and we'll even feature a front-wheel-drive car today that most don't even know existed. In fact, it was far too powerful for the technology of the day!

10 Ford Fairlane GT

Via: Car Gurus

The Ford Fairlane is perhaps one of the most underappreciated muscle cars of its time. It's used all over the place today as a bastion of cheap speed and good times. In fact, there was a time that Ford sold this thing with a 355 horsepower V8. That's pretty good for 1966.

9 Cadillac Eldorado

mecum.com

Not to be outdone, Cadillac sold the Eldorado in 1969 with 440 horsepower and a tree trunk pulling 550 lb-ft of torque. It's easy for people to argue that the Eldorado doesn't have muscle car looks, but they just don't realize it was the Clark Kent of its time.

8 Buick GSX 455

Buick Gran Sport 455 Stage 1
via youtube

The Buick GSX 455 was a very hard to come by package at the time of its release but the few who got their hands on it were quite satisfied. Buick said that it made roughly 360 horsepower which is a solid, if not strong number even today. Turns out though that it really made more like 440 horsepower. That's more than the base Challenger today.

7 Oldsmobile Toronado GT Coupe

1970 Oldsmobile Toronado GT green
Via Hemmings Motor News

The Toronado was America's first real attempt at a successfully marketed front-wheel-drive car. The problems with the layout became ever more evident when they strapped a 385 horsepower V8 named the Super Rocket under the hood. The torque steer was objectively dangerous.

RELATED: Here’s Why The Oldsmobile Toronado Is A Dangerous Luxury Car

6 Pontiac GTO Judge Ram Air

via DriveTribe

The Judge is a historically beautiful car and the engine was nothing to be trifled with. Already a super rare car, its value only goes up when you realize just how fast the powerful V8 could propel the car through the quarter-mile with a time of 13.9 seconds. That's fast even today.

5 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet

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The Mustang Cobra Jet sounded like they picked out the three coolest names they could think of and just put them together. Well, it seemed to do the trick because even today they're lauded as highly desirable. Perhaps part of that is the engine that Ford said only makes 330 horsepower is well known to make north of 400 without working hard.

4 Plymouth Barracuda 440

hotrod.com

Perhaps the best car here at demonstrating a true Jekyll and Hyde personality would be the Cuda with the 440/6-Pack. Despite somewhat sedate looks on a car painted as the one above, these things are monsters underneath. Making more than 425 horsepower, they'll blitz almost everything on this list without trying.

RELATED: Mecum Preview: 1-of-1 1971 Plymouth Cuda Convertible In Curious Yellow

3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

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Most Chevy fans don't know that the ZL1 moniker of the current car is a tribute to this, the original Camaro ZL1. This thing was just silly. It borrowed the engine from the Corvette and according to some made more than 500 horsepower. That's unreal power from a very cool car.

2 Chevrolet Corvette L88

This Corvette was so fast that the powers that were at Chevy intentionally didn't market the car to the public. Nevertheless, some buyers found ways to pick up the L88 engined car that also makes north of 500 horsepower from the factory. Remember that the C7 Corvette Debuted with less than that. Serious power from a light and very fast car.

1 Shelby Cobra

1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake front third quarter view
Barrett-Jackson

We can argue all day whether or not the Cobra is a true "Muscle Car" but Merriam-Webster defines that term as "any of a group of American-made 2-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving" so the Cobra makes it in.

Quite simply, nothing from the era that was sold to the public could keep up with this thing. In fact, many race cars couldn't either. That's why it won thousands of races and has been such a landmark in our pursuit of speed over all else.

NEXT: The True Story Behind The First Ever Shelby Cobra