A muscle car is built from one of the simplest recipes in the automotive industry. All you need is to get the platform of a saloon car, strip the two backdoors from it, and stick a massive engine at the front.

That is what transformed the regular Ford Falcon into one of the greatest muscle cars of all time, the Ford Mustang.

Weirdly, not every automaker managed to consistently replicate this recipe. In some aspects, it was for good measure. For instance, 400 hp on street tires with a Falcon brake disk does not make for the best-handling and safest car on the market. So, as years progressed and technology advanced, better tires and brakes were fitted into muscle cars.

But then, the engines were tampered with. At some point, a couple of muscle car makers, Ford and GM included, tried to downsize the capacity and output a muscle car engine could produce. That went terribly wrong, and that is why we have these ten cars on this list. Their V8 was so underpowered that even calling them a hot hatch would have been gloating.

10 1971 Pontiac Ventura II

1973 Pontiac X-Body Ventura II - A Rebadged Chevy Nova
Mecum Auctions

This is the result of rebadging a rejected car. The 1971 Pontiac Ventura II, otherwise known as the Ventura from 1972, was a rebadged Chevy Nova. This marque performed so poorly that yet another attempt to save it was made in 1978 when Pontiac renamed it Phoenix.

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1973 Pontiac X-Body Ventura II - A Rebadged Nova
Via: Mecum

The problem with this marque was not the looks. The Pontiac Ventura II was a nice-looking muscle car with all the proper highlights and cues. Under the hood, there was nothing suspicious on the surface. It packed a 5.7L V8. However, you’d be angered when you pressed the throttle pedal trying to get to 60mph. The Ventura II needed 12.2 seconds to make that sprint.

9 1974 AMC Javelin

Via Wikimedia Commons

The AMC Javelin is more than your typical muscle car. This marque was produced as a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-door hardtop. It was in production for two generations, spanning 1968-1974. Two years after its production, the last model of this marque won the Trans-Am race in 1976.

That is quite an achievement for a car that also looks fast. So why is it on this list? Well, the 1974 AMC Javelin was launched with six engine variants and four different transmission options. You could have a 3-speed or 4-speed manual or automatic, depending on the engine. If you were not ready to spend top-dollar money on a muscle car, you had to contend with taking 11.2 seconds to get to 60mph.

8 1977 Dodge Charger Daytona

1976-77 Dodge Charger Daytona: Rebadged Luxury Sedan
via BarnFinds

Yes, not all Dodge Chargers have been killer muscle cars with the performance of eight hundred horses. The 1977 Dodge Charger Daytona was a weaker breed.This marque was based on the Chrysler Cordoba.

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As a matter of fact, they shared so many parts that it was difficult to tell one from the other. Despite the Charger being named after the Florida NASCAR event, Daytona, where it was built to compete, its V8 was nothing but slow. It took a painful 13.5 seconds for it to crawl up to 60mph.

7 1978-79 Dodge Magnum

1978 Dodge Magnum GT
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This is a beautiful muscle car. It looked less American and more European, which was an impressive feat back in the day. Few Detroit big whips knew how to whip up something sexy, especially in the class of a muscle car.

1978 Dodge Magnum R/T
Courtesy Curbside Classic

But the success of the 1978-1979 Dodge Magnum was burdened by a slow engine and a very boring driving experience.The Magnum was a heavy machine, weighing 4000lbs. The engine, on the other hand, could only produce 136hp. That is why it took 13 seconds to hit 60mph.

6 1980 California Corvette

1980 California Corvette
Via-Wikimedia Commons

Going green is fantastic. But the average petrolhead can only nod happily to that statement in this age of Teslas and Rivian R1Ts. Back in the ‘80s, going green meant trading a lion for a cat. And not so many people wanted to do that.

1980 California Corvette
Via-Classic Cars

That is why the 1980 California Corvette never caught on. It was built for the American state where greenhouse emissions, mileage, and vehicle efficiency matter a lot. This marque was therefore not sold in any other state outside California. To stay within the strict emission rules, this ‘Vette ran on a toned-down 305 V8 that produced 180hp.

5 1982 Chevrolet Camaro

1982 Chevrolet Camaro
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The 1980s was not the best era for the muscle car. There were stricter environmental laws, expensive oil prices, and a new love for sports cars that were faster and brake better than the muscle car. Thus, these American icons were being pushed further away from the public eye.

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1982 Chevrolet Camaro
Via Mecum Auctions

But Chevy was not even close to giving up. It built the 1982 Camaro that was received with mixed reactions. On the exterior, it looked fantastic and good old American muscle, albeit with refreshed design cues. Sadly, the most Chevy could manage under the hood was a 2.5L four-pot developing 90hp.

4 1983 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am

Silverstone Auctions

For a car to have the words “Trans Am” in its name and still be slow is quite oxymoronic. But that is the most memorable feat the 1983 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am managed to achieve. Second to it was its appearance in the famous 1982 Blockbuster movie, The Knight Rider, where it featured as the powerful car robot, K.I.T.T.

1983 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am KITT Car
Via: Barrett-Jackson

But outside the world of green screens and CGI, the most powerful thing in this marque was a dismal 90hp Iron Duke engine that Pontiac fitted at the front.

3 2006 Chevy Impala SS

2006 Chevy Impala SS white
Via carspecs.us

The 1990s Impalas are some of the most memorable from the line. In this era, Chevy fitted their iconic muscle car with a V8 pulled out of the Corvette. Over half a decade later, Impala diehards were back to suffering. The 2006 Chevy Impala SS was a disappointing car to own and drive.

2006 Chevy Impala SS
Via autoweek.com

It took 5.6 seconds to go from 0-60mph. That is not bad until the feeble engine started losing out on the top-end when pushed past 60mph. Then came the nail on the coffin. This marque was an FWD, a sacrilege in the world of muscle cars.

2 Buick Gran Sport

1970 Buick Grand Sport 455
via Mecum

The 1975 Buick Gran Sport was supposed to be a formidable machine. It was blessed with the right looks, a luxurious interior, and handling only Porsche drivers could dream of. During the ‘70s, Buick was in a class of its own when it came to making luxurious and powerful cars.

RELATED: These Awesome Buick Gran Sports Were Restored To Better Than New Condition

1970 Buick Grand Sport 455
via Mecum

But one crucial thing didn’t go right with the Gran Sport, which was weird for a Buick. Its performance was lackluster. To pack all that luxury, this car had to weigh about 2 tons. So, what it needed was a Bentley engine. Well, not really. Buick figured that a 3.7L V6 producing 175hp was enough. It wasn’t.

1 Ford Mustang II King Cobra

1978 Ford Mustang II King Cobra
via nebolei.info

Did Ford ever get the Mustang wrong? Yes, it did. And this was one of those embarrassing occasions. However, if we have to play devil’s advocate, the ‘80s was a harsh time for the whole industry. Oil was still expensive, and engines the size of the titanic were being avoided like the plague.

1978-Ford-Mustang-II-King-Cobra
via Hagerty

But Ford tried to impress with the Mustang II King Cobra, only that its performance could not even impress the peasantry. The numbers seemed good. Ford fitted a 5.8L V8 under the hood of the King Cobra. But when asked for power, it only had 133hp to deliver. It eventually went to the gallows.