American muscle cars were once the benchmark for all performance cars; through the 1960s and 1970s, few carmakers could match their powerful engines and performance.

How times changed with the new decade! US carmakers were still in recovery from the fuel crisis swapped performance for better fuel economy, installing less powerful engines in existing designs. Once famous muscle cars now lagged behind their rivals, in some cases performing worse than normal cars.

Many of these brands still exist today, while some will never be able to shake off the reputation these cars had with their utter joke of performance.

8 1984-1988 Pontiac Fiero - Iron Duke Strikes Again

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Much maligned for being one of the worst cars of the ‘80s, the Pontiac's Fiero's design and construction process wasn't all that bad, just very badly executed. At launch, the only US-built mid-engined sports car had all the markings of a successful design, unfortunately, safety issues and recalls would tarnish the model irreparably.

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While not a bad car overall, the Fiero is a terrible performance car. Iron Duke base-models lacked power from their 2.5-liter engines, resulting in just 92hp and resulting in 103mph flat out. In all fairness, Pontiac did partially rectify the problem with more power, but even then the Fiero lagged behind its rivals.

7 1980 Ford Mustang - From Thoroughbred To Pony

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Early '80s Mustangs are commonly referred to as Fox-body models referring to their common shared Fox chassis, one of the lowest points in Mustang history. Sadly, design is not the last of the bad news, Ford offered three engine options from 88hp up to slightly less depressing 118hp, signaling that Mustang's wild nature had well and truly been tamed.

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Following the fuel crisis, many American carmakers changed their product lines seeking better fuel economy. Even Mustangs with turbocharged engines could barely make 108mph, making it one of the slowest muscle cars ever produced.

RELATED: Why The Ford Fox-Body Mustang Was A Bad Muscle Car

6 1980 Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am Turbo - Low Boost Means Low Power

1980 Pontiac Trans Am Turbo
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Another fan favorite, Pontiac's Firebird Trans-Am, joined the turbocharged engine club in 1980 with mixed results. Featuring Pontiac's turbocharged 4.9-liter V8 producing 210hp, torque received a more useful increase to 345lb-ft; by comparison, previous normally aspirated engines offered more horsepower.

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Combining large capacity V8s with turbocharging really should have produced more power, with 210hp possibly the result of low boost resulting in 130mph flat out, and just scraping under 9 seconds to 60mph.

5 Chevrolet Camaro (3rd Gen) 1982 - Economy Engines

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From the very start, third-generation Camaros shipped in standard spec with the famously underpowered Iron Duke 4-cylinder engine, with output a dismal 90hp; at least Chevrolet saw sense and offered larger V6 and V8 options. At the top of the pile, the 5-liter fuel-injected models fared better with 190hp available, though it's still not performance worth getting excited about.

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Chasing improved fuel economy, detuned engines found their way into US muscle cars. Chevrolets 5-liter engine produced 39hp per liter, resulting in a maximum speed of 124mph.

RELATED:  Why The Iron Duke Camaro Was Such A Universal Letdown

4 1987 Dodge Daytona - Faster But Still Lacking

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With its race-inspired name, the Daytona hints at performance – if only Dodge engineers had read the design brief instead of turning out another car with sub-par performance. Refreshed in 1987 with optional Shelby Z trim levels, engine updates also included the Turbo II Chrysler 2.2-liter K series rated at 174hp to enable a top speed of 135mph, which was slower than the previous 1986 model.

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By '80s American standards, Daytona was actually pretty quick and powerful. Yet when compared to a well known European carmaker that used the same engine format to get 300hp out of it, the Daytona fell short of its name.

3 1987 Oldsmobile 442 - More Weight And Less Power

1987 Oldsmobile 442
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When the first-generation Oldsmobile 442 launched in 1966 sporting 350hp 7.2-liter V8 engines, successive generations would see power diminish. Once the fifth generation models rolled around in 1985, packing a 5-liter V8 that pushed out a mere 170hp, the car had well and truly lost its muscle car status.

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Unsurprisingly, with barely half the horsepower of the original, the outright performance had dropped significantly, barely reaching 120mph. Once a successful muscle carmaker, Oldsmobile disappeared in 2004.

2 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am - Even KITT Would Be Embarrassed

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Sporting a completely new design for 1982, Pontiac's Firebird Trans-Am sought to revive the once successful brand, but like many other US muscle cars of the era lacked actual muscle. Coinciding with the new launch, cult series Knight Rider aired on TV and featured the star of the show, KITT, a heavily modified 82 model capable of 200mph+.

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In reality, even with a V8 engine, power output was bordered on pathetic. With 145hp from 5-liters, it lagged way behind other carmakers. If the TV show had reflected the car consumers got in reality, KITT would have struggled to reach 130mph.

RELATED: The Secret Behind The Knight Rider’s 1982 Pontiac Firebird

1 1980 Plymouth Volare/Road Runner - Poor Choice Of Name

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Many argued that the Volarei is one of the worst muscle cars ever. It's the perfect example of a model that should really have been discontinued earlier, as 1980 would be the final production year, selling over 90,000 units.

In a case of what is one of the most confusing engine options ever, the previously top-performing 5.9-liter was dropped while the next most powerful 5.2-liter underwent detuning to 120hp, only for Plymouth to offer 4-barrel versions at 155hp. Even entry-level models underwent confusing engine changes by reverting to single barrel carburetors, with 6-cylinders remaining the base model with 90hp, which these are best ignored.

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Reserved for Roadrunner models were larger more powerful engine options, although dismal performance makes the designation redundant, as a maximum speed of 110mph is bad by any standards, and 13 seconds to 60mph is unforgivable.

NEXT: The 15 Most Exciting Sports Cars Of The 1980s