American muscle cars are some of the most popular sporty vehicles on the market as they offer a huge amount of character for relatively little money. This was also the case back in the 1960s when the muscle car emerged on the market and continued into the 1970s – right before the energy crisis ruined the fun for everyone.
The 1960s horsepower war started in 1964 – not with the Ford Mustang, but rather with the Plymouth Barracuda. Sadly, the ‘Cuda’s spotlight quickly shifted to the Mustang and stayed there until 1967, when GM and Chrysler debuted their Camaro and Challenger models. With the advent of the Mustang, many American automakers scrambled to make their models more appealing, resulting in high-performance models of the Pontiac Tempest, the Chevrolet Chevelle, and even the Oldsmobile Cutlass. These cars grew in popularity over the course of the 1960s and early 1970s and are still extremely popular today – in some cases even more so than back then.
Classic American muscle cars are among the coolest vehicles on the planet, showcasing brute force with comfort and style. Here are the ten best classic American muscle cars that defined an era.
10 1964 Plymouth Barracuda
The original Plymouth Barracuda was a relatively small 2-door fastback based on the same platform used for the Plymouth Valiant sedan. The Barracuda featured a straight-6 engine: however, Chrysler added the 4.5-liter V8 as an option in the Formula S trim.
The Formula S sported wider tires, better suspension, an improved steering ratio, and a tachometer to keep track of the revs. This version of the Barracuda was officially the first instance of the performance-based pony car – a few months before the Ford Mustang completely overshadowed it.
9 1964 Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang debuted in the middle of 1964, with many referring to the model as the 1964.5 Mustang. The car launched with the 2.8-liter inline-6 from the Falcon sedan, before getting a 4.3-liter V8 later in the year.
The top-spec model got a 4.7-liter V8 to replace the 4.3-liter, producing an impressive 200 hp. Transmissions included either a 3-speed or 4-speed manual or the famous 3-speed Cruise-O-Matic. The Mustang took the motoring world by storm, with many other manufacturers scrambling to build rivals.
8 1966 Pontiac GTO
The Pontiac Tempest is a great big lumbering hunk of American metal which features relatively powerful V8s and seats as comfortable as the living room sofa. It was excellent as a daily drive back in the 1960s, but Pontiac wanted a sportier model, so they created the Tempest Le Mans.
Still, this wasn’t quite enough, so they stole the ‘GTO’ nameplate from Ferrari and created the Pontiac GTO – a comfortable hardtop coupe and convertible with a 6.6-liter V8 that produced 360 hp. The 1966 model is by far the best-looking and is still a great weekend cruiser.
7 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback
With the Mustang experiencing excellent sales figures, Ford expanded the range from just a hardtop coupe and soft-top convertible to a fastback as well. This worked out brilliantly as Shelby soon took the model and turned it into their famous GT350 and GT500 models.
The Fastback was also quite popular in the film industry, becoming one of the coolest movie cars ever made, driven by Steve McQueen in Bullitt. Another version of the Fastback became the protagonist's muse in the 2000 film, Gone In 60 Seconds.
6 1969 Dodge Challenger R/T
The Dodge Challenger was Chrysler’s attempt at stealing some of the Mustang’s sales and it worked brilliantly. The Challenger featured either an inline-6 engine in its base trims or a series of big V8s in the higher trims, with the most popular R/T model getting a 7.0-liter HEMI V8.
The Challenger quickly gained popularity among the motoring community and became a movie star in its own right, starring in films such as Vanishing Point and, more recently, Nobody. The Challenger continues to be a great muscle car and its modern model is as popular as ever.
5 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS
The Chevrolet Camaro is GM’s contribution to the world dominated by the Mustang and while sales weren’t quite as good, the Camaro still made an immense impact on the pony car world. The Camaro featured more engines and personalization than the Mustang or Challenger, helping it appeal to more customers.
The top-spec Camaro SS was the most desired of the trims, featuring either a 5.7-liter or 6.5-liter V8 producing either 295 or 325 hp respectively. The SS also got suspension and handling upgrades and optional stripes running along the top of the car. It is a great car and an excellent classic investment.
4 1969 Dodge Charger R/T
The Dodge Charger R/T is one of the coolest of the classic American Muscle cars as it is a massive vehicle with great styling and huge engines. The Charger we all think about first is actually the second-generation model and is by far the most famous of the classic Charger models.
The Charger R/T features an enormous 7.0-liter HEMI V8 fitted with two 4-barrel carburetors, producing an impressive 425 hp. The Charger’s popularity grew thanks to its film and television roles, most notably in Bullitt, The Dukes of Hazzard, and the Fast and the Furious movies.
3 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS
The Chevrolet Chevelle SS is one of the most recognizable muscle cars ever made and was the standard for the larger vehicles in its segment – like the Pontiac Tempest and Oldsmobile Cutlass. The 1970 model is the most popular of the years, showcasing the traditional Chevy styling.
The Chevelle SS featured the same engine as in the Camaro SS, but gained the big 454 7.4-liter V8 for the 1970 model year, increasing power to 450 hp. The Chevelle SS 454 is among the most desired of the trims, easily costing a small fortune on the used market.
2 1987 Buick GNX
The Buick Grand National was a pretty great personal luxury vehicle of the 1980s but lacked a proper high-performance model – mostly due to the cost of fuel and the new emissions regulations. To rectify this, Buick created the GNX.
The GNX was a proper muscle car but without a traditional muscle car engine. Instead of a big V8, the car featured a turbocharged V6, which resulted in a big American barge being quicker than a Ferrari F40. How cool is that?
1 1993 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R
By the 1990s, the energy crisis had become a thing of the past and the American auto industry was ready to enter the horsepower war again. As usual, Ford was the first company to do something, so they sent their Fox-body Mustang to the SVT division to have them do their magic.
The result was the Mustang SVT Cobra R, a 4.9-liter V8-powered monster that made a whopping 235 hp. Granted, this figure was quite a way off the previous fast Mustang of the early 1970s, but it started up research and development again for the muscle segment. As a result of the SVT Cobra R, we now have the amazing muscle cars which dominate our dreams.