Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler. When asked to name the greatest American cars, most gearheads will start with those made by these three companies. We don't blame them, as the three companies have built icons like the Ford Mustang, Chevy Corvette, and Dodge Challenger, to name a few.
However, Detroit's Big Three aren't the only American companies building fantastic cars. Over the last three decades or so, we've seen plenty of fantastic American cars that, despite being just as good or even better than those built by giant automakers, have largely flown under the radar. This article explores ten of the best American cars that most gearheads don't even know about.
10 Saleen S7
Saleen Automotive has been building cars quietly for over two decades now. The company's first fully proprietary car — the S7 — debuted in the early 2000s and quickly showed everyone that Saleen meant business.
The S7 is a hand-built mid-engined supercar that originally had a 7.0-liter all-aluminum V8 with 550 hp on tap. In 2009, Saleen introduced the S7 Twin Turbo with an increased output of 750 hp. With a top speed of 248 mph, the S7 Twin Turbo was among the fastest 2000s cars.
9 SSC Ultimate Aero
SSC North America is a Washington-based automaker established in 1998. SSC made the headlines about a year ago when its latest supercar — the awe-inspiring Tuatara - controversially broke the production car speed record. Most gearheads thought the Tuatara was SSC's first model, but they were wrong, as the Ultimate Aero came before it.
Introduced in the 2000s, the Ultimate Aero is yet another supercar SSC built to take on the production car speed record. The Ultimate Aero was a huge success, as its 254-mph top speed managed to beat the world record set by the Bugatti Veyron.
8 Vector W8
When Vector Motors Corporation was established in the '70s, not many noticed. Less than two decades later, it was among the most exciting American automakers thanks to one vehicle — the W8.
The W8 debuted in 1991 and instantly impressed everyone with its Lamborghini-rivaling wedge-shaped design and 625-hp twin-turbo V8. Only 17 W8s were ever built, making it one of the rarest American cars ever.
7 Lucra LC470
When American entrepreneur Luke Richards founded Lucra, he aimed to build a fantastic sports car that fused American power with European maneuverability and styling cues. The LC470 shows that the company's goals were achieved.
The LC470 has everything. For one, it's one of the most beautiful roadsters ever. The LC470 is also quick, thanks to a 7.0-liter V8 pumping out 505 hp.
6 Falcon F7
Jeff Lemke is an American automotive designer who always had a dream of starting his own automaking business. In 2009, Lemke established Falcon Motorsports with one main goal; to build high-performance supercars that could face off against European options.
Falcon's first car was the F7, and it didn't disappoint. This car is clearly built for speed, as it's powered by a Lingenfelter-built twin-turbo V8 engine blurting out an insane 1,100 hp.
5 Mosler MT900
Many people didn't even notice that Mosler Automotive went out of business in 2013, even though the company was founded back in 1985. This is sad, but at least gearheads will know the company existed when they spot one of its most popular models - the MT900.
The MT900 is an ultralight supercar produced in limited numbers from 2001 to 2011. The MT900 used a carbon-fiber chassis and was equipped with a 350-hp V8 engine, allowing it to go from 0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds and achieve a top speed of 150 mph.
4 Panoz Esperante GTR-1
Panoz is a small American automaker based in Georgia with years of experience in building race cars. In the '90s, Panoz decided to build a race car to compete in the FIA GT1 Championship, resulting in the Esperante GTR-1.
The Esperante GTR-1 had to compete against the likes of the Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR and Porsche 911 GT1, so Panoz equipped it with a mighty 6.0-liter Ford-sourced V8 engine with 600 hp on tap.
3 Equus BASS770
The Bass770 is a handcrafted luxury muscle car built by Equus Automotive since 2013. The Bass770 costs an eye-watering $634,000, making it one of the most expensive muscle cars ever made.
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=750&dpr=1.5)
This price tag sounds insane, but many would argue it's worth it. For one, the Bass770 has proper muscle-car looks, as its design was inspired by classic '60s and '70s muscle cars. Aluminum and carbon fiber are used extensively to keep the weight down, while a 640-hp LS9 supercharged V8 produces enough power to give the Bass770 a top speed of over 200 mph.
2 Rezvani Beast Alpha
We've featured a few cars built by Rezvani in the past, but most of them have one thing in common — they're custom off-roaders. However, Rezvani's first production vehicle wasn't an off-roader - it was a superb sports car known as the Beast Alfa.
The Beast Alfa used the Ariel Atom's underpinnings but had a more conventional body that looked great. Powered by a Cosworth-tuned 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 500 hp, the Beast Alfa is insanely quick.
1 Rossion Q1
In 2007, Florida-based Rossion Automotive purchased the rights to the Noble M400's chassis. Rossion immediately started working on a sports car to use the M400's chassis, and in 2008, they introduced the Q1.
The Q1 turned out to be awesome. For one, it looked better and was more luxurious than the M400. The Q1 also had the power to match, thanks to a Ford Duratec Biturbo V6 with 508 hp on tap.