Muscle cars are some of the most legendary sports cars ever made. Thanks to their outstanding big-block V8s and exquisite physiques, American muscle cars have conquered the hearts of sports car fans worldwide. Though top-line muscle cars tend to cost an arm and a leg, there are several affordable American performance cars every gearhead should own.
The most attractive feature of muscle cars remains their modularity. In fact, it seems that every time a muscle car is released, especially over the last couple of decades, people start thinking about how to turn them into absolute monsters. As muscle car manufacturers quickly realized what was going on, they made sure to give their customers the most bang for their buck.
10 Jack Roush Edition Mustang
The Ford Mustang is undoubtedly the most popular pony car ever made. With over 10 million sold since its inception, it is safe to say that Ford hit the nail right on the head when it decided to release the Mustang in 1964. Following numerous successes, professional tuners started seriously looking at Mustangs.
Roush is one of those semi-accredited tuners that Ford perceives as the perfect marketing tool. The latest vehicles released by Roush are simply astonishing. The Jack Roush Edition is among the sickest cars built by Roush. This stage 3 supercharged pony car produces an insane 775hp. That is 15hp more than the 2020 Shelby GT500.
9 Yenko Camaro
Chevrolet released the Corvette in the 1950s, and the car was a huge success. However, it was a bit on the higher-end thus making it inaccessible to the vast portion of the working class. In the mid-1960s, Chevy came out with the Camaro, which was a great alternative to the Corvette.
There are a myriad of things people did not know about the Chevy Camaro. For example, most people do not know that Yenko Camaros have been around for more than four decades. This 2018 edition is equipped with enough goodies to make the car look amazing. However, the real treat is lodged under the hood. The engine was modified to produce a cool 1,000hp.
8 Cadillac CTS-V
Cadillac is known for being the luxurious American carmaker. Throughout the years, Cadillac released some of the longest and classiest coupes and sedans. In the most recent years, noticing a drastic change in the market, Cadillac started releasing sportier cars without ever sacrificing the luxurious touch that cemented Cadillac's reputation over time.
The Cadillac CTS-V is far from being your grandad's car. Fitted with a powerful 6.2L V8 that cranks out 620hp, the CTS-V has all the attributes of muscle sedan. Thanks to Hennessey Performance, the CTS-V was customized to develop 1,000hp, which is far more than what a Cadillac needs.
7 Mustang Venom
It is a well-known fact that Mustangs are a great base for a project. They are extremely stylish and their engines tend to be quite powerful. The top-of-the-line Mustangs are not excluded from getting their engine revisited. Hennessey Performance has been looking into the most high-end vehicles over the years and turned them into absolute monsters.
The Mustang GT500 is far from being lukewarm. The 5.2L V8 produces a calming 760hp. That is absolutely insane. Well, not to Hennessey Performance. The Venom 1200, as the name indicates, produces 1,200hp thanks to a twin-turbo system among other outrageous modifications.
6 Chevrolet Corvette
Over the years, Corvettes have become increasingly powerful. Thanks to its reputation as a high-end muscle car, it was never seriously challenged by the Shelby GT500 or Camaro ZL1. The most incredible part about the Corvette is that despite its hefty price tag, there are people crazy enough to modify them to the extreme.
The front end of this Corvette C6 kind says it all. It is fast. Maybe a bit too fast. This twin-turbocharged C6 is a real beast. Dubbed the Unicorn Vette, this rocket ship on wheels develops 2,400hp and can basically take on most of the modified street-legal supercars.
5 German Hellcat
From its inception, the Charger was destined to be a great vehicle. Originally released as an elongated two-door muscle car, the Charger came back as a muscle sedan in the mid-2000s. Though several enthusiasts were simply not liking that idea, it is fair to say that fifteen years later, the Charger sedan is a true and respectable muscle car.
It is not common to stumble upon American cars in Europe, let alone modified ones. Geiger Cars is a professional tuner based out of Germany. They have modified a variety of Dodge vehicles. This Hellcat was tuned to produce 782hp. Though it is fair to say it is not much of an increase, car fans must remember that the car was modified in Germany where aftermarket parts for American cars are almost non-existent.
4 Australian Beast
It is quite surprising that the Australian muscle car scene is widely overlooked. Granted that both Ford and General Motors have released some amazing muscle cars solely for the Australian market, American gearheads should get exposed a lot more to what is being done in the country down under.
This SS-V Commodore is the Australian version of the Pontiac G8 GT. Similarly to the G8 GT, the SS-V can be modified to produce large amounts of horsepower. This bagged Commodore is equipped with a twin-turbocharged V8 that punches out 630hp. Once again, Australians are proving that they know exactly how to modify muscle cars.
3 Marauder
The now defunct Mercury Marauder was one good-looking vehicle back in the early 1960s. It truly is one highly underrated muscle of its era. When it was brought back forty-something years later, Ford decided that instead of giving it its own look, the Marauder was going to be a better version of the Crown Victoria.
Connoisseurs will quickly notice the Whipple supercharger. Coupled with a highly modified 4.6L V8, the Whipple supercharger allows the car to produce 640hp. The coolest thing about this Marauder is the fact that it did not receive a crazy amount of body modifications. This car is by far the best sleeper car fans will get to see today.
2 Pro Street Mustang
There are times when muscle car owners decide to modify their cars and get the most out of them. Though it is often the best mentality to adopt, some owners do not seem to know when to stop. Genuine car fans will thank them for their complete insanity. This Mustang is a clear example that insanity can often translate into something amazing.
Built by Fastlane Motorsport, this insane blown GT500 is equipped with tons of modifications. The oversized back wheels are a telltale sign that the engine is packing some serious power. The engine was allegedly modified to produce over 770hp depending on the amount of boost.
1 Super Hellcat
Dodge sure showed the world what the company was capable of producing when it released the Hellcat. It is by far the fastest American sedan ever released. On top of being fast, the Hellcat is absolutely stunning. It does not look like a lukewarm, somewhat decently powered Taurus SHO. No! It looks like an M-Series and AMG-Series killer.
SpeedKore Performance Group needs absolutely no introduction. The tuner has turned some of the coolest muscle cars into the most aggressive modified American muscle ever. Despite not getting as much exposure as companies such as Hennessey Performance, SpeedKore has gained a lot of popularity in the field thanks to insane vehicles like this 1,525hp Hellcat. The body of twin-turbocharged, AWD Hellcat is made entirely out of carbon.