The origin of muscle cars dates back to the late 1940s, but they gained huge popularity in the 1960s. After Ford's 1964 Mustang, which started the pony car craze became a massive success, almost every automaker in North America began to produce muscle cars. While some models have gone extinct, muscle cars that have adapted through the decades continue to thrive. In the recent decade, the muscle car segment has been undergoing a resurgence, seeing models like the Mustang and Camaro become huge sellers globally.

RELATED: 5 Japanese Sports Cars We'd Buy Over Any Muscle Car (5 We Wouldn't)

On the other hand, the Japanese sports car industry started thriving in the late '80s and '90s. Despite having less power, Japanese sports cars are loved for their high performance, exceptional handling, practicality, and scorching acceleration. For a long time, muscle cars were popular for mainly featuring big high-horsepower engines, aggressive body styles, and insane straight-line speeds. But they are now beating Japanese sports cars at their own game, with great handling and on-track performance close to rivaling many performance cars from Europe.

Today's muscle cars' excellent all-around performance has them embarrassing many Japanese counterparts in many performance areas. Take a look at these 10 modern muscle cars that annihilate Japanese imports on the road and on the track.

10 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R

The Shelby GT350R is a high-strung muscle car designed for the track – beating Japanese sports cars where they excel the most. Compared to the GT350, the GT350R stands out with more downforce, thanks to the aerodynamic larger splitter and the carbon fiber rear wing.

While it utilizes the same engine in the GT350, the GT350R is a more hardcore version of the former. The 5.2-liter V8, a.k.a. Voodoo, is Ford's highest revving V8 and most powerful naturally-aspirated road-going engine. It puts out 526hp and 429lb-ft of torque, propelling the GT350R from 0 to 60mph in 3.8 seconds.

9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

While the Camaro ZL1 isn't the most powerful on this list, it's unbeatable when it comes to driver engagement and value for performance. And unlike other muscle cars, the Camaro features one of the best steering chassis that's accurate and communicative.

The range-topping 1LE is a track-focused package enhanced with precise handling, braking, steering, and grip. It boasts of a 6.2-liter V8 that produces 650hp and 650lb-ft of torque mated to either a manual or automatic transmission. The Camaro takes 3.4 seconds to go from 0-60mph and its recent lap time at the Nürburgring is fast enough to shame the last Porsche 911 997 GT2 RS.

8 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Jailbreak

The Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat is one of the fastest and most powerful sedans with a five-figure price tag. It's also good-looking, comfortable, and equipped with fancy technology. Fitted with a 807-hp 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI V8 engine, the top-of-the-range Hellcat Jailbreak isn't easy at the pump; but it's one hell of a family car - there's nothing like it from Japan.

RELATED: 10 Muscle Cars We'd Buy Over Any German Sports Car

Its practicality ranges from big, comfortable rear seats to a spacious trunk. Capable of accelerating to 60mph in less than 3.5 seconds and hitting 203mph, it destroys most 2-seater sports cars. Compared to performance sports cars like Porsche Panamera Turbo S and Mercedes-AMG GT63 S, it's a great value purchase for a family that loves performance cars.

7 Shelby Mustang GT500 Super Snake Speedster

The 2021 Shelby GT500 Super Snake Speedster is the first roadster produced by Shelby Automobiles, and its striking design immediately sets it apart. Of the 98 coupes (built to pay tribute to what could have been Carroll Shelby's 98th birthday), only 25 open-top mustangs were offered.

It features a 5.0-liter supercharged Coyote V8 engine, polished to deliver 825hp when fed on octane fuel. That's a healthy 65 more ponies over the GT 500, and it's enough to get the roadster to 60mph in 3.5 seconds. Which Japanese roadster can match that?

6 Dodge Viper ACR

All Dodge Viper models are incredibly fast out of the box. The Viper ACR was among the fifth and last generation of the Dodge Viper VX, with the 2016 ACR model featuring an all-new aerodynamic carbon fiber body kit that includes a front splitter and fixed rear wing. They combine to generate 1,500 pounds of downforce at corners.

Under the hood is the standard hand-assembled 8.4-liter V10 engine putting down 645hp and 600lb-ft of torque, enough to take the Viper from 0-60mph in 3.3 seconds and hit a top speed of 206mph.

5 Equus Bass 770

Besides the name, the only thing this six-figure muscle car shares with the Hyundai Equus is the focus on luxury. Bred in Detroit, the Equus Bass 770 draws inspiration from the Ford Mustang and a few bits from the classic Dodge Charger.

RELATED: 10 Muscle Cars We'd Buy Over Any European Sports Car

It boasts a 640hp 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine that propels it from standstill to 60mph in an acclaimed 3.4 seconds before hitting a top speed of 200mph. And thanks to the lightweight body, rigid chassis, traction control system, and ride control dampers, the Equus Bass handles exceptionally.

4 Ford Mustang GT500

The Shelby GT500 Heritage Edition is a tribute to the classic 1967 GT500. But not much separates it from the standard model except the special Britany Blue exterior finish inspired by the original Shelby GT500. Even in standard form, the GT500 hangs with Europe's best and destroys imports from Japan on the street and track.

Under the hood lies the same 5.2-liter V8 engine from Ford's most powerful road car, producing 760hp and 625lb-ft of torque. It's paired with a seven-speed automatic transmission that propels it to 60mph in 3.3 seconds.

3 Hennessey Performance Camaro ZL1 HPE850

Over the years, Hennessey Performance Engineering has developed some outrageous muscle cars, each more ridiculous than the last. The latest is the HPE850 package for the track-focused Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. It is intended for individuals who find the 1000-hp Exorcist too much to handle.

With 850 horsepower and 860 lb-ft of torque available, it can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.7 seconds, which is faster than the standard 3.4 seconds. It also claims a 10.4-second at 135-mph quarter-mile time.

2 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon

Thought the Hellcat is fast? Well, the SRT Demon is even more ferocious, boasting of up to 840hp. The straight-line acceleration of the demonic Challenger is so powerful that it can do a wheelie at launch. At the heart of the Challenger SRT Demon is an 808hp 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V8. Yeah, it makes 840hp, but that's when running on octane race fuel, among other upgrades.

RELATED: 10 Most Reliable Performance Cars From The '90s

All told, the car can sprint from a standstill to 60mph in just 2.3 seconds. Completing the ¼-mile run in 9.65seconds, the SRT Demon is so fast that it was once banned from the drag strips. The Challenger SRT Demon exceeded NHRA's 9.99-seconds limit without the required safety devices such as a roll cage required for a standard coupe.

1 Hennessey Performance Camaro Exorcist

To celebrate Hennesy's three decades of upping the ante on cars, Hennessey Performance released a limited special edition Camaro Exorcist in 2021, based on the Camaro ZL1. The Exorcist was designed to rival the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon and did precisely that.

The result was 1,000hp and 883lb-ft of torque from the supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine that gets the Exorcist from zero to 60mph in 2.1 seconds and tops out at 217mph. The Hennessey Exorcist 30th Anniversary Edition was limited to 30 units, and according to Hennesy's CEO, the Exorcist is the epitome of muscle cars with performance that crushes almost any car in the world.