Ranking The 10 Fastest Classic Muscle Cars From Movies And TV

What’s a movie or TV show without fancy cars? While they may not be the major highlights to many of the movies, they are the highlights to a few and come out as standout characters. Franchises such as Fast and Furious, and Mad Max, just to name a few, have become fan favorites for the incredible cars they feature just as much as they did for their thrilling plots.

This has included the revered muscle cars that satisfy the craving for high speeds, power, thrills, and clean designs. The likes of Dodge Chargers, Ford Mustangs, and Chevrolet Camaros are not new anymore in the muscle industry. They come out at the very top of every gearhead’s wish list.

From dozens of cool muscle cars appearing in movies and making us crave their V8 power, we've narrowed it down to just 10. So, stick around for the 10 fastest muscle cars seen in movies and on TV, ranked fastest to slowest.

10 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T – Vanishing Point

Vanishing Point introduces us to Kowalski whose mission is to deliver the 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T. He must avoid the police along the way while at the same time meeting other characters. While the movie received mixed reactions, the white Dodge Challenger got to receive admiration.

For this car, a 440 cubic-inch V8 engine was used and the Dodge Challenger was fitted with an A-833 four-speed transmission that mated to that engine, helped it clock a top speed of 146 mph. To date, the 1970 Dodge Challenger is one of the most popularly used muscle cars thanks to the top-notch performance and impressive exterior design.

9 1967Shelby Mustang GT 500 – Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)

In Hollywood’s history, the Eleanor is arguably one of the most beautiful muscle cars ever built. This beauty is featured alongside Nicolas Cage and Angelina Jolie. The Eleanor was the reinterpretation of the 1968 GT 500.

The 1968 Mustang was built for power and speed. Under the hood, this beauty had a 7.0L V8 engine that pushed 360 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque.

It boasted of a sporty grand tourer look and with a top loader four-speed transmission fitted, the 1968 Shelby Mustang G.T. 500 clocked a top speed of 140 mph.

8 1967 Ford Mustang – Bullitt

First things first, the 1967 Ford Mustang from the ‘Bullitt’ car chase was auctioned this year for $2.7 million. This stands as the most expensive Ford Mustang sold in an auction. But what is the charm about it? The Highland Green coupe was made a legend thanks to the Steve McQueen film, Bullitt. The high-speed race on the streets of San Francisco between two hitmen and a cop was the highlight of the movie.

This beast used a 6.4L Windsor V8 engine that produced 320 horsepower and 427 lb-ft of torque. However, the engine had some racing mods done before filming to improve the performance and speed. It accelerated to a max speed of 140 mph.

7 1967 Chevrolet Camaro – Transformers 4

The last thing Sam Witwicky expected while purchasing his 1967 Chevrolet Camaro was that it would transform to be a Camaro Bumblebee. The car used a 350 cubic-inch V8 engine that pushed 295 horsepower and 380 lb-ft of torque. The car was available with a 4-speed manual transmission and boasted a max speed of 140 mph.

The car comes out with loads of modifications throughout the movie ranging from the hood, wheels, racing stripes, front and rear spoilers, to the front fascia. This is a movie to have a look at for all the tech nerds and gearheads.

6 1971 Mustang Mach 1 – Diamonds are Forever

‘Diamonds are Forever’ introduces us to James Bond and Tiffany Case who drive around Sin City with this high-performance beast. This beauty boasted of a red exterior and a mix of red and black interior. The Mach 1 used a 7.0L Super Cobra Jet Ram Air V8 engine (429 cubic-inch) that delivered a respectable 375 horsepower.

The 1971 Mustang Mach 1 had a top speed of 137 mph. Over time, many upgrades have been done with the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 clocking a top speed of 160+ mph.

5 1977 Pontiac Trans Am – Smokey and The Bandit

Smokey and The Bandit introduced the viewers to the 1977 Pontiac Trans Am that had Burt Reynolds behind the wheel. One cannot help but admire this beauty. The 1977 Pontiac Trans Am was built for high-performance and practicality.

There were few mods done on the engine to improve performance and for this movie. The 1977 Pontiac Trans Am featured a 6.6L engine that delivered 300+ horsepower. Four Trans Ams were used in this movie. However, three of them crashed during the stunts. Its top speed was rated at 137 mph.

4 1969 Dodge Charger – Dukes of Hazzard

The General Lee’ was yet another famous movie car. And for ‘Dukes of Hazzard’, this HEMI orange Dodge Charger had its trademark HEMI orange color, the confederate flag on its roof, and numbers ‘01’ painted on its welded doors. Many will remember this classic for its drifts and long jumps.

The 1969 Dodge Charger was powered by a 440 cubic-inch Magnum V8 engine that produced 385 horsepower. It is important to note that for higher jumps, most of the characters preferred the 440 engines leading to several transplants to boost performance. Its max speed of 135 mph in 1969 was laudable.

3 1967 Ford Mustang – Fast And Furious Tokyo Drift

Fast and furious is arguably one of the most popular movies that muscle cars were used mostly. The 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback is used by Sean to race Takashi. This classic, however, was modified to meet the performance and drifts shown in the movie. Some of the upgrades included racing seats, a rear roll cage, an improved braking system, and seven-spoke wheels.

The engine used was transplanted from a Nissan Silvia S15 (2.6L RB26DETT twin-turbo I6 Twin Cam) with a 3-speed manual transmission. The engine produced 340 horsepower with 264 lb-ft of torque. This 1967 Ford Mustang's top speed revolves around 130 mph, but it can be argued the RB26 engine that powers this car in the movie would bring that up to at least 150 mph.

2 1973 Ford Falcon XB – Mad Max

Whether you recall it as ‘Pursuit Special’ or ‘V8 Interceptor’, Max Rockatansky’s 1973 Ford Falcon XB makes its appearance on Mad Max and Mad Max 2 - The Road Warrior. Barry, the mechanic, states that the V8 Interceptor uses a dual overhead cam engine that delivers an impressive 600 horsepower.

Whether it was modified or not, that is a story for another day. Ford made about 2800 units of this and they came in two versions; sedans and hardtops. The 1973 Ford Falcon XB has a top speed of 125 mph.

1 1966 Pontiac G.T.O – Triple X

Of course, Vin Diesel had to make a cameo. Only that this time, it is not with the Fast and Furious franchise. Together with Samuel L. Jackson, they featured in the 2002 ‘XXX’ movie and this beauty was the popular icon. The car featured a highly-modified interior, side exhaust, automatic steering, power steering, and power brakes. It was later auctioned after being restored severally.