The cure for a slow car, according to every other American, is a bigger engine. The cure to a boring car according to every other petrolhead, is a great sounding engine. For the muscle car, there has never been a trade-off.
These cars have been built with the American mindset of "bigger engines are better engines" and the universal law that if it doesn’t sound good, then it shouldn’t be seen anywhere near the roads. That was before the ‘70s squeezed once-proud V8s into inline-fours with an irritating whine for a soundtrack. Thankfully, we never lost everything.
That’s why today, we can talk about these 10 American sports cars. Despite being built in different eras, they represent some of the best works of engineering from a vocal perspective. Put Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, and Adelle on the same track, and we would rather listen to these 10 all day.
10 Dodge Charger R/T 440 Six-Pack
The Dodge Charger is one of the most iconic muscle cars ever built, whether you’re referring to their vintage classics or modern 700+hp beasts. But of all these performance-oriented marques that originally rolled out of Detroit, nothing was more sinister than the second-generation Dodge Charger R/T 440 Six-Pack.
The 440 Six-Pack was the muscled-up big brother of the 440 big-block V8 that already ruled the streets with an iron fist. The 440 Six-Pack came with a 6-barrel carburetor that once hooked to the 7.2-liter monster, developed an earth-shattering 395hp and 500lb-ft of torque. The noise that came out of that power unit’s exhaust was angelic from idle to full-throttle.
9 1969 Ford GT40
The 1969 Ford GT40 was not a tamed beast. A big reason for that was because the blueprints for this machine were sourced from the incredible works of Carroll Shelby and the man who drove the first Le Man’s GT40 to its limits, Ken Miles.
The 1969 Ford GT40 ran on a 4.2L V8 engine. That unit was good for 440hp of pure grunt, which came in at a deafening 6,000RPM. The needle hitting that redline would be often met by an incredible roar by that hard-charging V8 that had hitherto been the most feared engine in any Le Man’s car. Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 / GT350R
8 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 / GT350R
It is hard to convince most petrol heads that the 2016 Ford Mustang GT350 and GT350R, more precisely, are not the best sounding Mustang GT350s of all time. When Jason Camisa and Johnny Lieberman got their hands on the GT350R in particular, while doing a head to head for Motor Trend against the revered Camaro ZL1, Jason boldly said that the next best sounding engine to that 5.0L naturally aspirated V8 was the 7.0L naturally aspirated V12 in the not-road legal Aston Martin Vulcan. And most can agree with that.
The 5.0L V8 in the 2016 Mustang Shelby GT350 and GT350R charges like a mad machine. That’s because this masterfully engineered power unit produces 500+hp that pulls the Mustang down the drag strip like a Saturn V on specially filtered rocket fuel.
7 Chevrolet Corvette C6.R
In its base form, the Chevrolet Corvette C6 is already a great-sounding machine. It packs a massive, powerful LS V8 engine that runs the Corvette like a spaceship. But things get better when you look at the race-spec Chevy Corvette C6.R.
This machine roars like a mad lion through the jungle. That soundtrack is matched by an impressive track record, with the C6.R bagging several victories in the FIA GT World Championship. In its Le Mans debut in 2005, the Chevy Corvette C6.R also had a great showing, thanks to the race-tuned LS7 V8 that put down 600hp to the road.
6 1969 Camaro Z28
The Ford Mustang was a clear home run after Carroll Shelby put his hands on it. As soon as Chevy saw this success, they wanted in. That’s what prompted the launch of the first-generation Chevrolet Camaro that stormed the market in 1966. Despite coming with a bunch of unusual options, it was a huge hit.
But then came the 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z28. This mad machine was powered by a 302cu-in V8 that could develop 400hp. It was not only a very rare machine but also one that butchered other cars on the dragstrip.
5 2013 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500
The GT500 is the most performant you can get in a Shelby Mustang. In 2013, the Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 was launched as the craziest and last of the live-axle Ford Shelby Mustangs. This machine was capable of hitting 60mph from a standing start in 3.5 seconds, before hitting a top speed of 200mph.
That impressive performance comes from a supercharged 5.8L V8 that develops 662bhp. That performance is enough to shred the rear tires of this impressive marque, while also drowning you in a massive roar that is nothing short of deafening.
4 1965 Shelby Cobra 427
Building the 1965 Shelby Cobra 427 involved two critical steps. First, take a British sports car and strip it down to its bare bones. Then, take a 7.0L Ford Muscle car engine and bolt it under the hood. The result was a ‘60s classic that cemented Carroll Shelby’s position as one of the greatest car builders in American history.
The 1965 Shelby Cobra 427 didn’t just drive well. It sounded terrific as well. The melodic noises came from its side-mounted twin-exhausts that were enough to form a large grin on your face as you buried the throttle to get the most out of that engine.
3 Dodge Hemi Supercharged Hellcat
The Dodge Hellcat was launched to break limits set on muscle cars. And to do just that in a car that sits four and weighs no less than a family sedan, Dodge had to put a powerful power unit underneath the hood. That’s the 6.2L HEMI V8 that tore the roof with 707hp and 650lb-ft of torque.
No doubt, everyone went crazy about the Dodge HEMI Supercharged Hellcat. What was even more nuts was the fact that that rampaging power unit was going to find its way into the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, one of the most powerful Jeeps you can get your hands on. But what mattered was that beautiful soundtrack you would hear behind you as you charged through traffic in a 700+hp machine.
2 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon
The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon packs one of the most outrageous performance figures you can ever hear from a muscle car. Its massive 6.2L HEMI V8 engine delivers 840hp and 770lb-ft of torque to its rear wheels, which light up the drag strip at an insane speed. To just get to 60mph from a standing start, the 2018 SRT Demon takes only 2.3seconds, on drag spec. Yes, that’s quicker than a 1500hp Veyron.
All that power is rented to the air by an unmistakable sound note, which is mixed by the whine of its massive 2.7L supercharger.
1 2016 Cadillac CTS-V
The Cadillac CTS-V is nothing like your everyday Cadillac. This machine’s performance is so wild that some gearheads refer to it as the four-door Corvette. But that’s not just a mere reference. Under the hood of the 2016 Cadillac CTS-V lies the same 6.2L Supercharged V8 that lies under the hood of the C7 Z06 Corvette and the 2017 Camaro ZL1.
That massive power unit delivers 640bhp of grunt that rockets the 2016 CTS-V from 0-60mph in just 3.7seconds. The piece de resistance is the beastly bellow that this V8 produces. Some petrolheads claim that this is the best-sounding sedan of all time.