General Motors' claim to the number one spot of the largest carmakers might have taken a hit in recent years, but the American automotive giant is still a force to be reckoned with. A long history of producing fast, powerful and desirable cars has kept it firmly near the top for decades.
What makes GM so successful comes down to a unique working relationship with its customers, designing and producing the tickets cars that gearheads actually want, sure there have been a few hiccups along the way, but to date, the successes significantly outweigh to flops.
With so many models to chose from both old and new, here are the sickest cars GM has ever produced.
10 Chevrolet El Camino
Pick-up trucks are for work, right? Well, Chevrolet had different ideas for the El Camino, shoehorning the engine from a muscle car under the hood transformed the reliable workhorse into a stonkingly good performance car.
Best of the bunch, third-generation cars really hit their performance stride, Chevrolet upping the ante with a 7.4-liter LS6 motor producing 450 HP. All that power in a simple rear-drive platform might seem like overkill, but it worked. The El Camino, despite lacking weight over its rear axle, could hit 60 MPH in 5-seconds, faster than a Ferrari. Whatever GM was thinking at the time, we like it a lot.
9 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1
Midway through the C4's production life, Chevrolet knew they had a potential world-beating sports car on their hands, its backbone chassis only needing more power to go the final mile against European rivals.
Arriving in 1990, gearheads finally got the Corvette they had hoped for, ZR-1 with 375 HP on tap from a new Lotus-designed LT4 engine could hit 60 MPH in 4.5-seconds and go on to record a top speed of 180 MPH. Newer models might have stolen the ZR-1s performance crown, but for many, the C4 is still the sickest fast Vette ever made.
8 Lotus Carlton
As takeovers go, acquiring Lotus Cars for a mere $32 million must have seemed like the bargain of the century, but what to do with a small sports carmaker? General Motors put their expertise to work on several projects, but none quite so bonkers as the Lotus Carlton.
Outwardly appearing no more threatening than the average sedan, only a minor reworking of the front and rear spoilers gives away this sleeper, even the inclusion of Lotus badging is subtly restrained. There is however nothing restrained about the twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter engine lurking under the hood pumping out 377 HP, which paired with a 6-speed Corvette ZR-1 transmission could launch the Carlton to 60 MPH in 5-seconds.
7 GMC Syclone
With fast trucks pretty much commonplace these days it might seem like the GMC Syclone is old news, but back in the early '90s, no one else had thought to stick a sports car engine in a truck, let alone one that could out drag a supercar.
Storming performance figures might suggest big powerful V8 engines, the Syclone, however, used a turbocharged 4.3-liter V6 producing 280 HP, the weight savings no doubt helping with the 4.3-second sprint to 60 MPH time. Whether GM should have built more Syclones is open to debate, but the rarity only fuels demand for possibly the sickest GM car ever made.
6 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
On pure visual drama alone, nothing comes close to the original 1963 Corvette Stingray, not your average sleek two-seater, but rather a big aggressive sports car that shouted performance from every angle.
Unlike its predecessor, Chevrolet had big ideas for the second-generation Corvette, designed from the ground up as a flag-ship or halo model, using the very best chassis and suspension technology available. Over its 5-year production run, Chevrolet offered a range of bigger and more powerful engines, in 1967 the L88 engine option with a claimed 430 HP appeared, though many believe this figure to be around 100 HP under the actual output.
5 Cadillac CTS-V
Rather surprisingly for a luxury carmaker Cadillac has gotten creative with their CTS, not just another luxury barge but one that has the power to not only challenge but also beat the Germans at their own game.
Rolling off the assembly line with a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 churning out 640 HP, Cadillacs CTS-V isn't just quick for a sedan, it is near supercar quick. Capable of reaching 60 MPH in 3-7-seconds, and unlike its German rivals has no limiter in play, leaving gearheads to exploit its 200 MPH top speed also.
4 Buick GNX
We suspect several carmakers lie about their power figures, and if it's underestimated then all well and good, it makes us feel we are getting more for our cash. There are some though that are so blatant we wonder how they managed to sneak past the fun police.
Possibly the biggest power deception to date, Buick's GNX, with a claimed 275 HP from a 3.8-liter turbocharged V6 always felt a lot quicker than the official power claims, testing resulting in a 0-60 MPH time of 4.7-seconds. Accepting that gearing does play a role in acceleration is one thing, but supercar acceleration from just 275 HP is another, leading independent testers to disprove Buick's claim, "over" 300 HP being more believable.
3 Oldsmobile Toronado
The Oldsmobile brand may be long gone, but classic examples like the Tornado still exist to remind gearheads that cars from the 60s not only looked sicker but had cooler names too. Despite the classic muscle car era coupe looks, the Toronado has few surprises under its skin.
Fitted with a 7.4-liter "Rocket" V8 engine might hint at muscle car aspirations, but the Toronado is a more luxury cruiser than a tarmac shredding performance car, Oldsmobile used a front-wheel-drive layout for better cabin noise insulation.
2 Chevrolet Camaro SS 350
The first Camaro might have appeared 60 years ago, but current cars have more than a passing resemblance to the first generation models, perhaps there is truth in the saying the originals are always the best.
At the height of power mania in the 60s, Chevrolet gave gearheads a more sensible hot Camaro with a smaller 5.7-liter V8 engine producing 300 HP. Equipped with a smaller 300 HP 5.7-liter V8 engine did little to affect performance, Chevrolet's go-faster kit making up for any loss of power. The resulting SS 350 proving to be one of the most sought-after Camaro's ever made.
1 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
It might be getting on for 6-years in production but the Camaro ZL-1 is still the benchmark fast coupe for Chevrolet, only the current Corvette delivers more performance in General Motors lineup.
Choosing between the two is a tough choice, but for our money, the Camaro wins with a more purposeful appearance and enough performance for even the most mentally unhinged gearhead. Under the hood boasting a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 that produces 650 HP and 650 lb-ft of torque, there isn't much this side of a full-blown supercar that can live with the ZL1 to 60 MPH.