The formula for making an American muscle car is very straightforward: get an oversized engine, fit it with ridiculous amounts of power, and send all that to tires that can’t even handle half the grunt. That’s the main reason why Corvettes exist, a 700+hp Hellcat is no good on the dragstrip (in factory spec), and the mileage of a Chevy Camaro is laughable.
Cross over to Europe, and everything is less extravagant. Building engines is highly mathematical—not just a problem of adding more cylinders—and overall car performance is tuned to trim milliseconds off a 0-60 mph sprint.
But who cares about that in the West? That’s the reason why these 10 American classic cars embarrassed European sports cars when it came to raw horsepower.
10 Ford Galaxie 500 7-Liter
Despite packing a massive engine, the Ford Galaxie 500 was never considered to be a muscle car. That was despite it being the largest marque in Ford’s lineup in the ‘60s. The Mustang, which everyone considered a muscle car, looked like a literal pony to this beast.
The Galaxie 500 was thus a full-size car that was available as a coupe with a massive 7.0-liter motor. That power unit produced 345 hp but could churn out even more with the factor resonator delete. Next to that massive engine was a four-speed transmission.
9 Plymouth Barracuda HEMI
The Plymouth Barracuda HEMI was the mechanical twin of the Dodge Challenger and is one of the most instantly recognizable muscle cars from the ‘60s and ‘70s. It was also one of the most powerful muscle cars of its day. That was thanks to the massive HEMI 440 and 426 V8s it packed under the hood.
The 440 HEMI could churn out 390hp in the four-barrel carburetor models. That made the ‘Cuda no slouch in a straight line and more importantly, the dragstrip where most muscle car showdowns happened.
8 1973 Pontiac Trans Am Super Duty 455
In the early 1970s, Pontiac was in no business of playing small. All their cars were massive, stupidly overpowered, and a threat to anyone who ran a pony on pea-sized engines. These aggressive machines were intimidating thanks to big-block V8s that produced ridiculous amounts of power.
Sadly, Pontiac had to go out of business well over a decade ago. However, the 1973 Pontiac Trans Am Super Duty 455 will forever remain a legend. That’s despite the ‘70s being plagued by the oil crisis that rendered top-performing muscle cars impractical. This machine was equipped with a 455ci big-block V8 that could develop 290 hp.
7 1966 Plymouth Satellite
Plymouth produced several underrated muscle cars at a time when the American automotive industry was hitting its all-time high. The most notorious of these cars of the Plymouth HEMI Barracuda. This car made it to several movies and TV shows. The Satellite on the other hand, despite not being wildly popular, was also very respectable.
The 1966 Plymouth Satellite 426 HEMI in particular is a rare gem. Only 503 units were made for the US market. The original 426 produced 425 hp and 490 lb-ft of torque. That is the same amount of grunt you can get from a 2010 Ford Mustang GT.
6 1964 Pontiac GTO
Pontiac’s rise and fall story is quite intriguing. It is the only American manufacturer to have ever risen from rags to riches then back to rags in a very short period. Throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s, Pontiac was the only car manufacturer to have put up a serious fight against Ford and Chevrolet. Sadly, after the Malaise Era, the company completely lost its plot.
But before that, the GTO was the unruly king of the streets. The 1964 Pontiac GTO was far from being tamed. Under the hood was a 6.6-liter V8 that could produce 348 hp when pushed hard. That made it more powerful than most high-end European sports cars of the era.
5 1969 Mercury Cougar Eliminator
Mercury is treated by most petrolheads as the middle ground between regular Ford cars and overly expensive Lincolns. Until recently, several Mercury and Ford cars shared engines and body designs.
Back in the late ‘60s, Mercury muscle cars beautifully bridged the gap between all brands owned by Ford motors. Still, in proper Mercury formula, the ’69 Cougar Eliminator was fitted with a Ford 428ci Cobra Jet V8 that developed 355 hp and 440 lb-ft of torque. That was very respectable considering that the Cougar offered more luxury than the Mustang.
4 AMC AMX SS 390
Don’t get fooled by the rather petite looks of the AMC AMX SS 390. This little monster is a feisty one. The powertrain under the hood of this beast can put out 340 hp. That power was quite overwhelming to a car that was designed to be small and very light.
The AMX variant of this mad machine was, however, extremely rare. Only 52 ever left the factory. That was at a time when AMC appeared to be pioneering the compact muscle car segment. Sadly, that didn’t take off either.
3 Ford Mustang Boss 429
There are two existing versions of the legendary Ford Mustang Boss. There’s the common 302 that packs a modest 290hp under the hood. Then, there’s the Boss 429 that‘s an unhinged monster.
That power unit under the 429’s hood delivers a metal-bending 425 hp. To put that in proper perspective, that’s more power than you can get from the E92 BMW M3 and almost as much as the modern Ford Mustang GT makes. Today, this marque is very rare and expensive, but worth every penny you declare bankruptcy for.
2 1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
The first-generation Camaro is a masterpiece. It looks serious and packs a power unit that justifies that unhinged look. To date, both the performance and exterior looks are nowhere near outdated. That’s why, back when it launched, the first-gen Camaro was one of the best cars you could buy on the market. The latest Camaro has maintained these elegant qualities that make the ZL1 a formidable machine to date.
The ’69 Chevy Camaro ZL1 packed a massive 427ci V8 under the hood that was similar to the L88 engines in many ways. That 8-cylinder monster could produce 430hp.
1 Shelby Cobra 427
This is one of the most legendary sports cars of all time. It’s a wonder that it was the creation of a small maker called Carrol Shelby and not the work of a big Detroit automaker with tens of millions of dollars to boot.
Carrol Shelby took a small European sports car and fitted it with a wild 427ci motor. That massive power unit, in a vehicle that weighed only 2,300 lbs resulted in a riot. The Shelby Cobra 427 could hit 200 mph and still be road legal in America. Back in the ‘60s, that was a big deal.