Muscle cars are an inspiring class of vehicles. Thanks to their power, style, performance, and heritage, no one is immune to their charm. So how could someone make muscle cars even more exciting, esoteric, and out of this world? , introduce a crazy concept, and spark the imagination of millions of fans.
Today, we'll tell you about ten legendary muscle car concepts that are still relevant even though some of them were introduced decades ago. The combination of aesthetic design, cool-sounding names, and beastly engines under the hood makes those vehicles an inspiration even though they remained merely showpieces. Which one would you most like to see on the road?
10 Shelby GR1 2004
Do you remember the 1965 Shelby Daytona Coupe? It was basically the Cobra with a streamlined body, and it was a brutally efficient race car. Well, 40 years later, it was reincarnated in V10-powered, all-aluminum Shelby GR1 Concept. The car was undoubtedly the star of every car show it appeared on, but Ford didn’t make it a production model. However, if you have the funds, there are small companies which bough the design and make you one.
9 Pontiac GTO 1999
The Pontiac was silent about its muscle car heritage, and then, all of a sudden, it presented the fantastic GTO concept car in 1999. It debuted at the Detroit Auto Show in front of a crowd of stunned car journalists. The GTO was just what enthusiasts wanted, an immensely aggressive, perfectly stanced, and retro-designed muscle car with just enough design cues and bright red paint to resemble the classic 1969 GTO Judge. Too bad that few years after we got just warmed-up Monaro as production GTO.
8 AMC AMX/3 1970
AMC had the Javelin and the AMX, and this concept car represented a step to the muscle/sports car market. In 1970, they teamed up with Bizzarinni and produced six prototypes with rear-mounted V8 engines. Although the AMX/3 was a brutally fast and competent car, the company was afraid that a high price would not motivate enough buyers and abandoned the project.
7 Pontiac Banshee I 1964
Pontiac made several concepts under the Banshee name, but the first one from 1964 is the most famous. It is renowned because the project was killed since GM's top brass was so scared that if Pontiac produced the Banshee, it would ruin the Corvette. The Banshee I was a two-seater with more modern styling, similar or better performance, and proposed lower price, which would cause sensation if it would hit the showrooms.
6 Ford Torino King Cobra 1970
The Torino King Cobra almost made it, and it wasn’t Ford's management that didn’t green-light this strange muscle car; it was NASCAR. Designed to fight the Plymouth Superbird and the rest of the “Aero Warriors,” the King Cobra was intended to race. However, a sudden change of regulations made it obsolete, and it only remained a concept car.
5 Dodge Charger III 1968
The enormous popularity of the second-generation Dodge Charger inspired Mopar designers to come up with the Charger III concept car in 1968. This crazy muscle car represented the future of the segment with the streamlined and wedge-shaped front end, opening roof and retractable spoiler in the back. Although cool, the Charger III was never intended for production.
4 Shelby EXP 500 Green Hornet 1968
The Green Hornet is one of the most unique Mustangs ever produced. An ex-Ford employee saved one unit from a crash and put it up for auction. Some say this car was a concept that inspired the California Special Mustangs of 1968. However, we think that technology installed in this one made it more of a Corvette competitor.
3 Mercury El Gato 1970
Called the “El Gato” (Spanish for cat), this Mercury was designed as the future of the Cougar. Its special green paint, crazy wheels, and sleek design gave it a menacing stance. Unfortunately, this Concept was destroyed, like many of the concept vehicles from this era.
2 Chevrolet Aerovette Wankel 1973
Today, we have the C8 Corvette with a rear-mounted V8 engine. However, did you know that back in the early '70s, we almost got a rear-mounted Corvette with a rotary engine instead of the V8? Yes, it is true, and Chevrolet produced several “Aerovette” concept cars. They should replace the standard C3, but the project proved to be too expensive, and almost all the cars were scrapped.
1 Ford Mustang GT-R 2005
The introduction of the S197 generation of the Mustang was a big deal in 2005, but car enthusiasts were more impressed by the fantastic GT-R Concept. The Mustang GT-R was basically a race car based on the Mustang GT platform. It had peculiar design cues, a full roll cage, a 5.0-liter V8 engine, and much more. The vehicle itself never was produced, but some of Ford Performance parts showcased on this Concept made it to the customers.