Sports cars and muscle cars are undoubtedly the two most desirable car segments for every gearhead. And in many respects, they can be quite similar. Cars in both categories often feature roaring V8 engines, rear-wheel drive, and incredible looks. The whole point of these cars is to entice and excite you. If they don't do either of those things, then they’re not sports or muscle cars. Here's a question then: can Europe make a sports car that is like a muscle car?

Muscle cars are virtually all associated with the United States, and the golden era began in the 1960s. As a result, European car manufacturers aimed to replicate this by creating sports cars that embodied that muscle car spirit. However, it didn't work out for various reasons despite some of these cars being fantastic. This list contains ten incredible classic European sports cars that are way too similar to American muscle cars for it to be a coincidence...except they're faster.

10 AC 428

via Car And Classic

Italian coachbuilder Frua wanted to create a GT body that would sit atop a stretched version of the Cobra MK3’s chassis. And thus, the AC 428 was born.

via Wikipedia

And these were incredibly rare too, with only 81 examples built from 1965 to 1973, so the spotlight was never shone on them. Powered by the 427 Ford V8 engine, it could certainly hold its own against rivals from the likes of Ferrari.

9 Jensen CV8

via Brightwells Classic Cars

Jensen is probably best known for the Interceptor. And we will cover that later. But at one stage, they turned to Chrysler to help up their own game and to try and produce a V8-powered car that could rival the best of what America had to offer.

via Drive

And thus, the CV8 was born. And it took onboard Chrysler’s big-block V8, with 335 HP that could hit 0-60 in 6.7 seconds, which was lightning-quick for the time.

8 Aston Martin V8

via Classic And Sports Car

Aston Martin is probably the most famous British carmaker. They have produced legendary cars such as the Volante and the DB5, and the V8 is one of those fantastic cars.

via Boss Hunting

A grand tourer that required an astonishing 1200 man-hours to finish, being completely handbuilt. It was powered by a 5.3-liter V8 engine, and it became the mainstream car for Aston Martin for nearly 20 years before it was replaced by the Virage in 1989.

7 Allard J2

via Bonhams

This might seem like an unusual car to put on this list, but it is very worthy of a mention here. Sydney Allard and his company could see that a more performance-based car could work very well, having seen the potential in the US market for such a car.

via Wikipedia

In 1949 the Allard J2 was born. While British versions lacked a bit with the flathead V8, American buyers could shoehorn any V8 from the likes of Cadillac or Oldsmobile into the car, creating a fantastic-looking roadster that was also great to drive.

6 MG ZT 260

via Autocar

This might seem like a slightly odd choice to include on this list. But despite being just a beefed-up Rover 75, it was a rare shining beacon of light when MG Rover was really in the doldrums.

via Autocar

The company re-engineered its ZT saloon so it could take a V8 engine, which turned out to be the Modular 4.6-liter version from Ford. It was a bold move for a company that was nearly bankrupt, but boy did it produce a solid performance car.

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5 Ghia 450 SS Boxer

via Just A Car Geek

This looks like a proper American muscle car, except that it isn’t an American muscle car. The Ghia 450 SS was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, and in collaboration with coachbuilder Carrozzeria Ghia.

via Hemmings

They only built only 57 cars, which makes this incredibly rare. And it shares its drivetrain with the Plymouth Barracuda but oozed Italian prestige and performance. Finding one of these now is like finding gold.

4 Iso Grifo

via Hi Consumption

This is another example of an Italian machine that just wants to be American. The Grifo was a large grand tourer, with a long bonnet that could be fitted with any number of Chrysler V8 engines or perhaps the Ford 351 Cleveland V8.

via Classic Driver

It was almost a lucky dip. But boy, did it look good, and it was produced by Iso until they went bust in 1974.

3 AC Cobra

via Gentleman's Journal

In all honesty, it would perhaps be wrong to not include the AC Cobra on this list in what's possibly the most famous European and American car collaboration ever.

via Wikipedia

It was developed from the AC Ace, a small, two-seater sports car, that then was developed further by the legendary Carroll Shelby. A lot of us call it the Shelby Cobra but mention the name AC Cobra to fans of the car, and they will know exactly what you are talking about.

2 Jensen Interceptor

via Motor Biscuit

Here it is then. The Interceptor, the Jensen car that we mentioned earlier. It was one of just a handful of true, European muscle cars and its name just oozes cool and boy, this car looked good.

via Car And Classic

There's a reason why it looked so good, having been styled by Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera who also styled Aston Martin’s DB5. Powered by a Chrysler 6.3-liter V8 engine, it even spawned a modern reboot of the car. It's a true British classic, and one of the very best European sports cars, but one that truly feels like a muscle car.

1 TVR Griffith 200

via Wikipedia

TVR was sadly never renowned for their great cars. Well, they were, but they also did breakdown a lot. But boy they gave it a good go sometimes.

via Autocar

The Griffith 200 was born out of US car dealer Jack Griffith’s ambition to effectively turn the TVR Grantura into the AC Cobra. The car was the result of that effort. It's powered by the Ford 289 V8 engine that produces 271 horsepower and became an instant classic when it hit the streets.

Sources: Autocar, Robb Report, Boss Hunting, Wikipedia, Car And Classic, Motor Biscuit

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