European automakers have always been considered to be superior when compared to their American counterparts. This is because European automakers have built some of the best-looking and fastest sports cars of all time, including the likes of the McLaren F1, Ferrari La Ferrari, and Porsche 911. American automakers, on the other hand, are known more for creating the muscle car segment in the '60s and keeping it alive till today thanks to icons like the Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger, and Chevrolet Camaro.
Over the years, the incredible amount of competition in the auto industry has forced both European and American automakers to go out of their comfort zones. As a result, European automakers have built muscle cars while Americans have built sports cars. This article explores five awesome European muscle cars we'd pick over American options versus five superb American sports cars that outshine the Europeans.
10 European Muscle Car We’d Pick Over American: Jensen Interceptor
Let's kick off with a car with one of the coolest model names ever - the Interceptor. The Interceptor is the best car built by Jensen before it went out of business. Introduced in the '60s, the Interceptor wowed gearheads with a beautiful design that made it one of the best-looking British cars of the day.
The Interceptor also had the power to go along with its superb looks, as it had a Chrysler-sourced V8 under the hood dishing out 335 ponies.
9 American Sports Car We’d Pick Over European: Dodge Viper
Although the Corvette was the best American sports car you could buy for much of the 20th century, it never really had enough power to take on most European sports cars. So, in the early '90s, Dodge decided to build one that could, resulting in the Viper.
The Viper was instantly popular when it debuted in 1992. It had a sleek design and was powered by a monstrous 8.0-liter V10 engine with scary power figures. The Viper went on to enjoy a successful 26-year production run.
8 European Muscle Car We’d Pick Over American: Alfa Romeo Montreal
In 1967, Alfa Romeo unveiled an unnamed 2+2 coupe concept car at Expo 67 in Montreal. The concept car received so much praise for its stunning design that Alfa Romeo had to put it into production. That's how the Montreal came to be.
Three years later, the production version of the Montreal debuted in Geneva. It still looked great and had an improved engine compared to the concept car - a 2.6-liter V8 making just under 200 hp.
7 American Sports Car We’d Pick Over European: Ford GT40
In 1963, Ford wanted to buy Ferrari in a bid to spice up its lineup and attract younger buyers. However, Enzo Ferrari pulled out of the deal at the last minute, resulting in a bitter rivalry between the companies.
Ford hatched a plan to build the ultimate race car that could take on the dominant Ferrari 250 GTO at Le Mans and win, resulting in the GT40. The GT40 became an instant success as it ended the Ferrari 250 GTO's Le Mans winning streak and won it three times in a row.
6 European Muscle Car We’d Pick Over American: 1998 Aston Martin Vantage V600
In 1989, Aston Martin introduced the Virage - a grand tourer that replaced its popular V8 models. As it had done with other models, Aston Martin later introduced a high-performance version of the Virage known as the Vantage.
The Vantage had new styling elements that made it look cooler than the Virage, a new rear suspension system, new interior electronics, and a twin-supercharged V8 making 550 hp. From 1998, customers who needed more power could return their Vantage to Works Service for it to be converted to V600 specifications. The V600 produced 600 hp, making it one of the most powerful '90s cars.
5 American Sports Car We’d Pick Over European: Hennessey Venom F5
Hennessey has been building some of the best custom cars for decades. However, since 2017, Hennessey has been building its own supercars through the Hennessey Special Vehicles division.
Hennessey wants to build supercars that compete with the likes of Bugatti and Koenigsegg, and looking at the new Venom F5, it's clear they mean business. The Venom F1 is Hennessey's first ground-up supercar. It has a stunning design and is already among the most powerful American cars of all time, as it's powered by a 6.6-liter twin-turbo V8 making a crazy 1,817 hp.
4 European Muscle Car We’d Pick Over American: 1988 Mercedes-Benz 300 E AMG Hammer
AMG is a wholly-owned Mercedes-Benz subsidiary today. However, that wasn't the case four decades ago, as AMG was a small German tuning company trying to make a name for itself by making cosmetic and performance upgrades for Mercedes-Benz models.
The first car AMG worked on was the AMG Hammer in 1986, which was a super sedan based on the W124 E-Class. Powered by a 5.6-liter V8 making 360 hp, the Hammer could keep up with top sports cars of the day like the Lamborghini Countach. Unfortunately, the Hammer is among the rarest Mercedes-Benz models, which means prices are through the roof.
3 American Sports Car We’d Pick Over European: SSC Ultimate Aero TT
Jerod Shelby is an American entrepreneur and gearhead who has always wanted to build high-performance supercars that could face off against European options. Shelby established SSC North America in the late '90s to do just that, and a few years later, the company's first model was built - the Ultimate Aero.
The Ultimate Aero was fantastic, but its turbocharged version turned it into an icon. Powered by a twin-turbo V8 making 1,180 hp, the Ultimate Aero TT broke the production car speed record held by the Bugatti Veyron at the time.
2 European Muscle Car We’d Pick Over American: Mercedes-AMG C63
After the huge success of the aforementioned 300E AMG Hammer, it didn't take long for Mercedes-Benz to acquire AMG and turn it into its in-house tuning division in 1999. Since then, Mercedes-AMG has been building high-performance versions of regular Mercedes-Benz models, and the C63 is among our favorites.
The C63 starts off as a W205 C-Class but receives many upgrades to give it a muscle car feel. For one, it is powered by a 469-hp turbocharged V8 engine. It also has speed-sensitive variable steering, three-stage adaptive dampers, high-performance brakes, and other upgrades.
1 American Sports Car We’d Pick Over European: Chevrolet Corvette C8
The Corvette has been around since 1953. One would expect a model that has been around for such a long time to start declining, but that's not the case as most gearheads consider the latest C8 generation to be the best Corvette ever.
The C8 debuted in 2020 with a significant change compared to its predecessors - it had a mid-engined configuration as opposed to the more familiar rear-engine configuration. While many were skeptical at first, this new configuration worked out great as the C8 handles the 495 hp coming from its engine gracefully.