Everyone would love to have a cool car with a big V8 to drive around with, if even for just a day. When most think about it, the phrase “V8” almost immediately triggers thoughts of fast speed, open road and a good time. Just about any '50s or '60s-style movie you watch on TV features some type of big bad muscle car tearing down the road. V8-powered cars have helped propel the entire automotive industry with the promise of brutal power and top speed. It’s no wonder why so many love muscle cars, as well as more than a few muscle trucks.

Sometimes, things definitely aren’t what they seem to be. Some of those cars from back in the day don’t hold much of a candle to even small 4-cylinder engines these days. But that doesn’t really go to say that the muscle cars of yesteryear are total wastes of space. Far from it. They are what inspired us back then and today to see what’s possible with the right V8 and electronics. So get comfortable with your snacks and drink and read on to see what we consider to be some of the slowest V8 cars to ever hit the road.

25 1967 Camaro SS - Really, Who’s Shocked?

Camaros are slow. Period. Nothing further. Well OK, maybe a few more words about it. Sure, the Camaro is considered an icon by those who can stand to drive one. And yes, I agree that the ’67 Camaro is pretty nice to look at. But that’s about it. That’s because the car is considered to be a “rush job,” and a bad one at that. Because Chevy needed something to combat the Mustang, the Camaro talked the talk, but the Mustang still outsold the newcomer at least two-to-one according to Cheat Sheet. The main problem was that the three or sometimes four-speed transmission didn’t know what to do with the power going to it, creating performance issues.

24 1968 Ford Mustang GT - Like Cold Syrup

0-60 in 7.8 seconds might have seemed fast in the late 1960s but it just doesn’t make much sense these days coming from a muscle car. Still, Ford managed to sell Mustangs like it was the Second Coming. The car had 335 hp pumping from its mighty V8 engine, but without a proper transmission to handle that power, it was more like the car was blowing soap bubbles trying to get off the line. Plus the suspension was rather questionable. Such is the way with technology, you have to use what you have at the time until something better comes along.

23 1968 Plymouth Barracuda - Way More Bark Than Bite

Even though the Barracuda took over 8 seconds to get from 0-60, it was different enough that it became a classic. It’s a cool enough looking car that didn’t try to get all up in your face. Critics all around loved the rather unique styling of the car. Car and Driver claimed the Barracuda was “one of the best-looking cars out of Detroit.” The car came out at a time when most customers were looking for a bit more luxury though, so the Barracuda didn’t stick around for too long in the public consciousness. The car’s V8 brought 275 hp to the party, plenty enough at the time.

22 1969 Buick Skylark GS - Unimpressive Power

The 1969 Skylark was one of those love it or hate cars. The car sold really well, especially in 1968, according to a report from How Stuff Works. The GS (short for Gran Sport) was a Skylark with all the bells and whistles. The car’s base 350 V8 engine had around 280 hp, but even more power could be had by adding the 340 hp engine option. In that guise, the GS still only managed a 7.7 second 0-60 mph time, says a Motor Trend review.

21 1970 Mustang Mach 1 - It’d Be Fast If It Didn’t Break So Much

The Mustang Mach 1 was one of the strangest looking muscle cars out there. Car and Driver said it looked like a cross between a dragster and a Trans Am sedan. Ford thought of it as a “specialty” car more or less. The Mach 1 was equipped with a base 250 hp Windsor V8 engine and could scoot down the road, but that was only if you think an 8 second 0-60 mph time was great. There were several high-output engines to choose from if you could afford it though. But the car certainly fit the bill for muscle car looks.

20 1970 Triumph Stag V8 - Frankenstein’s Baby

I’ll just say right now that the 3.0-liter V8 engine of the Triumph Stag was anemic, to say the best thing about it. The website Driving calls the British car’s powerplant “the worst engine ever made.” Ouch. This was mainly because Triumph’s engineers were determined to do things their own way as far as engine development, instead of sticking to more proven engines they had access to. Basically, they mated two weak 4-cylinder engines together to make a rather mediocre V8. Enter ridiculously poor performance followed by tons of mechanical failures. 0-60 mph times were reported to be 11.5 seconds at best

19 1974 Pontiac Ventura - It Is What It Is

The Ventura was widely accepted as the “Baby GTO” of its day. The car and its Chevy Nova twin didn’t really seem to serve any purpose other than to give people the choice of having a smaller car with a V8 engine shoved into it. The base V8 offered up 200 hp and Hooniverse says that it took a professional race driver to get the car to do a 7.7 0-60 mph time. The car achieved what it needed to do for its few customers. I say few because not many people even knew of the car’s existence. Did you?

18 1974 AMC Javelin - Real Javelins Were Much Faster

If you had an extra 11.7 seconds to go from 0-60 mph, then you probably had enough time to purchase an AMC Javelin. You didn’t have to be that fast though, it wasn’t like the Javelin was selling like hotcakes at the dealership. The car had a hard time gaining traction due to stiff competition from other well-established vehicles in its class. Of course, by then car buyers were looking past muscle cars towards family-friendly and luxury offerings. The Javelin wasn’t a bad car, but nothing made you take notice enough of it to want to go out and buy one either.

17 1975 Plymouth Volare Road Runner - Walked Rather Than Ran

I’m not quite sure why the Plymouth Volare Roadrunner existed. Maybe Dodge had some extra Furys lying about in the backyard or something. The car looked a bit more straight-edge than its sibling while offering a sort of muscle car performance. Either way, the Volare wasn’t the fastest on the block, regularly reaching 0-60 in 10.7 seconds from its 318 cu. in. V8 powerplant. Overall the car was good enough for most buyers, and plenty of them can be found for sale online. Buyers researching this car say that they find it less offensive looking and aggressive than Dodge Chargers of the same year.

16 1975 Chevy Corvette - Pretty, But Slow

The catalytic converter spelled doom for the 1975 Corvette. Why? Because it dropped the horsepower so low on its V8 engine that even a Yugo could’ve given the car a run for its money. With only 165 hp, the Corvette wasn’t going anywhere fast. Edmunds says it took 7.7 seconds for the car to get from 0-60 mph. In today’s terms, that’s minivan territory coming from one of the world’s quickest cars. Just as crippling was the pitiful 3-speed transmission that was mated to the engine. People still managed to buy the car anyway, even if they didn’t feel like getting anywhere quickly.

15 1976 Cadillac Eldorado - Way Too Heavy For Its Engine

The Eldorado was made for cruising. Period. It was big, bad and heavy, weighing over 5,000 lbs. Something of that size would have to have no less than a V8 engine. It was slow, but for this type of car, it was acceptable. Its 8.2-liter V8 produced 195 hp, which was good enough to get the car down the road and from 0-60 mph in around 13.5 seconds. The Eldorado was more of a cruise liner than anything else, fully loaded and we could all use a break every now and then to bask in the lap of an Eldorado.

14 1977 Dodge Charger Daytona - All Fluff, No Puff

One of the famous “Winged Cars,” the Charger Daytona drew looks without even trying. It was a big and bad muscle car, and that was OK for a lot of people. This is not the car I’m talking about. I’m referring to the regular Dodge Charger that was built nearly a decade after the winged car. The one that no one liked. It was a very large coupe, with a very large V8 engine, that only produced 145 hp. Yep, it’s true. With only 10-11 second 0-60 times, the Charger no one wanted parked in their garage faded out quite quickly.

13 1978 Ford Mustang King Cobra - King In Name Only

One should really learn not to name anything 'King Cobra' unless you’re willing to back it up. Take the Mustang King Cobra for example. The car is beautiful to look at, it has everything a person could want. I’m sure Ford had good intentions when they took the moniker, but it ended up being an insult to speed freaks. With only an average 133 hp V8 stuffed into the bay, the Mustang was crippled, much like a real cobra without fangs. It took over 10 seconds to get from 0-60 mph, and the top speed on the thing was an astonishing 94 mph.

12 1979 Dodge Magnum - 5.9-Liters Of Slow

The Magnum hung on for only two production years, 1978-1979. It was a sort of sporty looking big two-door, that had the muscle car look craved by dudes and the roominess to take the family along for a joyride. The Magnum contained a big 5.9-liter V8, but due to the fuel economy standards at the time, the engine was only rated at 195 hp. The Magnum was a heavy car, and the weak engine didn’t help it win any fans, much less races at the light. The nearly 3,800 lb. car could only eke out 0-60 mph times of close to 11 seconds.

11 1979 Pontiac Sunbird Formula - A What?

The Sunbird Formula package consisted of a blacked-out grille, rally wheels, special decals and a few more items. Not many were sold, just over 400 for the 1979 model year. Its looks were immediately polarizing. This is a car you loved or hated on sight. It packed a 305 V8 under the hood and had respectable although not excessive speeds. I think the car was more marketed towards women, as I remember seeing a picture with the ladies from Charlie’s Angels sitting in one once. 0-60 mph times were a constant 9-10 seconds, which was normal for that V8 engine.

10 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am - Like Driving a Shoebox

It might’ve looked like an uppity Camaro from some profiles, but that didn’t stop Pontiac from trying to stay in the muscle car game. The car had the looks for street domination, that’s for sure. From the telltale rear louvers, to the gargantuan and brightly colored “Rabid Screaming Chicken” sticker plastered all over its front hood, the Firebird acted as if it only took names while you were stuck looking at its exhaust. The turbo version of the 103 V8 was more powerful than its stablemates from Oldsmobile, but the Trans Am had to deal with pitiful electronics hampering the transmission, leading to 8.0 second 0-60 times.

9 1979 Lincoln Continental 400 - Pitiful Engine/Tranny Setup

Yes, it took 15.7 seconds for the larger-than-life Continental 400 to wheeze its way to 60 mph. One good thing about the car was its size. It was absolutely massive, its 19.5-foot long structure dominating the street, the 6.6-foot wide body straining to fit into a parking spot, any parking spot. My guess is that the 400 could probably carry ten-fifteen people without much strain. It was built for comfort but could reach a 159-mph top speed if it needed to, and if there happened to be a hurricane giving it a slight boost. Ah, for the days of luxury.

8 1979 Ford Mustang - Four-Bangers Had More Power

The Fox-Body Mustangs of yesteryear were bestsellers for certain, but that doesn’t mean they were the fastest in the block. They only produced around 149 hp from their big 4.9-liter V8, but at least they made proper Mustang noises when they were started up, says Hemmings. The biggest problem for the Ford was its meaningful but clunky turbo. It took a bit of time to get up to 60 mph, which was normally in the 8-9 second range. This was actually a fast car for 1979, once the turbo would kick in. The overall body shape was different from earlier models in an effort to save on fuel.

7 1980 Ferrari Mondial - A Snail Could Outpace This Car

One wouldn’t normally think of combining “Ferrari” and “slow” in the same sentence, but that’s exactly how a lot of people feel about the Mondial. It was a freakish-looking sort of car, and I wasn’t the only one to think this. There was so much flak about its looks that Ferrari was forced to update it just three years later. It had a V8 engine, although many considered it to be underpowered for such a car. Ferrari meant for it to be a tourer rather than a faster than light traveler. Still, a 0-60 time of 9.7 seconds doesn’t make for an interesting Ferrari does it?

6 1981 Cadillac Seville Diesel - Drink Some Coffee While Getting To 60

Cadillac was consistent back in the early 1980s, I’ll give them that. Consistently slow that is. Take the ill-timed and equally ill-fated V8 Diesel engine for instance. When Cadillac put one into their almighty luxury specific Seville, it was like watching one of those early but cool Heinz Ketchup commercials. The nearly 4,200 lb. car was literally choking itself out trying to go up a hill. The behemoth had a 0-60 time of 19.5 seconds, all thanks to its massively powerful 105 hp V8 engine. Luckily for Cadillac, they hadn’t positioned themselves as a muscle car division at that time