When you think ‘car’ and ‘America’ the next word to come to mind isn’t likely to be ‘fuel-efficiency’. That’s not what American cars are about, and it never has been. American cars are all about raw, masculine, power. If you ask me, the best muscle cars are, no doubt, the ones made in 60’s and 70’s.
There have been later attempts at flexing the muscles and creating cool cars but nothing compares to that old feel; and my top 10 would be:
- 1965 Pontiac Tempest GTO — Quite possibly the one that started the American love story with muscle cars. With enough brawn under it’s bonnet to do 0-60 in 6.1 seconds, this beast of the past will still leave many a modern car behind in a traffic light drag race.
- 1970 Buick ‘GSX’ Stage 1 — This powerhouse of car produced between 360 and 400 BHP and came with what is arguably one of the hottest paintjobs around: Saturn yellow with black stripes.
- 1969 Ford Mustang ‘Boss 429’ — When it hit the market, the ‘Boss 429’ was the second most expensive Mustang on offer, and for one simple reason: the NASCAR-aspiring semi-hemi 429 engine hidden under the bonnet.
- 1970 Plymouth Hemi-Cuda — Made with muscle-loving weekend warriors in mind, the Hemi-Cuda came with a whopping 425 BHP and a predisposition to burning rubber.
- 1969 Z28 Camaro — With it’s sleek looks and great handling, the Z28 wasn’t the most powerful muscle car around, yet the GSX stage 1 would only leave it a second behind on the quarter-mile.
- 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C — While the exterior of the Shelby Cobra 427 S/C was inspired by European sports cars, it had all the power of its American brethren – and then some – weighing in at an impressive 480 BHP.
- 1968 L88 Corvette — Perhaps the ultimate manifestation of Corvette’s muscle cars, the 1968 L88 boasted an incredible 550 BHP. In fact, it was so powerful that GM didn’t want it to be used outside of racetracks.
- 1970 454 Chevelle SS — The wet dream of many a muscle car lover in its day, the Super Sport LS6 package provided the Chevelle with a mouth-watering 454 BHP.
- 1969 427 COPO Chevelle — This gorgeous beast came with some of the hottest looks of its day, and an impressive 450 BHP V-8. Unfortunately, only 320 odd were ever made.
- 1969 ZL1 Camaro — Regrettably rare, this outrageously powerful – it came with some 500 BHP – car did 0-60 in the area of 5.3 seconds. No wonder, then, that it became a popular car amongst drag racers.