11 Best American Classic Muscle Cars of All Time

Best American Classic Muscle Cars

America is home to most of the famous and classic muscle cars you would ever think of. In this article, we highlight the best American muscle cars to clear up your thoughts.

Imagine taking a walk across an old field. Then, you sight a vintage wheel covered widely by stubborn grass. “Wow”, you would exclaim. Well, that car could be just one of the best muscle cars out there.

Not so long time ago, classic muscle cars were like a yardstick for riches. In terms of performance, no ordinary car would stand a chance against typical old school muscle cars.

The position of the classic American muscle cars established the relevance of muscle cars in high esteem. To this day, old muscle cars are still very relevant. And, the automotive sphere can’t easily ignore its reputation.

Let’s discover 11 best American muscle cars

1. 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z28

First built in 1966, the Camaro Z28 is one of the vintage muscle cars that the modern automotive industry needs to revisit. The 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 is a touchstone for most classic American muscle cars. It is okay to refer to the Z28 as an American pony car equally.

It sports the rear-wheel drive GM F-body platform and is available as a 2-door car. Not many old school muscle cars would produce astounding power, but the Camaro Z28 powers up to 290 bhp @ 5800 rpm and torque of 393 Nm @ 4200 rpm.

You would agree that most supercars do not equal this astonishing performance of the Camaro Z28

2. 1968 Shelby Mustang GT500-KR

The Mustang GT500-KR debuted in 1965 and discontinued in 1968. It is one such mustang muscle car that makes a difference when it hits the road. The Shelby Mustang GT500-KR basks in the league of classic American muscle cars. It is an indomitable muscle car with almost no car yet available to toggle horns. In need of a speed goddess? You need a variant of the GT500-KR.

It features a single powertrain, and it is unique for its 5-liter V8 engine. It powers up to 760 hp revving at 7500 rpm with a dual-clutch automatic design.

3. 1970 Ford Torino Cobra

The Torino Cobra was first built for North American as a target market. Today, it long secures its place as one of the most popular muscle cars. Ford produced 7,675 of the Torino Cobra to thread our earth’s soil and it remains one such unique ford muscle cars. The Ford Torino is so relentless that it poses the agility of a typical overland vehicle.

It features a wheelbase inch of 117.0 and weighs 3,774 lbs. Ford built the Torino Cobra with the OHV V-8 engine which boasts of massive power. It powers at 370 hp @ 5400 rpm with 450 torque @ 3400 rpm. In terms of speed, it goes to 60mph from 0 at just 6 seconds.

4. 1996 Dodge Charger R/T-SE

American muscle cars are some of the iconic vehicles to ever grace mother earth. The 1996 Dodge Charger R/T-SE is one such beast to own.

The first Dodge Charger debuted as a show car in 1964 and marked the birth of Charger top muscle cars from Dodge. It is a powerful car with a kW power of 317 kW.

Powering 431 horsepower and 425 bhp revving at max power of 5000, the Charger R/T-SE is unique. It has Torque of 664 and torque (lb-ft) 490 max revving at 4000.

There are 8 cylinders and 2 valves per cylinder. 426 cu in is the engine displacement which is not bad. It sports no supercharger and turbocharger and it has the carburetor fuel system and the OHC camshaft with cast iron engine block. The battery capacity is up to 70 with a 37 alternator charge current

5. 1965 Pontiac Catalina 2+2

The Pontiac builds on the B-body chassis. It debuted in 1964, but the 1965 model is exceptional. The production was discontinued in 1967 in the US and the US market misses this old muscle car.

A V-8 engine is the engine type and it sparks optimal performance. It is incredible with its 5451 mm length, and it weighs 1885 kg. Power is not the problem; it powers at376 bhp @ 5000 rpm.625 Nm and 459 of torque lb-ft @ 3200 RPM. Indeed, it is one of the best American muscle cars with its 6.9-liter engine size, 6891 cm3.

6. 1968 Plymouth Road Runner

The 1968 Road Runner is one of that muscle cars which focuses on performance. It is relatively low priced and almost any car lover can afford one.

The production started in 1968, and the muscle car was discontinued in 1980. 116.0 is the wheelbase size and it weighs 3440 lbs. It powers up to 335 hp @ 5200 rpm and can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 7.1 seconds. Thus, it is correct to conclude that the Road Runner belongs to the league of best classic muscle cars.

Vintage cars in America have always been known for their rugged performance and the Plymouth Road Runner is influential among such muscle cars.

1968 AMC Javelin

An American front-engine two-door hardtop muscle car marketed by American Motors Corporation. The muscle car can also be referred to as the Rambler Javelin in the UK and Australia.

It debuted in 1967 and was discontinued in 1974. Richard A. Teagueinspired the design of the AMC Javelin, and it is one of the reasons for its uniqueness.

Though it is one of the most amazing muscle cars, it slacks in the area of power with only 155 hp.

Nonetheless, its compression ratio 8.5:1 and it weighs 3,000 lbs. Its 6-cylinder engine with double-barrel Carter WCD carburetor makes a difference and it speedometer records up to 200 km/h.

8. 1968 Dodge Super Bee

Dodge is the marketer of the Dodge Super Bee, one of the best muscle cars. After productions in 1968, Dodge discontinued the Super Bee model in 1971. Nevertheless, it secured its time as a king amongst top muscle cars to date.

It is built on the B-body platform and relates with Dodge Coronet, Plymouth Satellite, Dodge Charger, Plymouth Road Runner, Plymouth GTX, and Plymouth Belvedere. A V-8 engine is an engine that occasions the Super Bee and it holds up to 6.3 L for the Magnum, 7.0 L for the Hemi, and 7.2 L for the Six-Pack respectively.

The power output is intriguing; the Super Bee variants powerbetween335 (250-kW) and425(317). The torque amasses up to 425 bl-ft or 576 N-m. For a manual Super Bee, you would get a 4-speed manual transmission while the Torqueflite automatic offers a 3-speed transmission system.

9. 1970 Mercury Cougar

Mercury Cougar 1970 is also one of the most amazing muscle cars in America. Mercury, a division of Ford, widely marketed the Cougar. Thus, it is perfect for classifying the Mercury Cougar as one of the ford muscle cars with a difference.

With a 2-door hardtop and convertible body styles, the Cougar stands out among lots of muscle cars in America. It is designed with the FR layout and is strongly related to the Ford Mustang. The engine liter comes in engine variants, including 4.7, 4.9, 5.8, 6.4, and 7.0 liters.

Mercury released the Cougar as a 3-speed manual, 4-speed manual, and a 3-speed automatic, leaving consumers with several options. The length of the 1970 Cougar measures 4941 mm with a width of 1885 mm, and a height of 1303 mm.

10. 1969 AMC AMX/3

The most expensive AMC old muscle car ever sold is the AMC AMX/3.During its time, only a few could combat it head-to-head.

It is an exceptional muscle car in America because of its short wheelbase. Chevrolet Corvette is a strong competitor of the AMC AMX/3.Nevertheless, AMC AMX/3 beats the Chevrolet Corvette, its close competitor, in some areas like the wheelbase by an incredible one inch(2.5 cm).

It is a 2-door body styled muscle car with 2 seats spaciously accommodating a driver and a passenger. The engine size is 6.4 liter, 6386 cm3, and the AMX/3 arrives with 8 cylinders. Power is not a problem; the AMC AMX/3 powers up to 340 BHP @ 5100 rpm and torque of 430 ft-lb @ 3600 rpm.

11. 1970 Chevy Chevelle LS6

Chevy muscle cars in America are a household class of cars. Admittedly, several average homes in America own the muscular Chevy for its uniqueness and fair pricing in these present times. 

Maybe, if the Chevelle LS6 is present today, there would hardly be a muscle car to oppose its reign. Luckily for other muscle cars in America, the Chevelle LS6 production ended in 1977 and has since been succeeded by the Chevrolet Malibu.

The Chevelle LS6 is built on the A-body platform with the FR layout. It basks in the league the best muscle cars occasioned by uniqueness. Furthermore, it features the unique GM Chevrolet LS-6 454 V-8 engine and powers at 450 bhp @ 5600 rpm with 500 lb-ft torque @ 3600 rpm.

Its wheelbase is 2,921 mm, the length is 5,004 mm, and it weighs 3,256 lb. Sincerely, not many muscle cars today would stand against the mighty Chevy Chevelle LS6.

FINAL WORDS

No matter how many new and modern cars come, they cannot beat the beauty and glory of old muscle cars. 

Hope you guys enjoyed the list, Cheers! 🙃

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