Rate These Popular Muscle Cars And We'll Reveal Which One To Get!
- by Ursula Nizalowski
- – on
- in Lifestyle
Though cars are an important and preferred method of transportation all across the world, it was in the United States that people became obsessed. With the popularity of automobile races, this led to ordinary citizens wanting cars that could be both fast and powerful as it would make them not only popular among their peers but also gain respect from them. So the muscle car was invented to suit these needs, although the original term used for them was ‘Supercar’. Now what makes muscle cars different from other types is that they’re typically lightweight models of mid-size with a lot of horsepower due to the V8 engines inside of them, which makes these cars go fast and still have plenty of energy leftover.
The first model of car that did this is heavily debated, but most agree that it was the 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 as it had a high-compression overhead valve V8 engine (which was the first of its kind at the time) inside a small Chevy-sized body called the Oldsmobile 76. From there, the muscle car industry bloomed into a variety of types which can be rated here for the chance of getting a recommendation on which one to get!
1955 Chevy Bel Air V8
A classic car from a bygone era, with a pastel color scheme front bench-style seats whitewall tires and an optional convertible roof, it is equipped with a small-block V8 engine (hence its name) which can hit 195 in terms of horsepower.
1964 Chevrolet Impala SS
In an Aqua colored finish and clear coat, this car has a three-speed 350 automatic drive with power steering available, an aluminum radiator with a six-blade fan included, stainless steel headers and exhaust, chrome bumpers, and full tinted glass.
1965 Ford Mustang
Containing a V8 engine capable of 225-horsepower, this car also has automatic transmission A/C system bucket seats and a chrome console. It is painted Candy Apple Red on the outside while the inside is black. Option-wise, it has a GT rear valance with exhaust cutouts.
1966 Chevrolet Chevelle Super Sport
With a 396 V8 engine and five-speed manual transmission, this car also has a hydraulic clutch a 12-bolt rear axle 17-18 inch wheels and four-wheel power disc brakes. In terms of color, it is painted in Corvette Rally Red.
1967 Chevrolet Corvair
Of the Monza Coupe-style variety of models, this car has automatic transmission with a 110-horsepower engine and parts that have been either replaced or restored such as having 14-inch American Racing chrome Torque Thrust II wheels and BF Goodrich tires to boot.
1967 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible
Known for being the only car of its kind to have a Tuxedo Black exterior and Bright Blue interior paint-job, it also has an L71 427-435 horsepower V8 engine in the big-block variety and a side exhaust.
1967 Mercury Cougar GT
Being one of the 5,791 GT models made out of 150,893 cars produced in total when the Cougar debuted, this car has a 390 CI V8 engine, automatic transmission, a four-barrel carburetor, a duel-exhaust system, a green exterior and gold interior.
1967 Pontiac GTO
Combined with a 400 cubic-inch V8 engine and four-speed manual transmission, this car is painted in Nightwatch Blue on the exterior with red pinstripes along the sides. It also has a 12-bolt rear axle, quick-ratio power steering, and rear drum brakes.
1968 Chevrolet Camaro SS Coupe
With a 396-325 horsepower engine, Muncie four-speed transmission, and 12-bolt rear end, this car also includes a center console that has gauges, power brakes, an air injection reactor, a blue interior and a Fathom Blue exterior color-wise.
1968 Dodge Charger
Made with a 440-sized engine and 727 AT transmission, this car comes with a Tuxedo Black colored exterior with a Vinyl Black interior to match. On top of that, the exterior has three coats of Urethane and clear paint to give it a shinier look.
1968 Ford Torino GT Fastback
Equipped with an eight cylinder big-block 390-sized V8 engine, this car also comes with a C-6 transmission power steering duel rear speakers and bucket-style seats. In terms of color, it is painted Wimbledon White on the exterior while the interior is blue.
1968 Hurst/Olds
Named after a famous repair-shop owner/entrepreneur and the company that produced it, this car is equipped with a V8 engine that has Force Air and W-30 options. It can also go 60 miles-per-hour in 5.4 seconds.
1968 Plymouth Barracuda Coupe Notchback
Having a blue interior and exterior color-wise, this two-door trimmed car has automatic transmission a 360-sized engine with eight cylinders and is a rear-wheel-drive in terms of driving type. Option-wise, it can have a CD player.
1969 Chevrolet Camaro RS SS
Equipped with a 300-horsepower 350-sized V8 engine, this car is of the four-speed transmission variety with power disc brakes and console gauges as well as 18-inch wheels in the front while the rear ones are 20-inches.
1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Combined with a 302-290 horsepower engine and four-speed transmission, this car is painted Hugger Orange on the exterior (though it looks red in the picture) with a black interior. On top of that, it has bucket seats and polyglas tires.
1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429
At a time when Ford wasn’t doing so well financially, they made this car, which was not only modeled after the four-speed Cobra Jet Mustang but it also contained a new engine that was capable of going 118 miles-per-hour at top speed.
1969 Mercury Cyclone "Spoiler"
Based on the Ford Torino in terms of design, this car came with two “Spoiler” packages that offered more styling choices and aerodynamic features. For instance, the Spoiler II package included a front nose and a rear bumper that was more tucked in.
1969 Pontiac GTO "The Judge"
Given as an optional package for two-door hardtop or convertible-style Pontiac GTOs, “The Judge” offered a rear spoiler, striped body paint and the choice of either a Ram Air III or Ram Air IV engine capable of 366 and 370-horsepower respectively.
1970 Chevrolet Chevelle LS6
Made in Tuxedo Black with a matching interior and bucket-style seats, this car has Muncie M22 “Rock Crusher” four-speed transmission, a 12-bolt Positraction rear axle, and its namesake LS6 engine that is capable of 454-450 horsepower.
1970 Chevrolet Nova
Packing a 307 V8 engine and with a gold-colored exterior, this car also has an SS trim added to the base of the model and has an automatic transmission. It may not be the fastest muscle car, but is great for casual and drag-racing purposes.
1970 Dodge Coronet Super Bee
Among the 1,072 cars that were built of this particular model, 599 of them were four-speed manual drives while the other 473 of them were automatic. Each type was equipped with a different engine, such as the six-pack Magnum V8 and the A833 for the manual drives.
1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Fastback
Powered by a 351-sized engine that includes eight cylinders and a four-speed manual transmission, this car also has a 3.25 rear end and clutch. Color-wise, it is painted Gulf Stream Aquamarine on the exterior while the interior is pleated white.
1970 Plymouth Barracuda
Done in the convertible-style trim with a 426 Hemi engine, this car is a member of the rare Cuda sub-model which only has fourteen cars made in its name. It is a four-speed drive-type with eight cylinders and a manual transmission.
1970 Plymouth GTX
Designed with smoother lines and a power bulge-style hood, this overhauled convertible car model came with a 440-sized engine that either had three two-body carburetors or four barrels as well as a 426 Hemi engine option-wise.
1971 Dodge Charger R/T
Painted in Curious Yellow, this car comes with a 440 V8 engine and A/C as well as a top made of vinyl. As for the rear spoiler, it is colored matte black with a matching interior that has bucket-style seats.
1974 Holden Monaro HQ
Painted in Chrome Yellow with a black roof made of vinyl, this sedan-style car comes with an automatic transmission 18 billet specialty wheels and a black trim. On the inside, it has black carpeting bucket seats and a center console.
1987 Buick GNX #003
One of three production-ready cars originally produced by General Motors before two of them were retained, this particular car is equipped with a 3.8-liter V6 engine, an air-to-air inter-cooling system, and can go 104 miles-per-hour in 13.4 seconds.
2002 Ford Mustang
With the coupe and convertible body-styles as options, this car was one of the best-selling cars in the United States at the time of its release. It also comes with a Mach 1000 Audio System, six 85-watt amplifiers, and 16-inch wheels.
2014 Dodge Challenger
In addition to having a V6 engine capable of 305-horsepower, this car comes with two upgrade packages of the Super Sport variety which gives this car a more enhanced performance overall and style options that give it a more aggressive look.
2015 Shelby GT
An improvement of the Ford Mustang GT, this car model offers a 627-horsepower V8 engine that’s supercharged along with performance suspension and custom styling options. Style-wise, it is lightweight, aerodynamic, and has an aggressive-looking body with carbon fiber parts.
2017 Fireball 900 Camaro
Due to its namesake 900-horsepower engine, this car is considered by many to be the fastest Camaro that is not only capable of driving on tracks but also street legal. Then while the hood is colored black, the wheels are painted in a combination of red and black.
2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
Though it has the same supercharged 6.2-liter LT4 V8 engine as its previous model, this car does compensate by having aerodynamic features such as air deflectors dive planes and DSSV dampers. In addition, it has Eagle F1 3R tires of the Supercar variety.
2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat
This latest addition to Dodge's Hellcat brand in the Challenger ST series of car models is 3.5 inches wider than a standard model with 20-by-11-inch "Devil's Rim" aluminum wheels and a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine that has 707-horsepower.
2018 Dodge Challenger SXT Plus
With a White Knuckle colored exterior and a black interior, this two-door car has an automatic and rear-wheel-drive transmission available as well as a 3.6-liter engine with six cylinders. Distance-wise, it can go 19 miles-per-hour in the city and 30 on the highway.
2018 Ford Mustang
Available in many forms including hardtop and convertible, this car has manual and automatic transmission options as well as a turbocharged inline-four engine or a naturally aspirated V8 one. Then there is an eight-cylinder GT coupe option that has a stick shift and Performance Pack 2 installed.