![]() ![]() Seemingly out of nowhere, the TA received what was essentially a detuned race engine. The ’74 Trans Am was the last muscle car for a long time. The Goat was pathetic, the Chevelle was hideous, and the Mustang was an economy car without a V8. What had started in 1964 with the GTO, was largely over by 1974. It’s big, brash, loud, and seats four (but only two comfortably), and worth about 30 times what the original owner paid back in the day. Put some modern tires on this big bad boy, and you’re looking at a quarter mile of 13 flat. ![]() Check one box on the order from, and you could get an estimated 450 horsepower in a spankin’ new box body that defined the muscle car era. For Chevy fans, the peak of performance is a Chevelle with the LS-6 454 V8. Oddly, despite its performance oriented roots, the more flexible and weighty convertibles are the investment ticket today, but any Hemi with 425 horsepower is good enough for me.ġ970 was arguably the pinnacle of the first muscle car era. The biggest change was the engine options, and while the 440 “six pack” and 426 Hemi had been available in the previous generation, with the ’70 E-body ‘cuda, the power skyrocketed and it became the legendary million-dollar muscle car we know today. The ‘cuda shed its economy car roots in 1970, updating its looks, handling, and capabilities for the ‘70s. The ZL1 cost more than the Corvette, so only 69 found their way out of the factory. While they are extremely rare, they were available at pretty much any Chevy dealership with the will, and any buyer with the cash. These lightweight engines were basically drag race ready, and only needed exhaust and tuning to cross the 500 horsepower mark. Most of them were iron blocks, but a few dozen were hand-bilt aluminum 427s. The Cobra won hundreds of races in the ‘60s, and became the car that every other supercar would be measured against, often even today.ĭealerships in the late ‘60s found a way around Chevy’s limit on high displacement engines and began ordering 427s fitted into the compact Camaro. For reference, that is 400 pounds lighter than a Miata, but 3 times the power. ![]() The result was a monster of a sports car, with 425 horsepower in a 2,300 pound car. Carrol Shelby stuffed small block, then big block, Ford engines into the flyweight British AC Ace sports car. This is pushing the limits of the term muscle car, but the design ethos of the original Cobra is definitely muscle. Without further ado, here are the top ten highest horsepower classic US muscle cars in no particular order. Technically speaking, a muscle car has a big block V8 stuffed into an intermediate coupe, but like “sports car,” the definition of muscle has evolved to include small block V8s, pony cars, and even sedans and wagons. If you want speed with attitude, it’s hard to beat an American muscle car. ![]()
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