Top 10 Muscle Cars of All Time

A breed of cars that isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but for those petrol heads who have a passion for it, it’s almost a mania. With a history that dates back to 1920, America, when the demand for fast cars shot up due to increased crime. The bootleggers were in dire need for speed that will help them outrun the police and therefore, decided to make their cars faster. This need eventually gained a lot of momentum and proved to be the driving force for the launch of the first muscle car, Rocket 88, in 1949. Over the years, this segment of fast, powerful yet affordable cars have become a major component of the automobile industry, especially in the USA. Today, there is a buffet of options with new and better cars rolling out year after year. But there are some that have dug deep in history and will be remembered for the times to come. They have played an instrumental role in giving these wheels the image, the accolade and honour that they have in our eyes. Today, let’s explore the top 10 landmarks in the timeline of muscle cars and understand why they are so special to some of us.

1964 PONTIAC GTO

Ah! The classic Pontiac GTO. Even though the rocket was the first muscle car, it is the Pontiac that is acclaimed to have really kicked off the era of muscle cars in the modern world. Initially offered as an upgradation package to the Pontiac tempest - a mid-sized model being manufactured by the company- the car ended up being launched as a first high performance, robust car offers in a massive of 348bhp. What’s even more surprising is the fact that it was launched for a mere $4,500 that amounts to £24,000 today. For a car that could touch 0-60mph in just 5.7 secs at that time is nothing less than a bargain. The car was so powerful that the car publishers even assessed it against its alias - the Ferrari 250 GTo. If that doesn’t prove the car’s worth then I don't know what will.

1970 CHEVROLET CHEVELLE SS 454

The car maker’s first endeavour in the segment was the Chevelle SS 454. Even though the car was out-gunned in terms of power by the Pontiac GTO in the initial years but Chevy decided to up their game. The GM motors uplifted their rule of not making any car with an engine with a size more than 400 cubic meters and allowed the subsidiary to launch the SS with an engine with the size of 454. With a conservative estimate of its horsepower of around 450, it touched 60mph in merely 5 seconds. And as you can guess, destroyed the Pontiac in the process. As a matter of fact, the car is so renowned that it is still one of the most collectible cars offered by Chevy.

1970 PLYMOUTH SUPERBIRD

A first of its kind in the world of muscle cars that was specially designed for track racing, it completely transformed the image of muscle cars from the popular drag racing to professional track. It was a radical launch that was built for accepting nothing less than the pole position in NASCAR races. The car and it’s sibling the Dodge charger Daytona were arguably one of the most famous cars of the time. Even though, due to its differentiated design, it wasn’t a huge success in terms of sales when it was just launched, today it is one of the most desired cars to have in your collection and is sold for nothing less than six digits in auctions.    

1967 CAMARO Z/28

Now who hasn’t heard of the Chevrolet Camaro. A regular sight in Hollywood hits like the Fast and the Furious series and who can forget as the legendary transformer Bumble bee. Wonder where it all started? The inception of this legendary race car took place in 1967 when Chevy launched the Camaro Z/28 with the aim of giving a smack down to the Ford Mustang in 1964. Even though it was 3 years late, the car came with juicy specifications and options. It had the racy RS and SS options but for those who have a taste for unparalleled thrill, it also had a Z/28 upgraded model that seriously elevated an already outstanding car. It’s indeed a classic in its own right.

1949 OLDSMOBILE ROCKET 88

Remember the car we talked about in the first paragraph? The one that is often credited as being the original muscle car launched in 1949? Well, this is it. The rocket hit the showrooms in the year 1949 and to be honest would have gone unnoticed, if the brains behind the car wouldn’t have decided to fit it with a powerful V8 engine that was originally meant for their more expensive saloon cars. Even though the performance was far outweighed by the future cars in the domain, the 88 was able to make its mark by winning six out of nine NASCAR races in the year it was launched. Even though it only produced 140 hp, the car is still a must in this muscle car Hall of Fame.

1965 SHELBY MUSTANG

Or the ‘Pony car’ is nothing less than a legend among muscle cars. There is not a soul who hasn’t heard of this beast. The original version of the Mustang roared in the US markets and the fact that 2 million cars were sold is a testimony to its success. But this isn’t even the best part. A year later Ford pumped things up and introduced a bigger, better and aesthetically more pleasing version of the Mustang (even I didn’t think that was possible). The car was upgraded by the legendary AC Cobra originator Carroll Shelby and was called the Shelby Mustang GT-350. The car is a class apart.

1968 CORVETTE L88

Now this might come as a shocker to those who follow muscle cars. The corvette? Wasn’t it a sports car? Well, even I thought so. But the car fits in a lot of characteristics of muscle cars. First is the powerful V8 engine as well as the affordable pricing it offered. The car was inspired by the shape of a shark and was primarily designed for racing purposes. The GM company advertised it as having 430 bhp however there are many that believe that the models escaped the factories with an upward of 500 bhp. The company never promoted the car as a road car due to its exorbitant speed and as a result, only 200 models were sold.

1964 FAIRLANE THUNDERBOLT

Ford has never backed down from coming up with fast, powerful yet street legal race cars. Be it the drag strip or the city roads, they dominated everywhere. And one fine example of this is the Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt. With a small and lightweight body, the car came with a meaty 427 cubic inch V8 race engine making it the perfect car for the acceleration that the drag strips test a car on. With estimates of the car unleashing 600 bhp, Ford regularly improved its performance by shedding excess weight.

2015 CHALLENGER HELLCAT

What happens when tradition and modern technology meet? They give birth to a leviathan called the Hellcat. You think that the Camaro ZL1 and the Mustang GT500 were outrageous with 580 bhp and 650 bhp respectively? What you didn’t know is that Dodge fitted its best with a 707 bhp engine that can destroy even many supercars on track. With a 0-60 in just 3.6 sec, it certainly is one of the fastest and the most powerful muscles that were ever made.

1971 HEMI ‘CUDA

Plymouth launched the Barracuda in 1964, right before the mustang. Even though it met all the specifications of the Mustang, the car remained under shadowed due to reasons unknown. However, this only encouraged the car maker to bounce back stronger. So, in 1970 it launched what is one of the most enticing muscle car models from the classic era - The Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda. Not only was it powerful with a 425 bho engine, it was fun to look at. Coming in an array of colour options (even cartoonish ones) and a hood scoop poking out of the bonnet to allow for sufficient air supply to the engine, the car was a delight to look at. The company only produced 115 cars of the model as it didn’t want to compromise on the legend’s glory by modifying it to meet the new regulation norms in 1971. It goes without saying that today if one of these is put up for auction, the opening bid will be somewhere in the 7 digits.  

So, here it is. A comprehensive Hall of Fame, if you may call it, comprising the best of the best. Each one of these cars is a class apart and, in my opinion, even comparing them to each other is an insult to them. There never was, is or ever will be something that even touches the league they are in. I hope that by now, you must have fallen in love with muscle cars, that is if you weren’t already.