Muscle cars are as American as apple pie (even if the Aussies built some cool ones, too), and from the mid-’60s to the early ’70s, carmakers were locked in a battle to see who could make the fastest and most powerful models.

While they used to be affordable, at least compared to imported performance cars, today, all the most iconic muscle cars come with ridiculous price tags.

Most of the ones we’ve picked are from the Golden Era, but we’ve included some of the most outrageous modern models and a handful of pony cars.

1969 Dodge Charger Daytona / 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird

To meet 1969 NASCAR homologation requirements, Dodge had to build 500 road-going Charger Daytonas. They installed a jumbo jet-like wing at the rear, a nose cone designed to slice through the air, and a massive V8 under the hood.

Not wanting to be left behind (quite literally), Plymouth gave its Road Runner the same treatment the following year, resulting in the Superbird. These winged warriors dominated NASCAR until aero cars were banned in 1971. Incredibly, convincing people to buy them was challenging, but now, they’re worth an absolute fortune.

1968 Dodge Charger R/T

The Daytona above was based on the second-generation Dodge Charger, introduced in 1968. It was available with various engines, but the Charger R/Ts fitted with the 440 and 426 Hemi units are often considered the quintessential muscle car.

These days, the second-gen Charger are best known as Dom Toretto’s weapon of choice in the Fast & Furious franchise, but it found on-screen fame long before that. It was driven by the bad guys in Bullitt, where it was involved in one of the best car chases in movie history, and it starred as the General Lee in the Dukes of Hazzard.

1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am SE

If you’re wondering why anyone should put a malaise-era Trans Am on their bucket list, you clearly haven’t watched Burt Reynolds drive the wheels off one in Smokey and the Bandit. If that’s the case, go watch it. Right now!

We’ll admit that it’s not the best, rarest, or most powerful muscle car out there, but it’s certainly among the coolest. Especially in black and gold. Richard Rawlings and his Gas Monkeys even built a cool Bandit tribute car.

1967 Pontiac GTO

Pontiac started the whole muscle car craze with its 1964 GTO, however, we think the 1967 model looks better. In 1966, the GTO received a new look and became a separate model, not just an optional package.

In 1967, the GTO saw more exterior changes, and Pontiac also gave it multiple mechanical updates. These included front disc brakes, a 3-speed automatic with a Hurst dual-gate shifter, and the 389 cu in grew to 400 cu in, with the high-output version producing 360 horsepower.

1964 Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt

In 1964, Ford built a spectacular limited-production Fairlane Thunderbolt factory drag racer. The Thunderbolt was fitted with the Galaxie’s “high rise” 427 V8 engine with dual 4-barrel Holley carburetors. 

Ford claimed it produced roughly 425 horsepower, but the real power output is thought to be closer to 600 horses. They only built 100 Fairlane Thunderbolts, 49 had a 4-speed manual transmission, and 51 were delivered with an automatic.

1968 Dodge Hemi Dart Super Stock

Dodge built several high-performance versions of the Dart, but the Hemi Dart is probably the coolest. Dodge sent 80 partially-assembled Dart GTS chassis to Hurst Performance, where they went to great lengths to keep weight down and then shoehorned a 426 engine under the hood.

The Hemi Dart Super Stock was as basic as it gets, as anything deemed unnecessary for the drag strip was dropped. Technically, it was road-legal, but Dodge discouraged driving it on public roads. It would do a quarter-mile run in the low 10-second range, and hit 130 mph in a mere 11 seconds.

1965 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu SS 396 Z-16

With only 200 made (or 201 including the prototype), the 1965 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu SS 396 is more obscure than your average 1960s muscle car, and only 75 are accounted for these days. Chevrolet built it as a rolling advertisement for its new 396 V8 engine, producing 375 horsepower. 

The Z-16 optioned Chevelle used the convertible’s boxed frame, narrowed rear axle and brake assemblies from the contemporary Impala, a heavy-duty suspension setup, and practically every Chevelle comfort and convenience option. No wonder Chevrolet called it “the most potent and ‘fun’ car in the country.”

1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 LS6

The 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 LS6 was unique, with a restyled body and distinct quad-headlights. It was also the only year the Chevelle could be optioned with the massive 454 LS6 big-block V8 engine.

Producing 450 horsepower, it was one of the most powerful muscle cars of the Golden Era. It could finish a quarter-mile run in just 13.44 seconds. 4,475 LS6-equipped Chevelles were sold, and they’re highly sought-after today.

1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL-1

In the late ’60s, GM’s rule book stated that its mid-size and smaller cars could only use engines smaller than 400 cu in. However, Chevy cleverly circumvented the GM engine size rule by creating Central Office Production Orders, or COPO. 

In 1969, car enthusiasts could order the “regular” number 9561, which was a Camaro with the L72 427 engine, known as the COPO Camaro. Or, they could get the even more special 9560, known as the ZL-1 Camaro. The ZL1 had a 427 V8 with an all-aluminum block made specifically for drag racing. Only 69 cars were ordered with this option, making it one of the rarest Camaros ever.

1967 Chevrolet Yenko Super Camaro

Chevrolet dealership owner and race car driver Don Yenko also circumvented GM’s engine size rules, but he did it differently. In 1967, he ordered SS Camaros with the 396 engine and then swapped in the Corvette’s 427 V8, along with some other upgrades. 

By 1969, Yenko had Chevrolet install the engines on the factory assembly line via the COPO system. The Yenko Camaros are recognizable thanks to the visual package that included “Yenko 427” badges and stripes and “sYc” on the headrests.

1970 AMC Rebel “The Machine”

AMC is arguably the most underrated American muscle car manufacturer. Over the years, they set 104 different speed records, and in 1969 and 1970, AMC won the award for Best Engineered Cars. 1970 was also the one and only year the AMC Rebel “The Machine” was available.

It had a high-performance version of the 390 cu in engine, making it the most powerful AMC production car ever made, producing 340 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque. However, the same engine was used in the Super Stock AMX, and AMC claimed it had 340 hp, but NHRA rated it at 420 horses, so even if The Machine only had 340 wild stallions, it certainly had more potential.

1967 Dodge Coronet WO23 / Plymouth Belvedere RO23

The two Mopar brands, Dodge and Plymouth, each built a road-legal drag racer in 1967. For all intents and purposes, the Dodge Coronet WO23 and Plymouth Belvedere RO23 were practically identical, as only the badges and some minor details separated the two.

55 units of each were built to meet the NHRA’s minimum requirement for drag racing homologation. Powered by an upgraded 426 Hemi engine and stripped of anything that didn’t make them quicker, the Mopar cousins were capable of 11s on the strip.

1965 Shelby GT350 Mustang

In 1965, Shelby injected the humble Mustang — a secretary’s car, according to Ken Miles — with some potent Cobra venom, resulting in the hardcore GT350. Sacrificing comfort for handling and agility, the Shelby GT350 wasn’t the most approachable performance car for the casual driver.

Surprisingly, Shelby left the 289 High-Performance V8 engine relatively stock. It had 271 horsepower from the factory, and the GT350 delivered 306 galloping stallions. That said, it was certainly capable of more if someone wanted to take things further.

1973 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am SD-455

By 1973, most muscle cars were discontinued in favor of more economical models. Thankfully, the Pontiac Firebird refused to roll over and die, and even though sales weren’t stellar, GM execs agreed to give the Trans Am trim the performance it should have.

Thanks to its Super-Duty 455 engine, the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am became the most powerful American car of 1973. It was a proper performance engine, and since Pontiac’s engineers held back a bit to satisfy emissions standards, it’s capable of more than its stock 290 horsepower.

1970 Buick GSX Stage 1

Buick’s 1970 Gran Sport 455 was a very capable muscle car, but it became something extraordinary with the GSX Stage 1 package. The GSX option added an appearance, performance, and handling package to the GS 455, including literally every available factory performance and handling part. 

Officially, Stage 1 455s made 360 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque. However, that’s most likely a very conservative number. Prior to 1972, all US carmakers used gross SAE horsepower, which is significantly higher than what the engine actually produces when it’s installed. Independent tests have found that the Stage 1 455 actually produces around 360 net SAE horses. Anyway, it could reach 60 mph in 5.1 seconds, had a 135 mph top speed, and ran a quarter-mile in 14.3 seconds.

1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429

Ford built the Ford Mustang Boss 429 as a 1969 NASCAR homologation special, but when Dodge released its Charger Daytona, Ford scrapped the Boss 429 Mustang’s NASCAR plans.

However, they still built 1359 Boss 429s that were made available to customers. They were heavily revised to accommodate the massive 375-horsepower 429 cu in V8 engine, which incidentally made them handle better than any other ‘Stang with a large V8.

1970 Dodge Challenger R/T

While Dodge didn’t have an immediate answer to Ford and Chevy’s popular pony cars, they finally caught up in 1970. In fact, we’d argue that not only did they catch up, but the Hemi-powered Challenger made minced meat of the Mustang and Camaro.

While the Charger R/T was available with the 383 and 440 engines, the 425-horsepower 426 Hemi was the king of the hill. With the ability to reach 60 mph in 4.7 seconds, a 134 mph top speed, and finishing a quarter-mile in 13.3 seconds, it was one of the fastest cars money could buy.

1968 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 W30

Oldsmobile initially introduced the 4-4-2 muscle car as an option package for its F-85 and Cutlass models in 1964. It would take another 4 years for it to become a separate model, when the second generation was released in 1968. 

The 4-4-2 name is derived from its 4-barrel carb, 4-speed transmission, and 2 exhausts. The W30 performance package upgraded the already powerful car using “Select Fit” engine parts by the Oldsmobile designers. The W-30-equipped Oldsmobile 4-4-2s with the 400 cu in V8 engine churned out a respectable 360 horsepower. Of course, it was possible to get even more power by ordering the Hurst/Olds with 390-horsepower 455 engines.

1969 Pontiac GTO “The Judge”

In 1969, Pontiac introduced The Judge, a performance package for the second-gen GTO. It was a stripped-down, basic model built to compete with the Plymouth Road Runner. It included the Ram Air 400 engine, Rally II wheels with wider tires, a unique Hurst shifter, a rear spoiler, and some decals.

With 370 horsepower and 445 lb-ft of torque, the GTO Judge could reach 60 mph in 4.9 seconds, had a 122 mph top speed, and ran a quarter-mile in 13.6 seconds. 6,833 buyers got behind the wheel of a Pontiac GTO Judge in 1969

2000 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R

In 2000, Ford’s SVT division didn’t build a regular Cobra, so the Cobra R was the only high-performance Mustang variant available that year, not counting models from tuners such as Roush, Saleen, and Steeda. Only 300 were made, so getting your hands on one won’t be easy.

Under the hood, the Cobra R had a 385-horsepower 5.4-liter DOHC V8. However, most sources agree that Ford’s official number is conservative, as it produced nearly that much on the rear wheels in independent dyno tests.

2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170

Dodge has built some seriously powerful and impressive Challengers, but the 2023 SRT Demon 170 takes the cake. Its supercharged 6.2-liter V8 produces 1,025 horsepower and 945 lb-ft of torque on E85 fuel, making it the most powerful factory-built muscle car ever. 

Make sure you have a tight grip on the steering wheel as you floor the pedal, because the SRT Demon 170 pulls over 2gs when you floor the throttle — the highest acceleration G-force measured in a production car. Sixty mph comes up in just 1.66 seconds, and the quarter-mile is dealt with in 8.91 seconds, at which point you’re doing over 151 mph.

2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

Chevrolet introduced an extreme track performance package for the Camaro in 2017. Known as the Camaro ZL1 1LE, it received a host of wind-tunnel-tested exterior upgrades to improve downforce, wider, grippier tires, and an improved suspension setup.

Its 6.2-liter supercharged V8 delivered 650 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque, and combined with the other upgrades, that was enough to lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife in just 7 minutes, 16.04 seconds.

2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

Ford unveiled the Shelby GT500 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, and it was a very different beast than the regular Mustang. Under its hood lurked a hand-built 5.2-liter Predator cross-plane crank V8 fitted with a 2.65L roots-type supercharger. 

With 760 horsepower and 625 lb-ft of torque, it managed a top speed of 195 mph, although it was limited to 180 mph in North America. If the “basic” GT500 wasn’t enough, it could be upgraded with the Carbon Fiber Track Pack, which also included a set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Tires instead of the PS4S tires.

2014 Equus Bass 770

Those with some serious cash to burn and who’d love a classic muscle car with all the modern amenities can get a custom-built resto-mod or buy the Equus Bass 770.

Its exterior was inspired by all the most famous classic muscle cars of the Golden Era, and the interior has been given a retro-styled, vintage look, but with an infotainment system and whatever else you’d expect in a modern car. Its performance also lives up to its looks, thanks to a supercharged 6.2-liter LS9 from the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. It’ll do 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds and has a top speed of more than 200 mph. Unfortunately, Bass 770 prices start at $250,000.