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One of these two Chevrolets could be ordered by nearly anyone with the cash; the other required knowing about a hidden engine code most dealers had never heard of. Both hid more horsepower than their factory ratings admitted to. Here’s how a mass-produced 450-horsepower Chevelle and a nearly unobtainable 71-unit Camaro both earned a permanent place in muscle car history.
A 1970 Dodge Challenger doesn’t get many chances to find its actual top end on American roads, but on Germany’s unrestricted Autobahn, this car gets to answer that question for real. Filmed from the driver’s seat with synced speedo and sound, this is one entry in an ongoing series chasing exactly that answer. Watch to see how a fifty-plus-year-old pony car handles roads it was never built for.
A Toyota Supra and an American muscle car line up for the kind of race that import-versus-domestic arguments are built on — two completely different approaches to speed staged side by side. Import 2 Race brings the cameras, the tension, and the inevitable bragging rights on the line. Whichever side you’re on, the result won’t settle the debate, but it will give you plenty of ammunition for the next one. Watch to see who gets there first.
Three hosts, three American muscle cars, and one stretch of open road: Top Gear lines up a Mustang, a Chevy, and a Mopar to settle the oldest argument in Detroit performance. Adam, Tanner, and Rutledge each defend their pick with more enthusiasm than engineering, and the drag race format strips the debate to its basics. Watch to see which flag flies highest, and whether the feud is any closer to settled.
Two high-dollar Mercedes-AMG machines line up against one modified Corvette, and the badge that usually ends the argument does not fare the way you might expect. DragtimesInfo captures a C6 ZR1 tuned to a claimed 720 horsepower squaring off with an SLS AMG and a Weistec-built C63 AMG on a Russian drag strip. It is the old American-versus-German debate settled in a few seconds of elapsed time. Watch to see whether the value proposition beats the prestige badges.
This compilation strings together some of the greatest car chase scenes ever filmed, from Bullitt and The French Connection to Vanishing Point and Gone in 60 Seconds, all shot in an era when the cars did the acting and the stunt drivers did the rest. It’s a tour through the golden age of on-screen muscle, before CGI took over the genre. Watch to find out why these scenes still hold up.
In the world of American automobiles, the muscle car reigns supreme, embodying power and legacy. But what truly makes a car a muscle car? It’s more than just being a classic; there’s a blend of aggression, speed, and that unmistakable V-8 growl. Picture a 1985 Pontiac Trans Am Kammback, a muscle coupe with the quirkiness to match its power. And if you’re struggling with muscle car lingo, fret not—it’s as colorful as the cars themselves, making it a language worth revving up for.
Dubbed “the world’s smartest car” before smart cars were a thing, the Nash Metropolitan (1953-1961) was a quirky marvel. Available as a hardtop or convertible, this pint-sized wonder was an American brainchild produced by the Brits. With a wheelbase shorter than a VW Beetle, it aimed to be the perfect second car for those who believed bigger was better. It was as nimble as a cat in a parking lot—a sub-compact charmer with a flair for style and economy in a land of gas-guzzling giants.
The muscle car market took its hardest hit in decades after 2009, and recovery has been slow and uneven ever since. One of the quietest comeback stories belongs to a car most people forget was ever a muscle car at all: the Mercury Cougar Eliminator, built in numbers far smaller than the Mustang it was designed to beat. Here’s why collectors are paying attention now.
That orange GTO isn’t just another late-’60s Pontiac — it’s a 1969 GTO Judge, the car Pontiac built specifically to answer Plymouth’s budget-muscle Road Runner. Standard power came from a 366-horsepower Ram Air III, but the real prize was the rare, underrated Ram Air IV making a quarter-mile run in the 13-second range. Pontiac built barely 6,833 Judges that year, split between hardtops and a handful of convertibles. Here’s what made this short-lived option package so special.
Muscle cars aren’t just vehicles; they’re an attitude on wheels. Take Eleanor, the iconic 1967 Mustang from “Gone in 60 Seconds,” a true embodiment of muscle car spirit. These beasts, often powered by roaring V8 engines, dominated drag racing from the ’60s to ’80s. With insane torque and horsepower, they offer rides that’ll make your jaw drop—and maybe your toupee fly off. Thanks to innovations like Dodge’s all-wheel drive Challenger GT, driving these monsters isn’t just for sunny days anymore!
Every car on the road in the 1980s seemed to share the same flat panels and hard right angles — and within a decade, that geometry was gone. Vox traces the real reasons Detroit abandoned the boxy look for the swooping curves of the 1990s, from wind tunnel data to a design tool that didn’t exist a decade earlier. The full story explains why nearly every car since has followed the same curved template.
Tim Allen built a private collection of American cars deep enough to fill an entire episode of GQ’s Car Collectors series, from a 1965 Shelby Cobra S/C to a 1933 Ford Roadster he built himself on the set of Home Improvement. It’s a garage shaped less by an investment portfolio and more by a genuine love of American iron. See what else the actor has been quietly collecting in Los Angeles.
Once a month from April through October, Helsinki turns its downtown into an unlikely gathering point for American muscle, and this July 2012 cruising night captured on camera by Jamboolio is a highlight reel of just how far that culture has traveled. A 663-horsepower Shelby GT500 convertible shares the street with a 1968 Bullitt Fastback, a Dodge Viper GTS, and a supercharged 1957 Bel Air, among dozens of others. It is proof American muscle car culture became a global language.