The muscle car is an iconic part of American culture, and has gained millions of new fans since the Fast and the Furious’ Dominic Toretto introduced many of us to drag racing wheelies with his iconic Dodge Charger doing a burnout, while launching the V8 monster towards the sky. For most, however, the love affair started even sooner, with Steve McQueen’s movie ‘Bullitt’ featuring a Mustang, and an exciting car chase through the streets of San Francisco. What we didn’t know was that the pony car of the 60s would eventually be disrespectfully referred to as the American muscle car. Technicalities aside, we’re happy to have access to modern interpretations of the classic, cheap, coupe, 4-door, and convertible, even if the latter is mainly favored by rental agencies.
The USA created and still owns the best muscle car market in the world, and although the 2019 BMW M8 Competition is a brand new type of muscle car with AWD that has the luxury to put your average Chevy to shame, cars built and designed here are still the most popular types. That’s because our versions are by far the coolest muscle cars, are reasonable to restore or buy, they’re powerful, and are often available with less thirsty V6 engines.
If you want to destroy lap times, have fun at the strip, and be comfortable in traffic, the most affordable way to do everything is to get the Shelby GT500. This car is so focused on being the ultimate version of itself that you could have carbon fiber rims instead of traditional alloy wheels. This makes it fantastic, but other offerings like the Dodge Challenger Demon are just as crazy, and provide incredible thrills for the price.
Currently, you could argue that there are three variations in this segment: the 2-door, the sedan, and the convertible, but these may be further refined into those that are meant for hardcore track work, and those that aren’t. Additionally, if you don’t like Ford, Dodge, or Chevrolet, you won’t like most of what’s available. Nevertheless, the list of different models on sale in 2020 is hot and spans a price range starting from around $25k to upwards of $83k. At the moment, all three major players have something to suit the budget, though, so pretty much anyone who craves an exciting toy will be catered for. Peruse our roster of the top 10 muscle cars for more information.
Before you commit to purchasing a new muscle car, there are some factors to take into account:
That honor is held by the base Camaro, but the most affordable ‘Stang is less than two grand more. Have a look at our muscle cars lists for more detailed data.