What makes the powerful American muscle car so strong today is the fact you can get them for a fraction of what a luxury car is priced.
The car world is dominated by German and Japanese made cars. That’s not a bad thing, but real American engines are still around. You just have to look for them.
There are some powerful and unique American cars available, especially modern American muscle cars. But what makes these American muscle cars 1) affordable for the common car fan and 2) loud and fast to boot?
An American muscle car of quality should have some “kick” to it, growl loud like the corvette, and fast like a mustang.
Originally, the vintage cars we now call muscle cars were just V-8 engines with a paint job. You put a big engine in a small car. The movement for classic muscle cars drew definite interest from car makers, and we’ve seen new lines rise, fall, and rise again (like the Pontiac GTO).
The Cadillac CTS-V is a highly rated modern American muscle car, as are the Chryster 300 Hemi and the Pontiac GTO. Many consider the Pontiac GTO to be the first muscle car, and therefore the first American muscle car. It’s an interesting story; a designer wanted to drive something home from work in something faster; he thought of putting a bigger engine in a car. And we have our classic muscle car.
In terms of the most affordable American muscle cars, there are still some options if you want to race a bit over the speed limit. These three have varying price ranges, but are high value for what you get.
Let’s consider the Cadillac CTS-V. The pros here are the modern muscle cars’ incredible power. It’s got a supercharged 6.2 V8 engine, with some incredible horsepower numbers pushing 550. And you can go 0-60 in 4.3. The only clear con to this modern American muscle, if you could call it a con, is the basic seats and the price tag, nw at $60,000.
Next on the list is the most expensive, the Cadillac CTS-V. The pros here are the incredible power. It’s got a supercharged 6.2 V8 engine, with horsepower numbers pushing 550, and you can go 0-60 in 4.3. The only clear con to this modern American muscle car is the price; since this line is still out, you pay about $60,000.
Next on the list would be the Pontiac GTO, the car that started it all. Again, story was a car designer, sick of driving family sedans from work to home, decided to put a big engine into one of his smaller cars. Hence, we have the creation of the muscle car. Throughout its history, the Pontiac GTO has been top 5 in American muscles cars. And the modern Pontiac GTOs are no exception. It actually has some non-American flavor to it, but an American engine with 400 and up horsepower. While changing sometimes in horsepower, and a bad production run started and stopped over the years, the price is right here, with most models being sold for fractions of the stated value.
The most important American muscle car is? It’s a tough call. For history, the GTO might get it. For sheer power, the winner is the Cadillac CTS. For a combination of price and power, you’ve got the Chrysler 300 Hemi. It’s almost a draw, but since it has the most storied history, the Pontiac GTO is the most important modern muscle car.
Mike Stone used to sell muscle cars in the auto state of Michigan, but now he just writes about them for Streetside Auto.com. He can’t get enough of the sound, power, and look of today modern American muscle cars.
Tags: American Muscle Cars, Automobiles, Cars & Transportation, Cars & Transportation, Muscle Cars, streetside auto
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