Muscle Cars, Ranked

The 1964 GTO stuffed a 389 V8 into the mid-size Tempest/LeMans as an option package and is widely credited as the car that launched the classic muscle car era. It set the template: big engine, light body, affordable price.

The 1968-70 second-gen Charger paired aggressive Coke-bottle styling with available 426 HEMI power, and became a screen legend as the black villain's car in Bullitt (1968) and later as the General Lee in The Dukes of Hazzard. Few shapes say muscle car louder.

The 1970 Chevelle SS 454 LS6 was factory-rated at 450 hp (gross), among the highest ratings of the classic muscle era. It is the definitive big-block Chevy street brawler.

Launched in April 1964, the Mustang created the pony-car segment and hit one million units built by March 1966, under two years in. The Boss 302 and 428 Cobra Jet versions cemented its performance credibility.

The 1970-71 HEMI 'Cuda is among the most valuable muscle cars ever, with rare convertibles selling for millions at auction. Its sharp E-body styling and 426 HEMI made it an instant icon.

Chevy's 1967 pony car countered the Mustang and gave us the legendary Z/28 and the rare COPO 427 specials, whose L72 big-block was rated at 425 hp (the all-aluminum ZL1 at 430 hp). A perennial rival that has stayed in the fight for decades.

The 442 combined a potent 400 (later 455) V8 with better handling and refinement than most rivals, and the W-30 package was a genuine performer. Underrated then, coveted now.

The 1970 GSX Stage 1 made a class-leading 510 lb-ft of torque from its 455, out-pulling most everything on the street. A sleeper luxury-brand bruiser.

Plymouth stripped a mid-size to the essentials and sold it cheap with a standard 383 (or optional 426 HEMI), even paying Warner Bros. to license the Road Runner name and beep-beep horn. Muscle for the working man, done right.

The Trans Am, with its hood-decal 'screaming chicken' and available 455 power, became a 1970s icon and starred in Smokey and the Bandit (1977). Peak Pontiac swagger.

Arriving in 1970, the Challenger shared HEMI power with the 'Cuda and starred as the white 1970 model in Vanishing Point. It joined the party late but with real presence.

The Torino Cobra with the 428 Cobra Jet was a serious performer, and the Talladega aero variant was built for and dominated NASCAR superspeedways in 1969. Often overlooked among the flashier names.

The Cougar shared Mustang underpinnings but added length, luxury, and the hot Eliminator package with available 428 CJ power. A refined take on the pony formula.

AMC's Javelin punched above its weight in Trans-Am racing (winning the 1971 SCCA title with Penske/Donohue) and offered the Go Package with a 390 V8. Scrappy proof the little independent could play.

The Nova SS 396 crammed a big-block into a light compact body, making it a giant-killer at the strip. Unassuming looks, serious bite.

The 1968-70 AMX was a rare American two-seat muscle car with genuine 390 V8 punch, but its short wheelbase and niche appeal limited its reach. Interesting more than dominant.

Essentially Dodge's budget Coronet-based answer to the Road Runner, it delivered solid HEMI/440 muscle but lived in its Plymouth cousin's shadow. Good, just less remembered.

The 1974 Mustang II arrived amid the oil crisis on a Pinto-derived platform with anemic engines and no V8 available at launch (a 302 returned for 1975). It is widely blamed for gutting the Mustang's performance name during the malaise era.