10 Most Iconic Classic American Muscle Cars

1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 ・ Photo by Sicnag

Classic American muscle cars were dream machines for an entire generation who grew up hearing tires squeal up and down the main drag of their hometown. With Baby Boomers now at the age where they can afford to park their teenage fantasies in their own climate controlled garages, prices on these high horsepower beasts have skyrocketed almost across the entire muscle car range. Those models that command top dollar are the best of the best - cars that were rare even in their day, but which have seen their number shrink to the point where it's an occasion to encounter one at an auction, let alone on the street. Let's take a look at ten of the most iconic classic American muscle cars.

1968 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 KR

When Carroll Shelby got together with the Ford Motor Company to add some extra spice to the recently-introduced compact Mustang coupe the initial efforts were more modest, producing lightweight racers with good, but not overwhelming power. By the late '60s, the Ford Shelby Mustang had morphed into something else entirely thanks to the introduction of the GT500. Featuring a 428 cubic inch Cobra Jet engine that generated 410 horsepower (despite its 335 horse 'official' rating) and 440 lb-ft of torque, the car was an absolute monster. So much so, in fact, that it served as the inspiration for the "Eleanor" Mustang made famous by the remake of 'Gone in 60 Seconds' in 2000 - a film that spawned a cottage industry of GT500 KR replicas.

Photo by Sicnag

1969 Dodge Charger R/T

The 1969 Dodge Charger R/T was never as rare as its Shelby counterpart, but this mid-size coupe achieved even greater media saturation thanks to its starring role in the 'Dukes of Hazzard' series in the 1980s, a show that resurrected the Charger R/T's popularity while simultaneously making it harder to find one due to the 200 or so examples that were wrecked doing on-screen stunts. Although the Duke boys drove 383 cubic inch versions of the Charger, the R/T is best sampled with its available 385 horsepower, 440 cubic inch V-8 under the hood, or a 426 cubic inch, 425 horsepower Hemi V-8.

Photo by sv1ambo

1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z28

The 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 combined both muscle car underhood histrionics with a genuine affinity for curvy roads. Built to homologate for the Trans Am racing series, the Chevrolet Camaro Z28 came with a 302 cubic inch small block V-8 engine that had been hotted up with forged internals, solid lifters, and a Holley carburetor. It also featured Chevrolet's F41 handling package, which tightened up its suspension and steering. Like the Shelby Mustang GT500, actual dyno testing pegged horsepower at roughly 400 ponies - well above its 290 horse factory rating.

1971 Chevrolet Corvette LS6

The Chevrolet Corvette's transition from sports coupe to muscle car was well underway by the time the 1971 model year rolled around, which made it the perfect time for the Bowtie brand to drop its 454 cubic inch LS6 engine between the front fenders of the Corvette's aggressively-styled fiberglass body. Less than 200 LS6-equipped Corvettes were actually built, and the car's 425 horsepower V-8 engine came with aluminum heads and a bad attitude. The big-block could realistically claim at least 75 horses above its official advertised numbers, and it also churned out a scary 575 lb-ft of torque.

Photo by Sicnag

1970 Dodge Challenger R/T

The 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T is the third entry on our list of classic American muscle cars that got a boost from the big (or small) screen. After a turn in 'Vanishing Point,' an unusual film that paid surrealistic respect to the desire for personal freedom in the face of changing cultural standards, the Dodge Challenger R/T's notoriety ratcheted up to the same level as its previously-more-popular Plymouth 'Cuda cousin (more on that model later). As with most muscled-up Mopars of the era, you could spec the Challenger R/T with same 440 cubic inch V-8 and 426 cubic in Hemi engines offered by the Charger.

Photo by sv1ambo

1970 Plymouth Superbird

Chrysler was pretty serious about dominating NASCAR racing at the end of the 1960s, as evidenced first by the Dodge Charger Daytona that was built in 1969 and 1970 Plymouth Superbird that followed. These "winged" cars featured extended bodywork grafted onto the Dodge Charger and Plymouth Roadrunner's front ends as well as flush rear glass and an enormous spoiler sitting on the trunk. Much more stable at high speeds than the competition of the era, each vehicle was eventually banned from competition, but not before a few examples escaped factories and found their way onto the streets. Today, a Hemi-powered Plymouth Superbird is easily a seven-figure car - if you can find one.

Photo by Sicnag

1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454

The 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 proved that not every one of the big block LS6 V-8's produced by Chevy ended up in a Corvette. Available only for a single model year, the Chevelle SS 454 enjoyed the same horsepower hoodwink performed for insurance companies by most muscle cars of the decade, which meant its 365 ponies were likely underrated by at least 25 percent. If you weren't satisfied with its stock performance, you could also order a cowl induction system that fed more fresh air to the giant lump, bumping up output accordingly.

Photo by Sicnag

1965 Shelby Cobra 427

While the first run of Shelby Cobra roadsters made do with 289 cubic inch V-8s, by the time the Mk III edition of the car came around it was time for big block fun. The 1965 Shelby Cobra 427 (replica pictured above) was the perfect example of how too much power can make a car virtually undrivable by anyone other than a professional pilot. Also known as the "King Snake," this version of the Cobra's 427 cubic inch engine was good for well over 400 horsepower, which when paired with the car's extremely modest curb weight made it a threat to everyone around it with the gas pedal mashed.

Photo by sv1ambo

1971 Plymouth 'Cuda Convertible

The 426 cubic inch Hemi V-8 has attained mythical status in muscle car circles, and perhaps no automobile has benefited more from its association with the mill than the 1971 Plymouth 'Cuda convertible. A mere 11 Hemi 'Cuda convertibles were built for this model year, which meant by the time the nostalgic market caught fire in the early 2000s a Hemi-powered 'Cuda convertible was the first classic American muscle car to break the $1 million mark at auction. Only a pair of manual transmission cars remain, and of those, only one has managed to keep its original engine intact over the years. It doesn't get much rarer than that.

1987 Buick Grand National GNX

It might seem a little unusual to include an 80's automobile on a list of iconic American muscle cars, but the 1987 Buick Grand National GNX is more than worthy of the attention. Just under 550 of these special edition Grand Nationals were ever built, and they included a 3.8-liter V-6 engine that was turbocharged to produce 245 horsepower and 380 lb-ft of torque. Automatic-only, these all-black drag strip assassins have generated a huge following on the collector car circuit, and are easily modified to many multiples of their original output. They remain one of the few high-performance bright spots from a decade replete with anemic eight-cylinder engines and lackluster sticker packages masquerading as the real deal.

image cred: ilikewaffles11