Best New and Classic Muscle Cars to Buy for Your Personal Collection
Dodge Challenger & Charger SRT® Hellcats
Dodge is arguably the current reigning champion of the muscle car segment, and what sealed its superiority is its Hellcat moniker. Both its Challenger SRT® Hellcat and Charger SRT® Hellcat are mind-blowing in their unbridled power and speed, with a 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI V8 engine under the hood that delivers 707 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque. Both set the standard for contemporary muscle cars, employing the largest factory supercharger of any modern production car.
For speed freaks who want the best that Dodge offers, you check out the Challenger SRT® Super Stock that boosts horsepower to 807, making it the most powerful muscle car ever produced. Regardless of which configuration you choose, you can’t go wrong with a Dodge.
Oldsmobile Rocket 88
Many automotive historians credit the Rocket 88 as being the very first true muscle car ever produced, even predating the trendsetting Pontiac GTO. Back in 1949, Pontiac introduced the 88, which used a roaring V8 motor in its relatively lightweight, smaller body. This gave the Rocket 88 jaw-dropping speed for its time, making it a quick champion in the stock car racing circuits.
Competing automakers caught on to the realization that a car doesn’t have to be huge to have a huge engine. Hence, the Oldsmobile 88 is a piece of muscle car history worth owning. And, being a hot seller from Oldsmobile’s over 50 years of production, it’s surprisingly affordable to buy.
Pontiac Firebird
Here’s the big debate among muscle car enthusiasts. Which Pontiac is better: the Firebird or the GTO? Many people side with the GTO for its prestige and sumptuous craftsmanship. But when it comes down to pure performance, the Firebird takes the cake. It’s fast, lightweight, and handles with elegance.
You have a range of model years to choose from over its history, from the clean design of the late 1960s to the Trans Am glory days of the late 1970s. Pontiac continued to find ways to keep its muscle car fresh and relevant, enhancing its V8-powered performance with enhanced suspension, wider wheels, tighter steering, and optimal balancing.
Chevrolet Chevelle SS
The bowtie brand gave other automakers a run for their money with its array of performance models over the decades. The Corvette and Camaro are still alive and kicking — and worth every penny — but those are sports cars. When we talk about muscle cars, we have one Chevy in mind: the Chevelle SS.
The SS has retained a small but devoted fan base who champion its LS6 V8 engine, a high-compression motor that produced nearly 500 horsepower. Plus, the SS is a real looker with its slung-back ‘70s profile. Chevrolet revived the SS nameplate in the 2010s, applying it to a more traditional sedan design. Still, this revival carried a 460-horsepower V8 engine that makes it a practical daily driver with some extra oomph under the hood.
BMW M8 Competition
As the crowning achievement of the German automaker’s M performance line, the BMW M8 Competition is designed to look like an aerodynamic sports car but has the high-performance engine and roaring dual-exhaust you expect on a modern muscle car. Proof that this two-door coupe is indeed a brawny speed machine is its massive 4.4-liter V8 engine, which churns out a whopping 617 horsepower. Take control of this speed as you switch the M Sport transmission from automatic to manual so you can race from 0-60 mph in just 3 seconds.
Of course, you can still expect all of the premium cabin materials and high-tech digital features on the M8 Competition that any top-of-the-line BMW would have, from its track-oriented M Digital Instrument Cluster to its Harman Kardon® Premium Sound System. What the M8 has above most muscle cars are its ease of handling and comfort. Adaptive M Suspension and Active M Differential have you softly glide on not-so-smooth streets.
Ford Shelby GT500
No list of the best muscle cars would be complete without the Ford Shelby GT500. For a half-century, the GT500 has stayed well ahead of the competition, making It a legendary classic car and a must-have modern muscle machine. The GT500 originated when Carroll Shelby installed a Ford 428 V8 engine in his GT350 version of the Ford Mustang. The resulting first generation (1967-1969) of GT500s have become highly sought collector’s pieces.
Ford continues to produce this muscle car, which has a massive 5.2-liter supercharged V8. Utilizing its 760 horsepower and 625 lb-ft of torque, the current GT500 sprints down the track with ease. Performance upgrades like carbon fiber parts, racing-tuned chassis, large Brembo brakes, and limited slip differential keep this baby racing like a cheetah.
Plymouth Barracuda
Plymouth isn’t a nameplate you see anymore at car dealerships, but the Chrysler-backed brand is remembered by gearheads for its achievements in speed. The company’s biggest achievement — the two-door Barracuda sports car — surfaced in the mid-1960s. Designers borrowed from the popular Plymouth Valiant, making it a fastback pony car to compete with the Ford Mustang that debuted the same year.
When the Barracuda became a true muscle car was in its third generation in the early 1970s. Its chassis became the Chrysler E-body, which only the Dodge Challenger shared with it. Engine options abounded, ranging from a 3.2-liter slant I6 to a renowned 7.0-liter HEMI V8. These 1970-1974 E-Body cars are the most desirable versions among today’s collectors. In particular, the 1971 Hemi ‘Cuda is one of the most valuable muscle cars today.
Mercury Cougar
Here’s another automotive brand that eventually faded away. In its heyday, Mercury was known as known as a luxury brand under the Ford umbrella, so it’s no surprise that Mercury had its own upscale take on the Ford Mustang. Its higher price tag resulted in an arguably better-made model with a longer wheelbase, more legroom, better suspension, and extra cabin insulation.
The Mercury Cougar debuted in 1967 and became the bestselling Mercury model in the brand’s history. The most desirable is the 1968 GT-E, which carried the 7.0-liter V8. Only a few hundred were built with the 427 side-oiler. This competition engine was a hit in stock car racing and won Ford two Le Mans trophies — yet you won’t find it on any Mustang.
Porsche Taycan
Thanks to Porsche, you’ll be able to still enjoy muscle car performance without burning muscle car-levels of gasoline. The electric-charged Taycan aims to show that EVs can be as powerful as the gas-guzzling muscle cars of the last century. Most Taycan models feature dual electric motors that generate as much as 750 horsepower (the Turbo S model), which is tremendous considering how tiny and lightweight this car is. That electric power contributes to instant drag-race acceleration. The Taycan shows what tomorrow’s muscle cars will be like.
Want to own any of these top muscle cars? Or do you have a different dream car in mind? Whatever your preference, Show Cars of Boca Raton can bring it to your driveway. We specialize in locating and shipping collector’s pieces from across the nation, so contact us to start your search.
