In 1964, when the geniuses at Pontiac put a 360 horsepower 400ci V-8 in a LeMans and called it a GTO, the muscle car was born. It was such a hit that it sent the other automakers scrambling to replicate it. Existing cars like Novas, Darts, and Coronets got bigger motors and cool new performance rides like Camaros, Challengers, and Javelins burst onto the scene. The classic era of muscle cars went from '64-'71, when even a Plymouth Fury station wagon came optional with a 426 Hemi.
Almost as fast as it came, the classic era of muscle cars disappeared. Due to a global oil crisis, environmental regulations, and shifting consumer trends, these once mighty street beasts were tamed. Many of the great nameplates like Charger, Mustang, and Firebird continued, but they were shells of their former selves. American muscle entered the Dark Ages, and it would be decades before there was light again.
Just as Europe emerged from the plague of Medieval Times with a Renaissance, the muscle car would see an age of rebirth in the 2000s. The Charger and Challenger were rebooted, while Mustangs and Camaros were once again horsepower champions. The new generation of American muscle produced some of the fastest cars, rivaling or even beating their classic era ancestors. Thanks to technological advances, these double-ought speedsters had better suspensions, handling, and more jump off the line.
The definition of a muscle car is subjective, but for the purposes of this list, the American-made, V-8, front-engine, rear-wheel drive, 4-passenger model shall be employed. That means the Viper and Corvette ZR1 won't be included and neither will the shockingly fast four-cylinder Chevy Cobalt SS. The "two-door" coupe qualifier however shall be relaxed because the muscle car evolved in the 2000s. As for speed, that is also up for debate. 0-60 and quarter-mile times are quickness, but since this is on Top Speed, it makes sense that top speed will affect the rankings.
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| 2005 Pontiac GTO |
2005 Pontiac GTO: 178 mph
After a 30-year absence, Pontiac brought back the GTO in 2004, albeit in a decidedly less cool-package. They did however keep the trademark obscene power under the hood as it came standard with a 5.7L LS1 V-8. The optional 6-speed manual transmission only added to the quickness of this otherwise unassuming looking ride. By the way, those who had the dorky '05 GTO as the fastest muscle car of the 2000s on their speed bingo cards just scored.
In 2005 Pontiac upped the power to a 6.0L LS2 V-8, again optional with the 6-speed, that produced 400 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. GM claimed it was a 4.7 second 0-60 and 13-second quarter-mail car, but those numbers weren't replicated by the automotive press. Car and Driver got a 4.8 0-60 time and Motortrend's test drive fastest quarter-mile run was 13.2 seconds. There is no dispute that the last-gen Goat can hit 178 mph, though.
2006 Chrysler 300C SRT8: 173 mph
Chrysler introduced the 300 in 2005 as a luxury sedan to compete with BMW, Lexus, and Infinity. The automaker wisely figured that there was no point in being luxurious in a sluggish set of wheels, so they offered some mighty engine options like the 5.7L Hemi V-8, available in top-level 300C trim package. That wasn't good enough so they cranked it up a notch for true performance car.
The 2006 300C SRT8 came with a 6.1L Hemi V-8 that produced 425 horsepower and 420 ft.-lb. of torque. That was sufficient to propel this luxury muscle car from 0-60 in 4.7 seconds and down a quarter mile at 13.2 seconds with a top speed of 173 mph. Car and Driver loved the 300C STR8, stating, it was the "kind of performance sedan that we thought America had forgotten how to build" adding the, "Muscle Sedan Was Worth the Wait."
2005 Dodge Magnum SRT8: 170 mph
If a muscle car is supposed to be a two-door coupe, the five-door 2005 Magnum was three over the limit, but the power Dodge put under the hood made it an exception to the rule. Based on the wild Super8 Hemi concept car, the pseudo reintroduction of the Magnum was a seemingly contradictory ride. It was either a four-door hatch back or a station wagon, but it had scary power that nobody taking the kids to soccer practice would ever want or need.
The 2005 Magnum SRT8, had a 6.1L Hemi V-8 that jacked out 425 horsepower and 420 lpound-feet of torque, which doesn't exactly scream "family car" but definitely screams down the road. This weird, but oddly cool, machine went 0-60 in 5.1 seconds, and could close the quarter mile between the elementary school and the grocery store in 13.1 seconds. Just in case the kids were running late for school, the Magnum SRT8 had a top speed of 170 miles to make the bell.
2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8: 170 mph
When Dodge relaunched the Challenger in 2008, they took the curious approach of putting out the "big dog" version first. All 2008 Challengers were SRT8s with 6.1L V-8 engines that cranked out a mind-bending 425 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque. It wouldn't be until 2009 when V-6 and 5.7L Hemi Challengers would be available. It would have been anti-climatic but the 2009 R/T was still a fast car that was a little more affordable.
The 425 horsepower of the 2008 Challenger SRT8 matched the output of the 1970 Challenger with a 426 Hemi, so Dodge delivered, making sure the reboot was properly equipped. The third-gen Challenger goes 0-60 in 5.1 seconds, destroys a quarter mile in 13.1 seconds and has a top speed of 170 mph. As it turns out, 2008 was just a stepping stone for the Challenger which would go onto epic street-legal drag cars in the SRT Hellcat and Demon 170.
2006 Dodge Charger SRT8: 165 mph
2006 marked the return of the Dodge Charger, only as a four-door sedan instead of the iconic two-door super-coupe muscle car of the classic era. No worries, Dodge made sure this reboot was plenty fast and just as cool with big engine options and clever retro trims like the Daytona R/T and the Super Bee. The best of the oughts was however the 2006 Charger SRT8.
Packing a 6.1L Hemi V-8, this new-gen Charger produced 425 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque. To put that into prospective, a 1969 Charger R/T with a 426 Hemi, which was the greatest muscle car ever, also made 425 horsepower. The new Charger could do 0-60 in 5.0 seconds, run a quater-mile in 13.4 seconds, and hit top speed at 165 mph. MotorTrend called it the, "spark that gets a Charger fire going again because, outside of the Viper, this car is the quickest highway-legal Dodge ever produced."
2006 Cadillac CTS-V: 163 mph
Cadillac has always been a luxury brand for people who want to be noticed, rolling smoothly down the avenue in style and really was kind of a pimp ride. In 2004 however the land yacht plunged into the muscle car waters with the CTS-V. Introduced in 2004, the CTS-V came standard with a 400 horsepower 5.7L LS6 V-8 engine, but for 2006 it was equipped with a 6.0L LS2 motor.
The 6.0L made the same horsepower as the 5.7L, but produced a wider torque band that made it quicker. The 2006 CTS-V could hit 0-60 in 5 seconds flat, scorch the quarter mile in 13 seconds flat, and peg the speedometer at 163 mph. Caddy could have played off that old commercial proclaiming "This is not your father's Oldsmobile" by declaring that the CTS-V was "Not your pimp's Cadillac."
2007 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500: 155 mph
The Mustang in the 2000s saw many awesome special editions to augment an already successful fifth generation. There was the GT California Special, the 45th Anniversary Edition, and the Mustang Bullitt, to pay tribute to the car Steve McQueen drove in the classic film. None however had the wow-factor or the crazy speed of the 2007 Shelby GT500.
The original Shelby GT350 was named so because there were 350 feet separating Shelby's production shop and race shop. The 2007 GT500 was so named because it has a 500 horsepower, 480 pound-feet of torque supercharged 5.4L V-8 under the hood. That power made for a 4.5 second 0-60 car that could blister a quater-mile in 12.9 seconds. With a top speed of 155, it was one of the fastest mustangs ever made.
2009 Dodge Challenger R/T: 155 mph
The Dodge Challenger was easily one of the most badass rides from the classic muscle car era, but also terribly short-lived, lasting from only 1970-1974. In their infinite wisdom, Dodge brought the Challenger back to life in 2008 to continue its legacy of badassery. Unlike a lot other classic muscle car reboots that bear no resemblance to the original, the third-generation Challenger kept the same basic body style of the first-gen.
The 2009 Challenger R/T came with a 5.7L Hemi V-8 that made 340 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque which was close to the 390 horsepower in a '70 R/T with a 440 Six Pack. When it comes to speed, the '09 goes 0-60 in 5.2 seconds, beating the '70's time of 6 seconds flat. In the quarter mile, the '09 matches the '70 at 13.6 seconds each. Top speed goes to the new-gen at 155 mph versus 146 mph for the first-gen.
2002 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 SS: 150 mph
The once mighty Chevrolet Camaro had some pretty neutered iterations through the 70s, 80's, and 90's, but got a slight return to glory in the fourth generation. While this generation wasn't the coolest Camaro body style ever, the 2002 at least got back to the performance aspect of the iconic muscle car's history. The Camaro Z28 SS 35th Anniversary edition tried mightily with a hood scoop and racing stripes to cover up the ugly.
It also came with a respectable 345 horsepower, 340 pound-feet of torque 5.7 LS1 engine. The 5.4 second 0-60 time was nothing to sneeze at and neither was the 13.5 seconds it could do the quarter-mile in or the 150 mph top speed. This was a great stepping off point for the fifth-generation Camaro that would launch in 2010, and held fans over until the much cooler looking 2010 ZL550 came out.
