5 best American muscle cars

 
Because it is a genre that enthusiasts are passionate about, you are bound to generate some criticism when compiling a list of the seven greatest muscle cars of all time. However, Bankrate stuck its neck out to do just that.
Some enthusiasts trace the history of muscle cars to the 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88. But the heyday of this genre ran from 1965 to 1970 before collapsing under the weight of higher gas prices, more stringent exhaust emissions regulations and soaring insurance costs.
What is a muscle car? There isn't a settled definition, but most experts agree it's a smaller, two-door car powered by a high-displacement engine typically found in a larger, full-size sedan.
Some argue that pony cars, such as the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro, aren't muscle cars at all, but for this list, Bankrate chose not to make that distinction.
Manufacturers engineered muscle cars for straight-line speed, inspiring more than an occasional Saturday night drag race between traffic lights. Neither built nor sold in huge numbers, muscle cars were bait, luring buyers into showrooms where they would purchase more mundane models. Yet, the muscle-car mystique lives on. Here's our list in model-year order.

1967 Pontiac GTO

Purists not tracing the era of muscle cars to the 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 typically mark its beginning with the 1964 GTO. Skirting a General Motors ban against putting big engines -- any engine larger than 330 cubic inches -- into small cars, Pontiac sneaked a 389-cubic-inch V-8 into its Tempest as an option called the GTO in 1964, according to MotorTrend.com. Response was so huge that the car won over GM execs, paving the way for a stable of Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Buick and Pontiac muscle cars.
Because of its historic value, the 1965 version could represent GTO on this list, but 1967 marked the first availability of ram air through a functional hood scoop on the GTO. It was a 400-cubic-inch V-8, delivering 360 horsepower.

 1968 Plymouth Road Runner Hemi

 
Forget the niceties. Plymouth wanted a bare-knuckle, muscle-car fighter.
With all the subtlety of a jar of nitroglycerin, the Plymouth Road Runner Hemi was pure explosive brawn. It's one of the all-time great performance-car names. With a 425-horsepower, 426-cubic-inch Hemi V-8 engine, the Road Runner struck fear into the hearts of the Saturday night country-road, drag-racing crowd.
Before unleashing the first Road Runner in 1968, Plymouth licensed the Road Runner name and likeness from Warner Brothers. It went a step further in capitalizing on the cartoon character's speedy image by developing a horn sound imitating the cartoon bird's "beep-beep," according to.

1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429

 
The Mustang Boss 429 is what you get when a carmaker needs to meet NASCAR regulations. Fewer than 1,400 were built between 1969 and 1970, making the Boss 429 a rare bird indeed.
Enjoying a big-dog reputation, the Boss 429 wasn't a giant killer right out of the box. Its 429-cubic-inch V-8 engine delivered 375-horsepower, not shabby but dwarfed by others on this list.
What makes it truly notable is that it was basically hand-built. Because the engine wouldn't fit in a standard Mustang without extensive modifications, Ford farmed out its assembly to Michigan-based Kar Kraft. In appearance, very little distinguished the Boss 429 other than a hood scoop and trunk-mounted spoiler.

1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

 
Today's 2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is named for the legendary 1969 Camaro ZL1, and for good reason. With fewer than 70 ever built, the '69 ZL1 not only had the most powerful Chevrolet engine offered to the public for decades, but it's the rarest production car Chevrolet ever made, bumping the price to $7,200, according to HowStuffWorks.com.
Based on Chevrolet's iconic 427 V-8 engine, the ZL power plant had an aluminum block in place of the regular 427's iron one -- the first such Chevy production engine. Although it was officially rated at the regular 427's 430 horsepower, most independent testers pegged the output as being much higher.