The Fastest Muscle Cars

Nov 04, 2020 - 3 minute read

a red sports car driving on a race track with mountains in the background of the picture

We've take our most commonly received car questions and provided you what you need to know. Today we answer, "What is the fastest muscle car?" Contact J.C. Lewis Ford to see each model and have a personal Ford expert assigned to answer all of your Ford lineup questions - 912.210.5676.

What is the fastest muscle car?

A muscle car is a high performance American coupe, usually with 2 doors and a V8 engine. They first emerged toward the end of the 1940s, but the term “muscle car” wasn’t coined until 1964 when automotive journalist Brock Yates was attempting to describe that year’s Pontiac GTO for Car and Driver Magazine. Since then, muscle cars have continued to bring thrills to those craving speed, raw power and metal-twisting torque.

Throughout the years, the Ford Mustang has consistently been one of the most popular American muscle cars, and for the last four years in a row, Mustang has been the best selling sports car in the US and the best selling sports coupe in the world. Based on time from 0-60 mph, the three fastest muscle cars made by America’s Big Three (Ford, General Motors, Fiat Chrysler) are

1. 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Z51: 0-60 mph in 2.8 seconds

2. 2020 Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock: 3.25 seconds

3. 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500: 3.3 seconds

The all-new Shelby GT500 is the most powerful street-legal production Ford has ever built and host to the most power-dense supercharged V8 production engine in the world with 760 thunderous horsepower. This beast can accelerate from 0-100 mph and back to 0 in 10.6 seconds, quicker than any domestic production high-powered sports car.

Even the satin-finish Cobra badges on the front, sides and rear are more outrageous than ever. Everything about this mustang speaks to an inner fury that is only satisfied with 0-100-0 and lateral Gs.

Shelby GT500 delivers tire-smoking, pin-you-to-your-seat performance by pairing a new, hand-built 5.2L supercharged V8 with a TREMEC 7-speed transmission, the first ever dual-clutch transmission in a Mustang, required because it generates so much torque.

Capable of shifts under 100 milliseconds—markedly faster than any manual transmission—the 7-speed dual-clutch automatic is the fastest-shifting production Mustang ever. A muscular hood with a massive louvered vent extracts air quickly for greater downforce and improved cooling.

Functional pins help keep the composite hood locked down tight. And with a nod to adrenaline junkies everywhere, the GT500 was designed with fighter jets in mind.

The result is a precise and aerodynamic exterior and a top speed of 186 mph. With an ergonomic build and superior powertrain, the GT500 takes performance to new heights as the fastest Mustang ever on a straight line and around curves.

Other standard features include a MagneRide Damping System, the largest brake rotors ever on a production Mustang and an active valve performance exhaust that delivers the soundtrack you expect from a 5.2L V8.

Whether at the strip, track or on the street, the 2020 Shelby GT500 is engineered to attack—on all fronts.

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