10 American Cars That Were Faster Than European Supercars Of Their Time – TopSpeed

Everyone likes an underdog, which is why the idea of an American car that can meet or surpass the speed of a supercar is an entertaining one. From the 60s onwards, the US produced some of the most powerful, fast, and charismatic machines in the world. But handling and dynamics were also important and that was where the European flagship supercars could teach the Americans a thing or two, generally speaking, of course.

That was the belief, but there have been many times over the decades that the United States has produced cars that could out-accelerate a Euro supercar. In some cases, American cars have proven more than a match on the track too, but not always. For the list of cars below, we ranked them in order of descending value. They are each included based on the fact that they could generally keep up with a supercar of the time, usually proven by period road testing and references by outlets.

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10

2005 Ford GT

Average Value: $410,000

Specs

This is a great example of an American model that could bring the fight to a European supercar. Built as a flagship for the Blue Oval lineup and heavily inspired by the iconic and Le Mans-winning Ford GT40, the GT wasn’t 40 inches tall. But, it was as exotic as a Euro supercar thanks to its drop-dead gorgeous styling and mi-engine setup, replete with a manual transmission.

At the heart was something as American as a cheeseburger and coke – the Ford Modular V8 engine, supercharged. It was similar to the other Modular units in the Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R or Shelby GT500 with various modifications, including a dry-sump oiling system. In 2017, the second-generation Ford GT would swap the V8 for an EcoBoost V6 and lose the manual transmission for a dual-clutch setup.

9

1987 Buick Regal GNX

Average Value: $176,000

Specs

Based on the Buick Grand National, the GNX (Grand National eXperimental) is not what you’d call a direct rival to a supercar and, indeed, it didn’t handle like one. Various tests by outlets when it was sold in 1987 did prove how insanely fast this old-school model was though, dubbed Darth Vader thanks to its all-black mug up front and the timely release of a Star Wars feature film. It was released for the last year of the second generation of Buick’s Regal, so its tenure was brief.

Modified by ASC/McLaren, the Buick GNX was modified to produce a so-called 276 horsepower, up from the 245-horsepower output of the Grand National of the time. As is often the case, the GNX was underrated and produced closer to 300 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque. Less than 550 examples were made, hence its astonishing value.

8

2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170

Average Value: $167,000

Specs

The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 gets the last part of its name from the alcohol-proof rating for E85 ethanol. Why E85? Because that’s what’s needed to liberate the full power and torque output for this muscle car. There’s little doubt that the 2023 Demon 170 could best most if not all supercars thanks to its brutal acceleration, but it’s not made with a focus on hitting the apexes.

Designed to be the ultimate, road-legal factory drag car, it features many a monstrous engine, a trans brake like the 2018 Challenger SRT Demon, and drag-ready Mickey Thompson tires. Dodge went to great lengths to improve on the original Demon’s engineering. The new Hemi engine and drivetrain were not carryovers, with many parts modified or changed, and the driveline strengthened to cope with the new power. Like the 2018 Demon, only 3,300 were produced and will likely remain highly valuable.

7

2009 C6 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1

Average Value: $90,000

Specs

Back in 2009, the C6-generation Chevy Corvette ZR-1 was almost certainly a supercar, thanks to its impressive supercharged engine that could thrust this American hero to more than 200 mph. The previous C4 ZR-1 made a respectable 375 horsepower but the C6 variant pushed the envelope in multiple ways. Under the hood, which featured a polycarbonate window, the LS9 engine provided all this power through a manual transmission only.

Weight was a major consideration and carbon fiber was used for the fenders, hood, roof, front spoiler, and rocker panels, which helped to achieve its 3,350-pound curb weight. To stop this rocket ship when things got too crazy, carbon ceramic brakes were also fitted. It’s certainly not just any old C6 ‘Vette. If there’s any further proof of the speed of this car – it only takes a second longer to hit 60 mph than the new, 1,064-horsepower C8 ZR-1.

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6

2000 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R

Average Value: $103,000

Specs

In the year 2000, the Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R brought a whole new level of performance to the world’s famous pony car. Based on the SN-99 ‘New Edge’ Mustang, the Cobra R model received the larger 5.4-liter Modular engine that was normally used in trucks. The model received numerous upgrades to the handbuilt V8, including its cylinder heads, throttle body, intake manifold, and more, while the clutch, flywheel, suspension, and brakes were also all breathed over by SVT.

Built in just 300 examples for a price over $55,000, this model was equipped to a spartan spec to save weight, so those looking for creature comforts would have been a little disappointed and better served by a Crown Victoria. One of the more iconic Mustangs of the pre-S197 era.

5

1964 Pontiac Tempest Le Mans GTO

Average Value: $53,000

Specs

Today, the Pontiac GTO is usually referred to as the first muscle car, or at the very least, the one that helped start the craze. In 1964, the Pontiac Tempest-based Le Mans gained a special trim called the Gran Turismo Omologato (GTO), a moniker used on the Ferrari 250 GTO. It wasn’t a perfect car – criticism was levied at the slow steering and braking – but the handling and, above all speed was exemplary according to contemporary test reviews.

Thanks to its acceleration, the GTO was indeed one of the fastest muscle cars of the classic era. Included in the GTO package was a floor-shifted manual transmission, dual exhausts, upgraded suspension, and more. You could order a hardtop, coupe, or convertible. It was a great value American rival to the Europeans that only cost around $34,000 when adjusted for inflation. Convertibles are worth even more at auction today.

4

1992 Dodge Viper R/T

Average Value: $50,000

Specs

Of course, the Dodge Viper had to feature here. It’s one of the US’ greatest achievements in the realm of sports cars, and it was as out-there and extreme as any Euro supercar. The amount of grip was huge, its presence even more, but both were eclipsed by that truck-based V10 behemoth under the hood. It’s hard to imagine an 8-liter sports car with a manual transmission and rear-wheel drive with no safety nets today, but that’s what you could walk in and purchase from a Dodge dealer in ’92.

No windows or door handles were around to provide unnecessary comfort or ergonomics or take away from the R/T’s precise mission to provide speed and thrills. Many were of course crashed. Later on, a GTS fixed-roof coupe was released and over time the Viper became slightly more civilized with the inclusion of windows.

3

1991 C4 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1

Average Value: $38,000

Specs

Born in the middle of the C4’s tenure in 1990, Chevrolet’s C4 Corvette ZR-1 was designed to be not just the fastest Corvette, but one of the fastest cars in production. 180 mph was possible if you had the commitment and a long enough runway. To make it competitive against Europe’s finest, it featured a special LT5 small block engine that was engineered by UK-based brand Lotus.

Despite sharing a displacement with the standard L98 V8, the aluminum-block LT5 featured many differences, such as a quad-cam (DOHC) setup with four valves per cylinder. An update later on provided the C4 ZR-1 with even more power and the model was produced until the end of the 1995 model year. It’s a classic icon today, albeit at a price that hasn’t yet risen into the classic values’ stratosphere.

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2

1989 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am 20th Anniversary

Average Value: $38,000

Specs

What does the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Turbo have in common with the GMC Typhoon below? Both were produced along with the pickup-based Syclone by Production Automotive Services (PAS). This model was the fastest American car of its day and able to bring the fight to the best of Europe’s overpriced exotics. From the third generation of the Firebird series, this 20th Anniversary Trans Am model was conceived of and intended to be the Indianapolis 500 pace car.

The turbocharged Buick V6 was chosen, which was also used in the GNX (from earlier). Both could hit 60 mph in a similar time and both came with automatic transmissions only. Like the GNX, the 20th Anniversary Trans Am Turbo was underrated and, in reality, its output was up to around 300 horsepower. Only around 1,550 were produced and all were white, with many sold as T-tops.

1

1992 GMC Typhoon

Average Value: $34,000

Specs

Finally, the cheapest model here but not any less iconic or impressive. 5.3 seconds to 60 mph is still impressive today and the GMC Typhoon shared much of its powertrain and drivetrain with the Syclone. However, the Typhoon wasn’t a Syclone with a glasshouse dropped onto the rear bed – it was built on the GMC Jimmy while the latter was based on the Sonoma. It came after the Syclone, too, which was produced mostly for 1991 and a few examples were 1992 models, while the Typhoon was produced for the 1992-1993 model years.

A rear self-leveling air suspension was designed for the Typhoon too, to increase comfort for the willing passengers. It was a crazy idea to make an SUV out of the same bits as a Syclone, but we’d say it’s genius. Today, the Typhoon is worth a little less than the Syclone (which has a value of about $42,000) thanks to its slightly lower production volume of 2,998.