The eight best muscle cars on sale in 2024
Based on a regular coupé or saloon, muscle cars inject massive performance into a vehicle that’s practical enough to be used as (fast) family transport and relatively cheap thanks to their simple setups. America does (almost) have a monopoly on the muscle car genre, but Europe also has its own brand of powerful four-seater saloons and estates, which tend to be more sophisticated and pricier. This is our guide to the eight best muscle cars currently on sale.
Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing
The Cadillac VT4-V Blackwing might not be a traditional muscle car – it has four doors and six cylinders – but no one could argue it lacks muscle, thanks to a 472PS (347kW) twin-turbocharged V6 that is good for 0-62mph in four seconds and a 189mph top speed. Each car also comes with access to Cadillac’s V-Performance Academy, where you can learn to extract the car’s full potential.
However, the Blackwing can also play at being a sensible family car. Its ten-speed automatic gearbox makes it a relaxed cruiser that is easy to drive, and the car’s adjustable dampers offer a breadth of adjustment that stretches from very comfortable to very controlled. Inside, it feels cheaper than German rivals like the BMW M3 but comes stacked with standard equipment, and the less premium feel is easier to swallow because the Cadillac costs a quarter less than the BMW.
Ford Mustang
The standard Ford Mustang is the cheapest V8 sold in the UK, and with the car getting a series of revisions for 2024, we couldn’t not include it here on this list. The updated car gets a fussier front end, but it’s still very recognisable as a Mustang. More significant changes have happened inside, where you now get a digital driver’s display where you used to find heavily cowled dials.
Ford tweaked the Mustang’s V8 (the four-cylinder EcoBoost is no longer sold in the UK) to make it more purposeful at lower engine speeds, and it works a treat, releasing the uneven throb that makes the V8 such an aural treat. This is the best handling Mustang ever made, and while it remains a car best sampled at eight-tenths, the standard car’s good enough to make the Dark Horse top-of-the-range version pointless unless you plan to do track driving.
Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Real muscle cars have always traded on attainability and, from this side of the Atlantic, we can only gaze in wonder at the idea of a 455PS (335kW), 6.2-litre V8 Camaro for the price of a Golf GTI. You can still buy a Camaro here in Europe, though unlike the Mustang it remains left-hand-drive only and rather more of a niche product. Which is a shame, given the Camaro arguably pulls off the modernised muscle car style more successfully than the retro looking Ford and it’s now capable of more than just straight-line heroics.
Indeed, upgrade the US-only, 659PS (485kW) ZL1 with the circuit-optimised 1LE pack (carbon aero parts, manually adjustable suspension, sticky tyres) and, for $70,000 (£53,400), you’ve got a car capable of monstering Porsches costing twice the price on both road and track.
Ford Mustang Mach 1
The Ford Mustang is a read-deal muscle car unique amongst its peers because it sells in the UK in RHD. The Mach 1 represents the Mustang in its purest form – using the same engine as the Bullitt – it ups power to 460PS (338kW) courtesy of a wider throttle body and intake manifold from the flat-plane-crank GT350. That lot is enough to get the Mustang from 0-62mph in 4.8 seconds and onto a top speed of 166mph.
The straight-line performance only tells half the story, though; the Mach 1's mechanical limited-slip differential, six-pot Brembo brakes, and a stiffer subframe – again borrowed from the GT350 – ensure it is no slouch in the twisties either, but maintains the brutish bustle you'd expect of any self-respecting muscle car.
Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170
A good muscle car should be affordable and practical, so it's a shame the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 is neither. But it is outrageously, physics-bendingly quick. A tank brimmed with high-ethanol-blended fuel unlocks up to 1,039PS (764kW), which is enough to get the Challenger from 0-62mph in 1.7 seconds and hit the quarter mile in 8.9 at 151mph, pulling the highest accelerative g-forces of any production car as it goes.
The heart of the beast is a 6.2-litre V8 that's force-fed air by a huge supercharger with a 3.0-litre capacity. Sadly, the Demon 170 isn't a car you'll be doing the school run in. It has a front passenger and rear-seat delete, there's no sound insulation and you don't even get a boot light. On the upside, each of the 3,300 cars made comes with a Demon decanter to toast your drag strip victories. The Demon's $96,666 price converts to an annoyingly affordable (you can’t buy it in the UK) £75,000.
Dodge Charger SRT Redeye Jailbreak
Believe it or not, the Dodge Charger SRT Jailbreak – with its five seats and roomy cabin – is slightly more sensible than its two-door cousin, but it still packs a supercharged V8 engine serving up a deliciously excessive 818PS (601kW). That translates to performance of 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds, with the quarter mile done and dusted in 11.5 at 126mph. Under the Jailbreak's widebody, you'll find sticky tyres and a stiffened chassis.
However, normal muscle-car service resumes with the news that the car struggles to handle its power in the twisties, where the steering feel is almost non-existent. Inside, the 200mph rated speedometer hints at the performance underneath your right foot, and you get luxuries like carbon fibre trim and air-conditioned seats. Not bad for a dollar starting price that converts to just under £65,000.
Mercedes-AMG E63S
The Charger's price is even better when you realise a European equivalent like the Mercedes-AMG E63, with a mere 612PS (450kW), starts from a wallet-wrecking £120,000. In fairness, it's not difficult to see where your money goes. The Mercedes' vast crystal-clear infotainment screens, pretty vents and huge swathes of expensive trims make the Charger feel like a prehistoric relic. And, while the Mercedes' power output is modest, its performance is anything but, with a top speed of 186mph and 0-62mph flying by in 3.4 seconds.
The latter figure comes thanks to trick four-wheel drive you can switch off, turning the Mercedes into a rear-wheel-drive, tyre-smoking leviathan – the type you’d expct from AMG. Pin-sharp steering and tied-down body control mean this is one four-door muscle car that can handle bends. Best buy it while you can because the current car's 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 is set to be axed for a hybridised six-cylinder. Sniff.
BMW M2
As a six-cylinder (relatively) small German coupé, there's a strong argument that the BMW M2 isn't a muscle car, but its old-school feel (and the shortage of actual muscle cars sold in the UK) wins it a spot here. While it's down on two cylinders, the M2's not down on power. Its twin-turbo straight-six pumps out 460PS (338kW) and 550Nm (406lb ft) of torque from just 2650rpm, giving the M2 flexibility that most V8s struggle to match. It gets from 0-62mph in 4.3 seconds and is limited to a 155mph top speed.
A manual gear change gives the M2 a back basics muscle car flavour that's rapidly going extinct, but superb traction and excellent body control make it the most agile car on this list, even if it does feel a tad anodyne next to the old model. While the M2 will never win a handling battle with a Porsche Cayman (few do), the BMW has rear seats and a more practical boot, making it a far more usable performance car – further cementing its Everyman muscle car credentials.
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