Ford Mustang

Since Ford showed the way with the first "muscle car" in 1964 in the form of the Mustang, America has been in love.

Just about everyone has a favorite classic muscle car. Yours might be the 1965 Dodge Dart 413 Max Wedge 426 Hemi, 1965 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442, 1970 AMC Rebel, 1968 Ford Fairlane GT, 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle SS396 or the Australian 1967 XR Falcon GT.

With the on demand power that these cars offered, the Ford Mustang became the top selling car for many of the years during its "performance era." Times are very different, though, and there are many factors that would seem to decrease the muscle car's popularity. High gas prices and government regulation would seem to be a force to a harness on all that horsepower. But these horses can't be corralled and the muscle car still flies off the showroom floor, especially to the new generation. And for them, there is a new generation of muscle cars hitting the dealer lots.

Ford Mustang Muscle Car

You can't say muscle car without talking about the Ford Mustang. The classic muscle car, this pony has seen some major design changes over the past several decades. The latest Mustang still will impress you with a wicked performance V8 version with 300 horses galloping under the hood in the GT version. The retro chassis will take the old timers back and spark an interest in new enthusiasts just discovering this classic to a new love.

There are many other muscle cars that could easily make this list and be competitive against their high performance cousins. Make an effort to take a look at the new breed of muscle cars and find the performance package that turns you on. Performance, styling and handling make a muscle car, but only time will make it a legend.