What’s the most important characteristic that all cars have in common? Is it the number of doors, seats, or the price? Arguably it’s the power output. The horsepower rating is the single most important measure of a car’s performance. In fact, it’s the first thing that even non-car people learn to appreciate. Of course, the horsepower numbers under the hood don’t mean a thing if they aren’t backed by a proper suspension, transmission, and brakes.
But it is a great way to start a conversation with other car enthusiasts. So keep reading to learn about the top 30 most powerful American cars they ever built. They range from exotic supercars and high-priced sports cars to powerful sedans and muscle cars. The American car industry was always famous for big displacement motors delivering a lot of power and torque. So here is a list of the most powerful red white and blue beasts powered by Detroit’s steel, including some rare cars that fit the bill.
30. Ford GT
The early 2000s supercar boost motivated many manufacturers to offer exotic cars, introduce new models or revive some old legendary names. So Ford jumped on the bandwagon with a new and retro-styled supercar simply called the GT. It was the obvious successor to the fantastic Le Mans-winning GT40 from the late ’60s.
The heart of the Ford GT was Ford’s fabulous 5.4-liter supercharged V8 with 550 HP. The GT could achieve a 0 to 60 mph time of just 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 205 mph. Despite the fact they didn’t build the Ford GT with racing in mind, it was capable on the track in the hands of many private teams.