8. 1974 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am SD 455
By 1974, almost all muscle cars were extinct from the market. Those that were left were robbed of their power and style. However, there was one model that managed to survive and offer as much performance and power as possible. That model was the 74 Trans Am Super Duty 455. The year 1974 marked the first restyling of the whole Firebird range. With the new front and rear end came improved interior and details.
Pontiac carried the SD 455 model over from 1973, but in the new package, it featured a better suspension and brakes. The standard 455 V8 delivered just 215 HP. But in SD trim, it developed 290 HP, which was absolutely fantastic for 1974. In fact, with 290 HP, a host of performance upgrades, and a four-speed manual transmission, the 1974 Trans Am SD 455 was even faster than the Corvette. That means it was the fastest American production car of the period.