Amazing muscle cars are famous all over the world. Whenever muscle car word comes up America has always had something to do with it. The muscle car era started in the 50s, carmakers started adding V8 engines to their mid-size vehicles. The muscle car name first came in use in 1966 for a group of American-made two-door sports coupes with powerful gas-powered engines designed for high-performance driving. Pontiac GTO was the first muscle car ever produced. America has played a very important role in the muscle car segment. Alongside American carmakers, many other country carmakers also started making muscle cars. They produced some amazing muscle cars. According to HotCars, here is the list of 10 amazing muscle cars that are not American.
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10. Aston Martin V8 Vantage
In the late 70s, Aston Martin V8 Vantage was king of the people’s hearts. V8 Vantage’s design inspired American muscle cars. It got bold Muscle car vibes and a powerful V8 under its bonnet. It comes with a 5.3-liter or 6.3-liter V8 engine which produced 390 hp to 450 hp of power. V8 Vantage did 0 to 60 mph in 5.3 sec and was hailed as the “British First Supercar” for its top speed of 170 mph. Its engine was taken from Lagonda and was tuned for extra performance.
9. Alfa Romeo Montreal
Alfa Romeo is a coupe design muscle car that was debuted back in 1967 as a concept model. Its design was very appealing to people. Everybody loved it. It had a 2.8-liter DOHC V8 which redlined at 7,000 rpm. However, it failed to compete in the American market and unfortunately, Alfa Romeo discontinued it. Ironically, none of Alfa Romeo Montreal was sold in Montreal because it was limited to European markets.
8. Vauxhall VXR8
The Vauxhall VXR8 is a performance car that was in production between 2007 to 2017. It was based on HSV Clubsport (2007-2017) and HSV GTS (2010-2017). Its early models came with a 6.0-liter V8. It produced 411 hp. Later, upgraded to a 6.2-liter LS3 V8 pumping out 425 hp. Its top speed was 155mph and can go from 0-60 in 4.2 sec.
7. Holden Monaro GTS 327
Holden Monaro is a rear-wheel-drive coupe. It was made by General Motors Holden in Australia. It was in production from 1968 to 1975 and later, reintroduced from 2001 to 2005. Only 6147 Monaros were produced. A classic Holden Monaro could sell up to $1 million. It holds some historical value. It comes with a 5.4-liter engine that teams up with a 4-speed manual. Monaro produced 250hp of power.
6. Ford Falcon Cobra
Wait we know Ford is an American brand but this Ford Falcon Cobra was made by Australian Ford to compete in the Australian muscle car market. It is a work of art in itself. Falcon Cobra was introduced in 1987. It was a limited-edition muscle car and was based on XC Hardtop. Ford Falcon Cobra had a coke bottle design. It was also very fun to drive. Falcon Cobra has a 5.8-liter V8 engine.
5. Aston Martin Victor
Aston Martin Victor is one of the rarest Aston Martin. It takes its name from Victor Gauntlett, who was the former executive chairman of Aston Martin. It was based on One-77 which is itself very rare. Aston Martin only made only 77 of these and introduced them in 2020. It is an amazing cool looking muscle car. This cool muscle car gets comes with a 7.3-liter V12 Cosworth tuned engine that produces 836 hp of power.
4. Mercedes- AMG C63
AMG is performance division of Mercedes. It makes regular Mercs and transforms it into a performance beast. AMG C63 has a hand-built, twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 engine that produces 469 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque. Its engine teams up with a nine-speed automatic transmission. All of its power goes to its rear wheels. It goes from 0-60 in 4.0sec. It is based on W205 C-Class.
3. Jensen Interceptor
Jensen interceptor was hand-built at the Kelvin Factory in West Bromwich. Interceptor does not exist today but it gave us this amazing muscle car. It was in production between 1950 to 1957. Interceptor was available in 3 engine options from which the mightiest was a 7.2-liter V8 available with both a 4-speed manual and a 3-speed automatic. It is more of a grand touring vehicle.
2. Opel Diplomat V8
Opel was one of the biggest carmakers of the 20th century. They gave us amazing cars one of which was the Diplomat. It was in production between 1964 to 1977. Diplomat V8 was a great car but it felt underpowered among other German cars. It comes with a 5.4-liter Chevrolet V8 engine which produced 225 hp of power and can take this car to the top speed of 127 mph and goes from 0-60 miles per hour in 8 sec. It was an amazing car to drive.
1. Mercedes-Benz 500E
Mercedes made the 500E in collaboration with Porsche. It is a high-performance version of the W124, sold from 1990 to 1995. Porsche upgraded the chassis of the Mercedes W124 so it can accommodate the new V8 engine. It comes with a 5.0-liter V8 engine that produces 322 hp of power and 354 lb-ft of torque. It can reach t the top speed of 155 mph and goes from 0 to 62 mph in 5.3 sec.