10 Best Classic American Muscle Cars

1. 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88

Last but by no means least is the ancestor of all muscle cars, the original 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88. The 88 is perhaps the most influential car in muscle car history.

It certainly wasn’t the coolest vehicle ever seen, nor was it the fastest. But the reason it made it to our Number 1 position is that it was the progenitor which it started the entire muscle car thing off.

Oldsmobile started something special when they put a V8 engine into a small car. Car historians believe this was the moment that the muscle car was born. Oldsmobile used this opportunity to introduce the high compression V8 engine to the world and it’s still found in powerful cars today.

Oldsmobile had started work on this special new V8 engine back in 1946. They decided to call it the Rocket, and they weren’t kidding. When the Oldsmobile Rocket was rolled out in 1949, it made history.

Within six years, every vehicle manufacturer in America is putting V8 engines in their cars.

So, that’s our list of the top ten best classic muscle cars of all time. Classic muscle cars have a huge fan following and are popular at auctions and motor shows all over the United States.