Ford's Best Muscle Cars

Ford’s best muscle cars date from the 1960s all the way to the present.
Written by Jason Tushinski
Reviewed by Carrie Adkins
Ford has always played a substantial role in the American automotive landscape, but Henry Ford’s company had to fight tooth and nail for a spot in American muscle car lore. By the late 1960s, Ford brought the Mustang, Mercury Cougar, the Shelby GT, the 428 engine, and more to the starting line and bullied its way to dominance on America’s streets—not to mention in muscle car immortality.
Whether you’re behind the wheel of a muscle car or a vehicle with less oomph, you’ll need
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If you want to know what we here at Jerry deem to be Ford’s best muscle cars, keep reading!

1967 Shelby GT500 Fastback

1967 Shelby GT500 Fastback
The tenacious Shelby GT fastback debuted just before the Ford Motor Company truly arrived on the muscle car scene, but this beauty was a harbinger of things to come.
A gorgeous coupe that still looked tough, the Shelby GT500 Fastback was a preview of Ford’s more muscular roadsters, blazing a trail for Ford with a 428 cubic inch 360 horsepower engine.
The Shelby GT500’s body was big enough and wide enough to house a big-block engine (it carried a small-block), yet it still looked svelte on the road. And, it came with power steering and an AM radio—a novelty at the time.
However, the GT500 was a rare find, even back in 1967—only 2,048 GT500s were built.

1968 Fairlane Torino GT

1968 Fairlane Torino GT
With its fastback body (a body that slopes downward from the roof to the butt-end), the Fairlane was initially built to compete on the NASCAR circuit. But its Mustang-like attitude and unique look made it a head-turning presence on American streets.
The Fairlane Torino was initially offered with the 289, 302, or 390 (cubic inches, or displacement volume) engines. The car also had five different body designs, which highlighted its unique look—it had very little in the way of exterior decoration, save for a small badge denoting its engine size (428) on the front fenders.
As the racing version, Ford built just 600 Fairlane Torino GT’s, with a 6-speed automatic transmission and a 428 Cobra Jet engine.

1968 Mercury Cougar GT-E

1968 Mercury Cougar GT-E
The ‘68 Mercury Cougar GT-E blasted its way onto the muscle car scene by outshining the ‘67 Mercury Cougar—which was named Motor Trend’s Car of the Year. Not too shabby.
The Cougar GT-E sported a 7 liter, single four-barreled 427 engine, with 390 horsepower. Ford/Mercury later released a Cougar with a 428 Cobra Jet engine with 335 horsepower, still offering plenty of oomph.
Like the Torinos, the Cougars  GT-Es were very rare—Ford built just 357 with the 427 engine and only 37 with the Cobra Jet engine.
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1969 Mercury Cougar Eliminator

1969 Mercury Cougar Eliminator
Mercury redesigned the Eliminator for the 1969 model year, bringing an absolute beast to the streets.
The Eliminator was unveiled in 1969 as a bigger, meaner, and more fearsome vehicle—it was 3.5 inches longer, and 3 inches wider than its predecessor. The Eliminator featured a 351 Windsor engine—which was standard on this model—and a hood scoop for exterior flair.
On the outside, it featured a racing stripe down its sides with the word “Eliminator”—just to remind racing opponents of what was to become of them.
The Eliminator had a limited run of just 2,250 cars produced, but it was enough to secure a place in Ford’s muscle car history.

1969 Ford Talladega

1969 Ford Talladega
Another Ford muscle car built with NASCAR in mind—famed driver Richard Petty flirted with the Talladega before opting for the Plymouth Superbird.
As a racing car designed to take on the Superbird, Dodge Charger, and Charger Daytona, the Talladega was an extension of Ford’s Torino—literally. The ‘dega added 15.5 inches of length to its front end as well as a 30-degree slant for this aerodynamic (and mean-looking) machine. The snarling car featured a 428 Cobra Jet engine and 6-speed automatic transmission.
It also sported a V-shaped front bumper—which was actually a rear bumper, adjusted with a downward slant in the middle, and stuck on the front—for aerodynamic purposes.
Just 736 ‘69 Talladegas were built and hit the streets, making it another rare find for Ford muscle car enthusiasts. 

1970 Ford Torino Cobra

1970 Ford Torino Cobra
This growling animal with a fastback rear end was built with the power and speed to take on arch-rival Chevy’s Chevelle.
The Torino Cobra originally boasted a standard, 429 cubic inch engine with 360 horsepower, but it could be upgraded. For just $164 more, you’d get a 429 Cobra Jet engine with 370 hp and a bigger carburetor, or if you forked over an additional $229, you’d get yourself a 429 Super Cobra Jet engine with 375 hp.
For that extra money, you’d get quite a bit of extra oomph. The Torino with a Super Cobra Jet engine was timed doing a quarter-mile ride in just 13.7 seconds at 106 miles per hour—which is umm…fast.
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1971 Mustang Boss 351

1971 Mustang Boss 351
A true muscle car, this ‘stang featured a 351 cubic inch V8 engine with 330 hp and 370 lbs of head-whipping torque.
This was a machine that delivered raw power and mind-blowing performance—the Boss 351 went 0-60 miles per hour in 5.8 seconds, and it reached a top speed of 100.6 miles per hour in 14 seconds.
But this powerful car didn’t last long. Only 1,806 Boss 351s were built—they were discontinued the next year. 

1973 Ford Falcon XBGT

1973 Ford Falcon XBGT
The muscular Falcon was built by Ford Australia in 1973 and starred as Mad Max’s car in the 1979 eponymous film.
The Falcon is effectively a cross between a ‘70 Torino Cobra and a ‘73 Mustang fastback. It featured a new front end, as well as a two-scoop hood similar to the Mustang. With a 351 Cleveland engine, it boasted 300 hp and a walloping 380 lbs of torque.
Like many other muscle cars, only a few Falcon XBGTs exist—just 949 Falcons took to the roads in its run from 1973 to 1976.

1999 Ford Lightning Pickup

1999 Ford Lightning Pickup
Fast forward three decades for a later entry to Ford’s muscle car pantheon—a truck, the Lightning Pickup.
Don’t be fooled by its size (it weighs 4,670 lbs)—the Lightning boasts a super-charged 5.4 L V8 engine with 360 horsepower. This thing can fly—from 0-60 in just 5.34 seconds. It also sports 18-inch tires (for those of you who like rubber) and a 4-speed automatic transmission.
This was one of the more prolific muscle cars as 28,000 were produced during its run from 1999 to 2004. 

2020 Ford Shelby GT500

2020 Ford Shelby GT500
Fast forward again to the (almost) present-day for a 21st-century muscle car: the Mustang Shelby GT500—the most powerful vehicle Ford has ever built.
Pop the hood and gawk at the GT500’s supercharged 5.2 L V8 engine with a knee-wobbling 760 horsepower. It's also got an automatic transmission and a 7-speed dual-clutch, making it a fun drive.
This road warrior goes 0-60 in a heart-stopping 3.3 seconds

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