When it comes to cars, we all have different ways of determining a car’s value. Some of us prefer speed, others prefer horsepower, and others just want efficiency.

If speed is important to you, you’re going to want to check out this post because no matter your price range, there is an American model to satisfy your need for speed. Don’t get us wrong, we love import cars, but we decided to stick to American cars because the increase in prices on import brands doesn’t necessarily correlate with the engine specs as fairly as a comparison only among American cars.

Below are a number of engine specs, prices and track times according to manufacturer data or Car and Driver. When comparing cars by price, it’s easier to see that price has a lot to do with a car’s overall performance and track times, but track times aren’t just affected by engine size.

Under  $30,000

2017 Ford Mustang V6 Fastback

3.7-liter Ti-VCT V6 engine

$25,815 6-speed manual transmission (standard), $27,010 6-speed automatic transmission (optional)

300 horsepower, 280 lb-ft torque

Track Times

0-60 mph: 5.5 seconds (auto)

Quarter mile: 14.1 seconds (automatic)

Top Speed (governor limited): 124 mph

The Ford Mustang is a classic American muscle car that has a very versatile lineup. The Ford Mustang has been in production since 1965, so the Mustang has years of heritage and plenty of tuning under the hood. The base Mustang trim is the most affordable car on this list and it definitely has some great power for its price. The base Mustang has fairly big engine, which produces 300 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque.

2016 Chevy Camaro 1LT

2.0-liter Turbo 4-Cylinder Sidi engine with Variable Valve Timing (VVT)

$28,190 with manual transmission (standard), $29,875 with 8-speed automatic transmission (optional)

275 horsepower, 295 lb-ft torque

Track Times

0-60 mph: 5.5 seconds (automatic)

Quarter mile: 14 seconds (automatic)

Top Speed 130 mph

The 2016 Chevy Camaro was the Motor Trend 2016 Car of the Year, so it offers a lot to buyers, including a little kick when you push the throttle. Despite the fact the Camaro 1LT is equipped with the smallest engine (2.0L) on this list, its engine pushes out 275 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, which is pretty great for an engine that size. Additionally, the Camaro’s efficient turbo engine helps the car to achieve a fuel economy of 22 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway, making it the most fuel efficient vehicle on this list.

$30,000 - $45,000

2016 Camaro 1SS

6.2-liter V8 Direct Injection engine

$37,295 6-speed manual transmission (standard), $38,790 8-speed automatic transmission (optional)

455 horsepower, 455 lb-ft of torque

Track Times

0-60: 4 seconds (automatic)

Quarter mile: 12.3 seconds

Top Speed: 165 mph

The Chevy Camaro LT series (mentioned above) is available with the 2.0L or 3.6L engine, but the Camaro SS series (1SS and 2SS) are both equipped Chevy’s 6.2-liter V8 engines, and of the two, the Camaro 1SS trim is more affordable option. In 2017, the Chevy Camaro lineup will grow as Chevy is adding a Camaro ZL1 trim and the new engine will be significantly more powerful (655 horsepower), but with a price tag starting a little over $61,000.

2016 Challenger R/T Scat Pack

6.4-liter V8 SRT HEMI engine

$37,995 6-speed manual TREMEC transmission (standard), $39,395 8-speed TorqueFlite automatic  transmission (optional)

485 horsepower, 475 lb-ft of torque

Track Times
0-60: 4.2 seconds

Quarter mile: 12.6 seconds (auto)

Top speed: 176 mph

Like Ford and Chevrolet, Dodge is a staple in the American muscle car heritage, however the Challenger is a two-door with seating for five passengers, whereas the Camaro and Mustang only have seating for four. The Challenger lineup is available with four engines and two of them are  performance engines that have been tuned and improved by Dodge’s special team of engineers, SRT (Street and Racing Technology). The same 6.4-liter SRT engine on the Challenger R/T Scat Pack is also available on two other Challenger models and the R/T Scat Pack is the most affordable.

$45,000 - $60,000

2016 Chevy SS

6.2-liter V8 SFI engine

$46,525 6-speed automatic (standard)

415 horsepower, 415 lb-ft of torque

Track Times

0-60: 4.7 seconds

Quarter mile: 13 seconds

Top Speed (governor limited): 160 mph

The Chevy SS is Chevrolet’s take on a four-door muscle car and it is known as the VF Commodore overseas. The Chevy SS is fairly new to the Chevy lineup and it is powered by a 6.2-liter V8 engine, which is a popular engine size on Chevy’s performance car lineup.

2016 Dodge Charger SRT 392

6.4-liter V8 SRT HEMI engine

$50,995 TorqueFlite 8-speed automatic transmission (standard)

485 horsepower, 475 lb-ft of torque

Track Times

0-60 mph: 4.3 seconds

Quarter Mile: 12.4 seconds

Top Speed: 175 mph

The Dodge Charger is a four-door muscle car that is a close kin to the Dodge Challenger and though it is a sedan it is still considered an American muscle car. The Dodge Charger lineup consists of the same four engines on the Challenger lineup, and the Charger SRT 392 is equipped with the same 6.4-liter SRT engine that is on the Challenger R/T Scat Pack. However, the Charger comes standard with a TorqueFlite 8-speed automatic transmission.

2017 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350

5.2-liter Ti-VCT V8 Engine with Flat Plane Crank

$54,570 6-speed TREMEC manual transmission (standard)

526 horsepower, 429 lb-ft of torque

Track Times

0-60: 4.3 seconds

Quarter mile: 12.5 seconds

Top Speed: 175 mph

Even though the Charger SRT 392 has a bigger engine, the 5.2L Ford Mustang Shelby GT keeps up on the track. A step up from the base Shelby GT350 is the Shelby GT350R, but it has a bigger price tag, starting just over $62,000.

2017 Chevy Corvette Stingray

6.2-liter LT1 V8 engine

$55,400 6-speed manual transmission (standard), $57,125 8-speed automatic transmission (optional)

460 horsepower, 465 lb-ft of torque

Track Times

0-60: 3.7 seconds

Quarter mile: 12.5 seconds

Top Speed: 175 mph

The Chevy Corvette Stringray is a classic Corvette model and it is a sleek American sports car that has . Inspired by the curves of a stingray’s wings, the Chevy Corvette Stingray has smooth curves and an aerodynamic body that help it to achieve maximize performance on the street or the track.

$60,000 - $80,000

2016 Dodge Charger and Challenger SRT Hellcat

Supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI SRT Hellcat V8 engine

Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat: $67,645 TorqueFlite 8-speed automatic transmission (standard)

Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat: $64,195 TREMEC 6-speed manual transmission or $65,490 TorqueFlite 8-speed automatic transmission

Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Track Times

0-60: 3.4 seconds

Quarter mile: 11.4 seconds

Top Speed: 204 mph

Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Track Times

0-60 mph: 3.6 seconds

Quarter Mile: 11.7 seconds

Top Speed: 199 mph

Meet the SRT Hellcat engine. It is available on the Dodge Charger and Challenger models and it produces 707 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque, making both cars the fastest cars in their class. Whether paired on the Charger or Challenger, the SRT team has made multiple enhancements to handle and maximize on the engine’s power to help it achieve record-breaking times on the track.

$80,000 - $100,000

2017 Chevy Corvette Z06

LT4 supercharged 6.2L aluminum V8 engine

$79,450 7-speed manual transmission (standard), $82,475 8-speed automatic transmission (optional)

650 horsepower, 650 lb-ft of torque

Track Times

0-60: 2.9 seconds

Quarter mile: 10.95 seconds manual, 11.2 seconds automatic

The Corvette Z06 may not produce all of the hosepower that the SRT Hellcat produces, but it is a sleek, aerodynamic, light-weight coupe that is a track demon. Chevy has carefully tuned all aspects of the vehicle and the attention to detail has helped the Corvette Z06 dominate races and contests for years. Joining the Corvette Stingray and Corvette Z06 in 2017 will be the Chevy Corvette Grand Sport, but neither model stands a chance against the Corvette Z06.

*All track times from manufacturer website or Car and Driver reviews

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