Fast Muscle Cars

Others are very small, but surprisingly small, like the MINI Cooper S and VW Golf GTi. Then, there are big American muscle cars like the Chrysler 300C SRT-8, which is pretty quick as it rolls off the production line. Even so, some tuners turn these into amazing powerhouses with supercharging.

You can get a muscle car to suit however and wherever you drive. Maybe you just blast along straight roads, or do a bit of amateur drag racing. In that case get a fairly compact auto like a Caprice, Thunderbird or whatever and put the biggest engine you can into it - or add a supercharger. But remember that the bigger car you start with, the more of a handful it will be, especially if it has a lot of front and rear overhang.

If you want to be able to corner fast round twisty roads, then get a more sporty base car, with a lower center of gravity - rear drive is best for handling. You can then tune it up and get improved suspension to suit.

Or, you can just buy a sporty sedan off the shelf - like an old Firebird TransAm, a Saleen Mustang, a Lexus IS-F, VW Golf GTi, a Pontiac G8 GT or Subaru WRX STi just to give a few examples. Some of these are small like the Golf GTi, and others are large, and some are extremely powerful. Find the answers to which Fast Muscle Cars you want.

Many modern muscle cars that roll out of factories have plenty of power, good brakes and gizmos like traction control and stability control. The real problem with most of these production cars is that they are very heavy - 4,000 lb used to be about as heavy as a car could get, but nowadays, many cars weigh more than this. This is not just a drag on performance, it is no longer acceptable in a world where fuel consumption and CO2 emissions must be reduced drastically.

When you consider improving the performance of a muscle car bear this in mind. Also, the bigger and heavier the car, the bigger and better brakes you need, and the less easy the car will be to handle. There is just too much inertia of all that metal which wants to go straight on - that is what inertia is all about - when you want to turn a corner.

Are there any lightweight muscle cars? Well, the Ford Mustang and Shelby GT500 are pretty light, but their suspension is not really good enough for a high-performance car. The BMWs do handle well, despite being quite heavy, and have adequate brakes, while Audi produces the lightweight A8.