10 Classic American Muscle Cars That Are Slower Than a Minivan

The glory days of the American muscle car throughout the 1960s conjure nostalgic images of V8 engines dominating drag races. But like everything else in the world, technology has had a compound effect on the automobile. Classic cars that were once so admired for their exceptional performance are now mostly relics, cherished by car guys longing for the good old days like Brits who still love their castles. Because the sad truth is, by today's standards, very few of those original "muscle cars" are what you'd consider fast.

To wit: the Toyota Sienna minivan can hit the most American of all vehicular measurements, 0-60mph, in 7.6 seconds. Each and every one of the cars below was tested in its day by the same caliber of professionals as the Sienna, and they all have one thing in common: in a present-day drag race, their times are no better than the most average cars on the road today. It’s a sad, sad reality, but the minivan would win.

Flickr/Chad Horwedel

0-60mph: 7.8 seconds
Engine: 327 cid
Power: 300 hp
Transmission: Manual
Tested by: Car and Driver

Flickr/Billy Wilson

0-60mph: 8.2 seconds
Engine: 351 cid
Power: 300 hp
Transmission: Manual (3 speed)
Tested by:Motor Trend

Flickr/Jack Snell

0-60mph: 8.0 seconds
Engine: 350 cid
Power: 295 hp
Transmission: Automatic
Tested by:Motor Trend

Wikimedia/Sicnag

0-60mph: 8.1 seconds
Engine: 340 cid
Power: 275 hp
Transmission: Manual
Tested by: Motor Trend

Flickr/Fex Gray

0-60mph: 7.7 seconds
Engine: 361 cid
Power: 305 hp
Transmission: Automatic
Tested by: Motor Trend

Flickr/Chad Horwedel

0-60mph: 8.1 seconds
Engine: 383 cid
Power: 300 hp
Transmission: Automatic
Tested by: Motor Trend

Ford

0-60mph: 7.8 seconds
Engine: 390 cid
Power: 335 hp
Transmission: Manual
Tested by: Motor Trend

Flickr/Chad Horwedel

0-60mph: 7.7 seconds
Engine: 454 cid
Power: 360
Transmission: Automatic
Tested by: Car Life

Wikimedia/Sicnag

0-60mph: 7.7 seconds
Engine: 400 cid
Power: 340 hp
Transmission: Automatic
Tested by: Motor Trend

Flickr/Adam Minter

0-60mph: 8.0 seconds
Engine: 289 cid
Power: 280 hp
Transmission: Automatic
Tested by: Motor Trend


Note: The times you see listed were compiled by this site, and consist of acceleration data published by multiple magazines when the cars were new. For some of the cars, other drivers may achieve faster times, which is testament to their personal skill level, and to the level of difficulty involved in drag racing 50 years ago, before chassis, tires, and electronic refinement made everything much, much easier.

Want more of the world's best Rides delivered straight to your inbox? Click here to sign up for our daily email.

Aaron Miller is the Rides editor for Supercompressor, and can be found on Twitter. He finds the difference in acceleration times between various publications telling.