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The United States is primarily known for its muscle cars that pack simple interiors, big loud V-8s, rear-wheel drive, and straight-line performance. The term “Supercar” is used for performance cars that are loud, fast, handle well, and are exotic. Most muscle cars didn’t handle well and were not exotic. The Lamborghini Miura is widely referred to as the first supercar. It had the characteristics of every performance car but what made it stand out was the exotic looks and mid-engine layout. This combination is the standard by which we define most supercars today.
America has been toying with the idea of a supercar since the 1960s. The CERV concepts were used to test this platform with the CERV III looking closest to a road car. America did have mid-engine cars like the GT40, De Tomaso, and Pontiac Fiero. But the GT40 was a racecar, DE Tomaso was mainly Italian and the Fiero was an alternative to the Toyota MR2, none of these were supercars.
American supercars started to become a thing in the 90s and when the 2000s came around they were a few more. By the 2010s there were supercars heading for world records from the likes of Hennessey and SSC. There are a few criteria needed to qualify as an American supercar. They must be mid-engine, made in America, and must be original, kit cars and continuations are not allowed. In order to understand how the American supercar story has unfolded over the decades, we’ll look a some of the best exotic cars born in the U.S.A.
Vector W8 Aeromotive
3/4 view of a purple Vector W8
Vector was the first company to introduce the world to an American supercar with the Vector W8 twin-turbo in 1989. It was powered by a six-liter twin-turbo V-8 making 625 horsepower and 429 pound-feet of torque. For context, the Lamborghini Diablo made 500 horsepower and the mighty Ferrari F40 made just 471 horsepower.
Vector claimed that the engine was capable of making 1,200 horsepower but with a three-speed automatic this was unlikely. 0-60 MPH was said to be 5.7 seconds with a quarter mile time of 14 seconds with an estimated top speed of 218 MPH. Car and Driver tested one and clocked a 0-60 mph time of 3.8 seconds and a quarter mile time of 12 seconds which is faster than advertised.
Beyond power numbers, the styling of the Vector was a conversation starter. It looked like a sci-fi concept with its wedge-shaped fighter jet-style design. It looked great and shocking at the same time similar to how the Lamborghini Countach. The story is the same on the inside when you opened the Scissor doors. The interior looks like you were driving KITT from Knight Rider which further added to the dramatic exterior. Being the first proper American supercar, Vector set the bar really high with this one.
This carbon fiber supercar had a starting price of around $450,000 when new and had a total production run of 17 cars. Today, Vectors are selling for well over $300,000 given their rarity and uniqueness. A successor came in the form of the M12 but Vector was now owned by Megatech and it was based on the Lamborghini Diablo.
The Scary Saleen S7
3/4 view of a red Saleen S7 sitting in a showroom
Saleen Automotive is known for making performance parts mainly for sports cars and SUVs. But in 2000, they introduced the S7 which was their own supercar. It had a 7.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 which made 550 horsepower and 500 pound feet of torque. A more powerful twin-turbo version was available with 750 horsepower and 700 pound-feet of torque.
The Saleen S7 was a scary car to drive since all this power was sent to the rear wheels and paired with a six-speed manual transmission. It was a light vehicle weighing in at just 2,865 pounds (1,300 kilograms) and was long at 188 inches. The length was to help improve stability at high speeds since the car didn’t have many safety systems to keep you in check.
In 2006, Saleen offered a competition package that took power to over 1000 horsepower with some mechanical changes to support. The S7 was very fast with a top speed of 248 MPH which was five MPH shy of the Bugatti Veyron. In 2017, an LM was announced with 1,300 horsepower as if it wasn’t scary enough already. Prices started at $400,000 for the base cars and went up from there with limited production numbers.
Ford GT Is A Product Of Heritage And Motorsports
Ford GT and GT40 with the 1964 heritage prototype livery
The Ford GT is the car that comes to mind when you talk about an American supercar. Its design wa inspired from the iconic GT40 and was executed perfectly. The Mk1 GT was introduced on the occasion of the 100 years the Ford Motor Company. Since Ford was already an established brand unlike the aforementioned cars, they had the resources necessary to build better cars.
Its supercharged V-8 made 550 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque all going to the rear wheels with a six-speed manual. The GT production was successful with over 4000 cars sold with prices of around $150,000 which was way less than any American supercar before then.
In 2016, Ford announced a new GT and people went nuts as they all wanted one even with the starting price of $450,000. It was even more stunning than the previous car and is among the most beautiful modern cars.
The supercharged V-8 of the old model made way for a powerful twin-turbo V-6 that put out 650 horsepower and 550 pound-feet of torque. It has a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission which was a first for an American car along with an all-carbon fiber body. Everything about this GT was exotic and demand for this car was high.
There was a selection process similar to what manufacturers like Ferrari use. 1,350 units of the GT were planned for production but buyers had to go through a selection process to be given one. Owners could only sell their cars after two years and as soon as they became available they were million-dollar cars. Ford also brought out heritage versions similar to what they did with the previous generation GTs.
This Falcon F7 Did Not Fly
3/4 rolling shot a Falcon F7
Most people may have never heard of this supercar since only seven examples were made and no one has seen them. Designer Jeff Lemke wanted to build his own car after being a body components supplier for the Dodge Viper. The car had all the ingredients necessary to be called a supercar. A visually attractive exterior, a mid-engine layout, and a carbon fiber body.
The falcon was beautifully styled and took a lot of cues from the bird it was named after. The engine was the 7.0-liter LS7 from the C6 Corvette which made 630 horsepower and 585 pound feet of torque. An optional twin-turbo package from Lingenfelter would bump it to a mind-blowing 1,100 horsepower. You had to row your gears on this one with a six-speed manual transmission with all that power to the rear wheels. Owners would be fine with the base spec but good luck handling the upgraded one.
At its release, the Falcon cost $225,000 but we’re unsure if all seven were made since most people have never heard of it. The F7 has been forgotten since there was no real publicity for the car, and no press drives to at least showcase the performance of this Supercar. Falcon Motorsports is still around but the F7 never took off and it’s a shame because it had everything it needed to succeed.
SSC Tuatara’s 300 MPH Ambitions
Black SSC Tuatara testing on an airfield
For many of you, the first time you heard of SSC was the 331 MPH record run with the Tuatara that turned out to be false. But SSC has been making stupidly fast cars since 2004. The ultimate aero was their first car with the most powerful version making 1,300 horsepower and 1000 pound-feet of torque with a top speed tested at 257 MPH which was faster than the original Bugatti Veyron.
But they made massive headlines recently with the Tuatara Hypercar after the record attempt that was false. Founder Jerod Shelby did release a statement owning up to their mistake and promised to make things right. But the Tuatara is a fast car, it is powered by a 5.9 liter Twin Turbo V-8 rated at 1,750 horsepower and 1,340 pound-feet of torque which are mind-bending numbers.
Its gearbox is a seven-speed single-clutch transmission and rear-wheel drive only. A customer has driven his car at the Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds to a Top Speed of 295 MPH and data shows the car wasn’t losing any steam. I guess Bugatti should be worried about their record.
Hennessey Venom F5 Is A 300 MPH Rocketship
3/4 view of a pearl white Hennessey Venom F5 coupe
John Hennessey is another household name in the tuner scene that has also gone the route of making his own supercar. The Venom GT was a questionable supercar since it was viewed as a modified Lotus which wouldn’t classify it as an American supercar. But Hennessey is back with the New Venom F5 and it is built from the ground up.
The F5 is a reference to a tornado capable of wind speeds exceeding 300MPH which is the speed it aims to achieve. It is powered by a 6.6-liter twin-turbo V8 nicknamed “Fury” which produces 1817 horsepower and 1190 pound-feet of torque driving the rear wheels only.
It also uses a seven-speed single-clutch transmission like the Tuatara. Customer cars are already getting delivered to owners with a planned production of 24 coupes, 30 roadsters, and 24 revolution models with a starting price of $2.5 million. One of such Lucky customers is Michael Jordan who just took delivery of his F5 roadster.
The Chevrolet Corvette C8 Z06 Is The New Kid On The Block
3/4 rolling shot of a C8 Corvette Z06
After toying with the idea of a mid-engine car for five generations, the Corvette finally changed its engine layout. There were doubts if the C8 Stingray is a supercar or not but the C8 Z06 is without doubt a supercar. It boasts supercar numbers in terms of power and performance with the most powerful naturally aspirated engine. The C8 is so exotic now that it doesn’t even have a manual transmission anymore but a dual-clutch one instead.
The 5.5-liter flat-plane crank LT6 V-8 makes 670 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque and is an exotic unit made specifically for this car. This is currently the most affordable supercar on the market with a starting price of $125,000 undercutting most of its competition by a huge margin. Even though it is now seen as a supercar and may not be a true Corvette anymore it is still affordable compared to its rivals.
Honorable mention goes to the Dodge Viper which was an exotic car but was just shy of truly being recognized as a supercar. The American supercar story is a short one compared to the muscle car story but these are the Best American Supercars to date. But the future is looking interesting and we hope many more supercars can germinate on American soil.
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