Top 10 American muscle cars

With vast straight roads and a love of drag racing, only America could have invented the muscle car.

There was nothing particularly sophisticated about these beasts, which operated on a simple premise: slam a V8 engine into a small (in American terms) car and drive it fast and straight.

And although they’re not wholly suited to UK roads, muscle cars have been held in awe by plenty of motorists on this side of the pond for decades.

The seeds of the muscle car may have been planted in the late 1940s, but it enjoyed its heyday in the Swinging Sixties through to the early 70s, when the Clean Air Act, the oil crisis and high insurance costs in the States brought about their temporary demise.

The kings of the road became unaffordable and impractical, with Detroit focusing more on emission controls and taxes on high-powered cars increasing. Aimed at hot-blooded young men who could no longer afford them, these street-legal hot rods became more of a rarity on US highways.

But in their golden era, some truly stunning and brutal beasts roamed the streets. Specialist American car insurance broker Adrian Flux has taken a look at 10 legendary muscle cars of the past six decades. Enjoy our top 10 – and feel free to disagree.