We love creating top five lists here on Carbuzz ranging from the best used cars to buy, all the way to which features we miss most on old cars. For this Thanksgiving holiday, we thought a simple list of the best American performance cars that we are thankful for would be appropriate. In order to qualify this list, the car either has to be from an American company or be built in the United States. That means there may be one surprise model that you weren't expecting on this list. We love speed, and these are the five best American cars that give it to us.
The Ford GT is not yet on sale, but we are thankful that Ford decided to bring back what is easily the most high-tech American car of all time. This car's ancestor was able to prove to Ferrari that an American car company could be relevant, and the new GT should do the same. The new Ford GT is powered by a 3.5-liter turbocharged V6 with over 600 horsepower and will have one of the best power-to-weight ratios on the market thanks its carbon fiber construction. It may not be as limited as the LaFerrari, but Ford has created a huge buzz around this car by making sure that the only people who buy it are worthy enthusiasts who won't just stash it away or try to flip it for a profit.
The Dodge Challenger Hellcat may not get credit for being the most sophisticated car on the market, but it is the epitome of the American muscle car at its finest. Dodge shocked the world when it revealed a 6.2-liter supercharged version of the Challenger and Charger with 707 hp. If this was a concept, no one would have batted an eye, but this was an actual production car with a warranty. The Challenger Hellcat starts at less that $63,000, making it one of the biggest performance bargains of all time. It has more power than a Lamborghini Aventador, but costs only a fraction of the price.
The Tesla Model S doesn't do speed the traditional American way with a big, screaming V8 up front. Instead, the Tesla derives its ludicrous speed from a pair of electric motors. The results are so blisteringly fast that this five-door liftback is actually the quickest production car in the world, with a 0-60 Mmph time of just 2.5 seconds. You may be saying, "No, the Porsche 918 and LaFerrari must be quicker than that!" And you would be right, except those cars are technically no longer in production. That means that right now, if you want the quickest car in the world, it is ironically going to be a roomy sedan with two trunks.
We said that there would be a surprise on this list, and it takes the form of the Acura NSX. If you didn't already know, the NSX is built in Ohio and was designed in the United States. The second generation of the NSX is powered by a 3.5-liter turbocharged V6 with three electric motors, two of which form the SH-AWD system. Total output is 573 hp and power goes out through a nine-speed dual-clutch automatic. The NSX shows that Honda has found tremendous success and decided to entrust the development of its flagship car to the US. It may be from a Japanese company, but the NSX is an honorary American car.
We wanted to leave you with something to feel great about for the holidays, and that is the Corvette Z06. Back in 2003, you had to buy a Ferrari Enzo to get over 600 hp. Now, you can get that much from a Corvette. The Z06 is one of our favorite performance cars, not just from America. It has one of the best sounding V8 engines, and we absolutely love it.