10 of the Most Obscure, Offbeat Muscle Cars

Mercury doesn't spring to mind immediately when you think of muscle cars, but in 1969, it built a car that fit the muscle car template perfectly, the Cyclone CJ. With a 428 cubic inch Cobra Jet V8 under the hood, the Cyclone CJ could run the quarter mile in under 14 seconds.

From Road & Track

The Vista Cruiser is an icon of 1970s suburban America, but did you know you could have one with a 455 V8? Yep. Oldsmobile began offering the big 7.5-liter V8 in 1970, making the ultimate family hauling sleeper.

The big Ford Galaxie 500 wasn't the most exciting performance car offered by Ford in the mid-1960s, but the handful it equipped with the venerable 428 cubic inch V8 are pretty spectacular. The Galaxie 500 7-Litre was Ford's best highway cruiser with 345 horsepower on tap.

Jay Leno owns one too, so you know its cool.

The Studebaker Super Lark (pictured left) is arguably the first muscle car ever built. Studebaker took the supercharged V8 from the Avanti sports car, which made 335 horsepower in R2 form, and stuffed it, along with a limited-slip differential and front disc brakes, in the humdrum Lark.

It turned a normal economy car into something that ran 15s quarter mile, impressive stuff for 1963.

AMC never enjoyed the love or success of its rivals in the so-called "big three," but it still managed to turn out some very impressive muscle cars. The Javelin–overshadowed by its sports car sibling, the AMX–was a respectable pony car, but its racing success seals its place in the history books.

With Mark Donohue behind the wheel of a Javelin in the 1971 Trans Am season, the competition didn't stand much of a chance.

Everyone knows of the early Hurst/Olds, but did you know they were built in 1979? Option code W30 for the Cutlass Calais got you a 350 cubic inch V8 and classic Hurst two-tone paint.

Performance seems pitiful now, but the Hurst/Olds's 170 horsepower and 16.63-second quarter mile were impressive for the day.

Everyone loves the bonkers Plymouth Road Runner, but its Dodge sibling, the Super Bee never enjoyed quite the same success. The Road Runner's goofy nature contributed to its popularity, but the Super Bee is an equally good performer.

It fit the muscle car template of "cheapest, most stripped out car with the biggest engines available" perfectly.

Big engine. Small car. Huge performance. The AMC Hurst SC/Rambler had performance that easily equalled the best muscle cars from the big three.

With a 315 horsepower 390 cubic inch V8 in a lightweight body, the Hurst SC/Rambler could run the quarter mile in a very respectable 14.2 seconds. The red, white and blue paint only adds to its allure.

The Ford Falcon is vastly overshadowed by the Mustang it spawned from its platform, but it was a totally respectable performance car in Falcon Sprint trim. The 260 cubic inch V8 from the Fairlane made 164 horsepower and a 195 horsepower 289 V8 was offered in 1965.

It's a Mustang for those who don't want a Mustang.

Like the Dodge Super Bee, the Plymouth GTX isn't as well loved as the Road Runner, but for different reasons. The GTX was pitched a more luxurious, refined muscle car compared to the Road Runner, which meant it was more expensive.

It didn't sell nearly as well as the Road Runner, but was an excellent performer with the 426 cubic inch Hemi or the 440 six-pack.