It's Mopar week here at HotCars, and we're celebrating the absolute icon of a brand. Over the years, Chrysler, Plymouth, and Dodge have produced some of the greatest muscle cars of all time. They built machines that dominated the streets and every form of racing imaginable.Some people might not be up to speed with Mopar muscle, but that's what I'm here for. I was raised in a household with a deep love for Dodge and Plymouth. I've even been restoring and daily driving my dad's old '69 Charger that started my family's love affair with Chrysler products. I'm going to talk you through the ten greatest Mopar Muscle cars that you need to know about.Welcome to Mopar Week on HotCars—your pit lane for all things Dodge, Chrysler, Plymouth, Jeep, Ram, and SRT. All week long we’re dropping exciting content. From classic B-bodies and ’Cuda legends to Hellcat/Demon face-offs, Scat Pack essentials, TRX thrills, and the new-age performance era, this is where Mopar faithful get their fix. A12 Road Runner/Super Bee Mecum AuctionsThe muscle car wave of the 1960s saw the birth of many great cars, all of which were gunning for the title of top dog. Ford, Chevrolet, and Dodge all produced absurdly powerful machines to crank out the fastest quarter-mile time. The winner? The 1969-1/2 Plymouth Road Runner.The Plymouth Road Runner was originally introduced as a low-trim, high-performance car that teenagers could afford, hence it was named after a beloved cartoon character. Halfway through the '69 model year, Plymouth introduced the Six-Barrel A12 models. These boasted a 390-horsepower 440 under the hood, equipped with three Holley two-barrels up top. When Ronnie Sox cranked out a 12.90-second quarter-mile pass, it became the fastest factory-equipped muscle car of the era. A990 Dodge/Plymouths All the major players built some seriously insane factory race cars. These weren't technically muscle cars because they were intended solely for racing, but they have all the right equipment. They even ran with tuned-up versions of standard street engines.The Dodge and Plymouth A990 cars of 1965 were among the wildest cars ever built. These factory lightweights featured stripped interiors, lightened hardware, and ditched anything that didn't need to go for the ride, including the "park" function of automatic transmissions. The engine of choice was a 426 Hemi estimated to produce 550 horsepower, enough to propel these machines into the 10-second range. L023 Hemi Dart MecumThe A990 cars were absolutely bonkers for their time. Things got even crazier as time passed. In 1968, Dodge decided to reuse the race-winning formula for yet another Hemi-powered factory drag car. Only this time, they decided to use the Dodge Dart.Yes. It left the showroom like that. The LO23 Hemi Dart was a factory drag car that was lightened, modified, and worked over with one goal in mind: to win races. These had special lightweight bodies, stripped interiors, oversized rear tires, and a monstrous 426 Hemi under the hood. They hit the scales at 3,000 pounds and cleared the quarter-mile in just nine seconds. It was the real Demon of the '60s. ` Dodge Charger Daytona/Plymouth Superbird Mecum AuctionsThe fastest muscle cars ever built were never meant for the drag strip. Instead, these beasts were designed with the superspeedways in mind. I'm speaking, of course, about the Plymouth Superbird and Dodge Charger Daytona.The Charger Daytonawas forged in a wind tunnel when the regular Chargers failed to compete in NASCAR. Missile engineers added a nose cone, brought the rear window flush with the body, and put a massive wing out back. This was the first car to break the 200 mph threshold on a closed-course track. Plymouth followed suit with the Superbird. With Hemi engines under the hood, these became the dominant force in stock car racing. So much so that they were effectively banned after just one year of competing. AAR ‘Cuda/T/A Challenger Link ImageThe Superbirds and Daytonas were just one pair of Plymouth and Dodge Homologation cars. Another duo that you need to know about is the T/A Challengers and AAR 'Cudas. These machines were built to satisfy SCCA regulations, allowing Mopar to compete in Trans Am racing.T/A Challengers and AAR 'Cuda's are among the greatest performance cars of all time. They left the factory equipped with fiberglass hoods, side pipes, insane livery, and legendary 340 Six-Pack engines. These motors featured special castings that allowed for increased durability and performance with some elbow grease. They were rated to produce 295 horsepower, but actually made somewhere around 330 horsepower. Imagine how hard these mighty E-bodies could run with a little bit of work. Dodge Challenger Demon 170 DodgeLate model Dodge muscle cars are far from obscure. Between the in-your-face marketing strategies and record-breaking performance, they're hard to miss. Still, this list would be far from complete without the Dodge Demon 170.The Hellcats shook the world on their debut in 2015. Dodge decided to send them off with a massive bang during the Last Call campaign in 2023. The Demon 170was the high mark of the event, with a 1,025-horsepower supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi under the hood. In this massive last hurrah, the Challenger clicked off an 8.9-second quarter-mile pass, reminding the whole world what makes Hemis so awesome. 1968-1970 Dodge Charger Bring A TrailerThe 1968 Dodge Chargerisn't here because it's particularly powerful or featured a unique factory performance package. It's here because it marks the first year of the second-generation Dodge Charger. The styling of this machine is so good that it's become more than a car. It's a cultural icon celebrated to this day for its sinister looks.1968, 1969, and 1970 Dodge Chargers have regularly been used in TV and film as the outlaw's car of choice. Its Coke bottle body style, intimidating grille, and balance of brutishness and elegance make for a presence unrivaled by any machine. Being a high-performance car, it also came available with all of the best Mopar V8s, including the mighty 426 Hemi. Maybe I'm a bit biased as an owner of one, but it's easy to see why these are the dream cars of many muscle car enthusiasts. 1968 Plymouth Road Runner Mecum Auctions The Plymouth Road Runner is everyone's favorite muscle car for a reason. It was cheap, fast, and really, really good-looking. The 1968 model year might also be the most true-to-form muscle car ever built.The 1968 Plymouth Road Runner was introduced as a high-performance muscle car that high school seniors could afford. It came standard with a 335-horsepower 383 Magnum and an optional 425-horsepower 426 Hemi. While it wasn't a total stripper, it was a low-trim car that skipped the bells and whistles that it didn't need to go fast. This, at heart, is what the muscle car movement is founded on, and with a starting price of $2,870, or roughly $28,000 in today's money, it couldn't fail. Silver Bullet GTX Legendary Motorcar, YouTube Sanctioned drag racing is the only way to compete. Street racing is not just illegal, but very dangerous. That doesn't change the fact that people are going to do it. So much so that it's a major part of muscle car history. Knowing this, Plymouth "accidentally" let an experimental factory race car loose on the streets, known as the Silver Bullet GTX.The Silver Bullet GTX is a factory lightweight equipped with a 426 Hemi. It was built as a sleeper car, using a unique four-muffler exhaust system and a bland paint job to help it blend in. While it wasn't an official plan, this car made its way into the Woodward Ave street racing scene, where it beat the brakes off anything in its path. The car is still alive and well today, and can regularly be spotted on the legendary stretch of road in Michigan. Dodge Lil’ Red Express Bring A Trailer Dodge may be behind some of the greatest muscle cars of all time, but it's also built some killer trucks over the years. Many of which brought together the best of both worlds. The most famous example is the 'Lil Red Express.In 1978, Dodge introduced the 'Lil Red Express truck as part of its Adult Toy line. With a wood-accented stepside bed and a red paint job, it bears resemblance to a sweet toy you might find under a Christmas tree. Its engine made it anything but cute, though. These viscous little rockets were powered by the 360 cubic-inch police interceptor motor. It was rated to produce just 225 horsepower, but claimed the crown as being the fastest production vehicle in the US that year.