While American car nameplates like the Chevy Corvette or Ford Mustang echo throughout the globe, quite a few high-performance American cars didn't share the same fate, having been overshadowed by other, more popular models. In many cases, their engineering and power did little to help these cars' success on the market, and they've now sadly been consigned to history books. Despite that, many of these overlooked American performance cars represent the most interesting chapters of the country's automotive history. They're also a great way for gearheads in the know to stand out from the crowd by driving something most people wouldn't recognize or know about. That's exactly the kind of cars we wanted to highlight in this list, focusing only on the highest-performance models that offered north of 400 horsepower straight from the factory.We've ranked the rare performance cars on this list according to their official horsepower figures. All the specs and information come directly from the respective manufacturers. 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer SS Power: 400 hp Chevrolet Specs The Chevrolet Trailblazer SS is an iconic SUV, but it is one of the lesser-known cars in the company's history. It received a 6.0-liter LS2 V8 straight out of the C6 Chevy Corvette, producing 400 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. That's more than enough power to move the 4,648-lb SUV around. To make the SS even sportier compared to the regular Trailblazer, the ride height has been significantly lowered, and the suspension has been stiffened up. As a result of all the mods, the heavy Trailblazer can launch to 60 mph from a standstill in just 5.7 seconds, a very competitive time that isn't too far away from some much lighter muscle cars. Some tuned Trailblazers have been quick on the drag strip and beaten Dodge Hellcats. 2008 Dodge Magnum SRT8 Power: 425 hp Via: Mecum Auctions Specs The Dodge brand has become incredibly popular for its muscle cars, particularly the Challenger and Charger. They also developed the Magnum SRT8 station wagon, which is incredibly powerful. Its 6.1-liter SRT HEMI V8 engine produces 425 horsepower, which needs to be managed carefully as the car is a rear-wheel-drive beast. It has raw power and blends the styling of a station wagon with a muscle car. The aggressive styling gives the Dodge SRT8 a superb look to accompany its speed. 2005 Mosler MT900S Power: 435 hp Bring a Trailer Specs Founded in 1985, Mosler is now defunct after selling all its assets to Rossion Automotive in June 2013. The American company forayed into motorsport, and the MT900R entered the Daytona 24 Hours in 2001. Mosler also built the MT900S, which is effectively a road-going version of the car that tackled some of the world's best racetracks.The Mosler MT900S had a 5.1-liter V8 that produced 405 hp and 405 lb-ft of torque, while the 6-speed manual gearbox's lightning-quick shifts helped the car go from 0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds. Its powerful engine and weight of just 2,450 lbs allowed the American supercar to reach 190 mph, making it faster than the most powerful Corvettes at the time. 2006 Cadillac XLR-V Power: 443 hp xlr-v 1 Specs Essentially a more refined and luxurious take on the Corvette, the Cadillac XLR-V is currently one of the most underrated and overlooked American sports cars of the 2000s. Apart from a great design with a comfortable cabin, it also received a beastly 443-hp supercharged LC3 V8. Its suspension has been tuned slightly towards performance, while Cadillac's quicker-shifting sport mode and driver shift manual mode allow the driver to control the automatic gearbox. The top speed is 155 mph after it is electronically limited, while 0-60 is completed in under five seconds. It's truly a great sports car that never got the recognition it deserved. 2013 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Power: 444 hp Ford Specs The Ford Mustang is arguably America's most iconic automotive nameplate, next to the Corvette. That said, we still don't think the 2013 Boss 302 got the attention it deserves nowadays. Paying homage to the original Boss models of the '60s, the 302 is a special track-tuned version of the Mustang featuring a myriad of engine, suspension, interior, and exterior reworks to make it more track-worthy.Ford's engineers initially nicknamed the car 'Road Runner' due to its upgrades over the standard car, such as 32 more horsepower from the Coyote V8. But despite its considerable power, the suspension is less sophisticated than that of some other cars with a solid rear axle, which negatively impacts traction and body roll. The Ford Mustang Boss 302 was easily eclipsed by the Shelby GT500, which pushed the idea of a track-ready Mustang to the extreme. 2008 Rossion Q1 Power: 450 hp Bring a Trailer Specs Built in Florida, the Rossion Q1 is a forgotten American sports car powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter Ford Duratec V6. If you notice some similarities with the Noble M400, you'd be right, as the Q1 was built on the British sports car's chassis and uses a specially tuned version of the same engine.With 450 hp on tap, the Rossion Q1 rockets to 60 mph in a surprisingly quick 3.1 seconds, while the top speed is 189 mph. That's in part thanks to its incredibly strong and lightweight carbon and Kevlar body that tips the scales at a ridiculously low 2300 lbs – lighter than an ND Miata. 1999 Shelby Series One Power: 450 hp Mecum Auctions Specs Carroll Shelby became renowned in the automotive world for his superb work on iconic cars such as the AC Cobra and Ford GT40 – the latter locked out the podium at Le Mans in 1966 with a 1-2-3 finish. The Shelby Series One is part of that historical list of cars that Shelby developed throughout his storied career. The standard car was incredibly quick, but the optional supercharger turned it up to eleven.The Series One delivered 450 hp, which was a significant improvement from the original car's 320 horsepower. Ticking the supercharger box cost an extra $35,100 in 1999, but it opened the door to a 0-60 mph time of just 3.7 seconds. As the car had much more performance, the brakes had to be reworked to keep the Series One competitive. 1995 Vector M12 Power: 492 hp RM Sotheby's Specs The Vector M12 is a car derived from a unique blend of American muscle and Italian flair to create a machine that knocks on the door of the 200 mph barrier. It gets its power from a Lamborghini-sourced 5.7-liter V12 engine producing 492 horsepower and 425 lb-ft of torque. The Vector shares the same uncompromising V12 as the Lamborghini Diablo in what is effectively an American take on the Italian classic.The Vector M12s are incredibly exclusive, with only 17 M12s ever built. They're also properly fast, offering a 0-60 mph in 4.8 seconds and a top speed of 190 mph. 2000 Saleen S7 Power: 550 hp Bring A Trailer Specs The Saleen S7 is all about vicious power, with 550 horsepower available to the driver developed from a monster 550-hp 7.0-liter V8. Its raw speed is harnessed by the aerodynamically efficient body, allowing the S7 to reach a ridiculously fast top speed of 220 mph – faster than a Ferrari Enzo. There was an even more uncompromising twin-turbo version with 750 horsepower. This pushed the top speed up to 248 mph, which put it firmly into the hypercar category. 2015 Equus Bass 770 Power: 640 hp Equus Specs Equus is a relatively unknown brand industry compared to others, but its premier muscle car is worth learning about. Dubbed the Bass 770, it uses a supercharged 6.2-liter LS9 V8 good for 640 horsepower and 605 lb-ft – the same one used by the C6 Corvette ZR1. A key selling point of muscle cars is that they are relatively cheap compared to cars with comparable performance; however, the Equus was priced at an eye-watering $250,000, putting its price tag well into European supercar territory.