Muscle cars have come so far since their golden days, with some legacy brands turning to turbocharged six-cylinder powertrains and the dreaded fully electric models. Brands like Dodge and Chevrolet were front-runners in the muscle car scene, so it's sad to see them boil down to crossovers and SUVs today, or the Charger Daytona EV. While the new muscle and sports cars are just as quick and powerful, and excel in pretty much every category in comparison, you just can't go wrong with the feeling that classic muscle provides. The sights excite, the smells are nostalgic, and you can feel the rumble of V8 engines in your chest.Not every classic muscle car was all that fast. However, the fastest muscle cars the 60s and 70s had to offer were proper fast. Many of them go for a large stack of cash today, but if you can get your hands on one, it's nothing but smiles and good times. Here are the ten fastest classic muscle cars of the 60s and 70s.All specifications have been sourced from the manufacturer; where top speed claims are not available by the automaker, we have used the results of independent tests. This list is organized in order from the slowest to the fastest top speeds. 1968 Plymouth Road Runner 426 Hemi Top Speed: 137 mph 1968 Plymouth Road RunnerAnother Plymouth to make the list with a top speed of about 142 miles per hour is the Road Runner 426 Hemi. It might have the same familiar bird as on the side of the Superbird - which we'll talk about near the end of this article - but it lacks the aerodynamics of that Plymouth to reach extreme speeds. Still, 142 mph is nothing to scoff at, especially when you get to hear and feel the roar of Chrysler's "Elephant engine," which was dubbed so due to its sheer size. Today, we have Dodge's "Hellephant engine," but that's a topic for later. Chrylser claimed this engine made 425 horsepower at 5,000 RPM, but independent testing revealed that power continued to rise to about 6,000 RPM, where it made between 470 and 500 hp. 1971 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda Top Speed: 140 mph 1970 Plymouth 'Cuda HemiKicking off our list of the fastest old muscle car models is the Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda. The Barracuda was produced for a few generations, starting with the first in 1964 and ending with the third generation in 1974. The 'Cuda name was derived from an options package offered for the 1969 model year, and went on to become the name for high-performance versions of the Barracuda. Engine options included a 383 cubic-inch V8, a 340 cubic-inch small block V8, two versions of the 440 cu. in. V8, and finally the 426-cubic-inch Hemi V8 that produced the figures seen in the table above, and helped it reach a top speed of 140 miles per hour. Dodge also keeps hinting at a new 'Cuda on the way, for those interested in reviving a legacy. 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS 396 Top Speed: 140 mph 1967 Chevrolet Camaro Z28Pictured above is the 1967 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, but the SS trim with the 396 cubic-inch engine is the one you want for a top speed of 140 miles per hour. Since General Motors forbade any model except for the Corvette from exceeding 10 pounds per horsepower, the largest factory engine option was the 396 cubic-inch V8 that made 375 horsepower. Technically, some performance dealers installed a 427 cubic-inch V8 after the fact, though. Like nearly every other option on this list, you could buy a Camaro SS with a standard Muncie four-speed manual transmission - otherwise, the three-speed automatic was optional. 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 426 Hemi Top Speed: ~150 mph 1970 Dodge Challenger RT 426 HemiThe Dodge Challenger has a long history of burning rubber, and it started with the first generation in 1970. It launched with an R/T 426 Hemi trim, which came with a 7.0-liter V8 making a claimed 425 horsepower and 490 lb-ft of torque. If that sounds familiar, it's due to the fact that it was built on the same platform as the Plymouth Barracuda, called the F-Body. You might find varying 0-60 mph claims for this car since it could be optioned with different gear ratios. When optioned properly, it could launch to 60 in about 4.7 seconds, then reach around 150 mph at the top end. 1969 Ford Torino Cobra Top Speed: 150 mph 1969 Ford Torino CobraOne of the fastest 60s muscle car models we'll mention today is the '69 Ford Torino Cobra. The Torino Cobra was built for speed; of the three available trims between 1969 and 1970 (the Torino itself was around for longer - just the Cobra variant was available for two years), you could buy one with a 428 cubic-inch V8, or two versions of the 429 cubic-inch engine. The SCJ 429, or "Super Cobra Jet," as it was known, was the top of the top with 375 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque. The Torino was so popular that it even outsold the Mustang for a few model years in the early '70s before being discontinued ever since. 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 Top Speed: 162 mph 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454Possibly one of the biggest and baddest muscle cars of its time that people could actually buy without worrying about super-limited production runs or enormous price tags was the Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454. While there are faster and more powerful models out there, many of them were limited to racing or small production numbers. The 1970 Chevelle Super Sport was a market-ready muscle car like no other. It came with either an LS5 or LS6, but the LS6 was the one to get. It was a 7.4-liter, 450-horsepower monster that ate tires for breakfast. Getting your hands on one today means forking over many hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the car's condition. 1969 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Top Speed: 171 mph 1969 Chevrolet Corvette L88The Chevrolet Corvette L88 was a special-edition model produced from 1967 to 1969 bridging the C2 and C3 generations. Over the course of three model years, just 216 units were produced - only 37 of those were convertible models. If the production numbers alone weren't enough to prove how rare and valuable these cars are today, then it might be a shock that the one pictured sold for $610,000 in 2021 with many more selling for far higher. While there are faster cars yet to come, this Corvette was faster than some Ferrari models at the time. It was designed and primarily sold with racing in mind, so Chevy was fairly reserved. The brand even downplayed the L88's performance to avoid drawing insurance companies' attention. 1970 Plymouth Superbird Top Speed: ~185 to 200 mph 1970 Plymouth SuperbirdAs a third and final entry from Plymouth on this list, the 1970 Superbird was the fastest model the automaker had to offer at the time. This is one of a couple of "Aerobody cars" that dominated NASCAR for some time. It was created with one intention - to win races. Depending on the source, the Superbird's top speed was between 185 and 200 mph - right up there with the Charger Daytona that we'll get to next. Competing drivers were so frustrated when pitted against these cars at the time that NASCAR actually changed the rules of its races in 1971, which limited engine displacement and aerodynamic enhancements. 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona Top Speed: 200 mph 1969 Dodge Charger DaytonaWhile we have an all-electric coupe by the same name today, the original 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona was built as a true racing machine. The Daytona was a limited-run version of the Charger, which only lasted a single model year, so it's safe to say these are rare and expensive today, as well. Just over 500 units were produced to satisfy NASCAR's requirements. Its name was a reference to Daytona Beach, a popular racing hub in Florida where racers would compete for speed records. Buyers could order them with a 7.0-liter engine, as charted above, or a standard 7.2-liter V8 that made 390 horsepower. If it wasn't for one more model from Ford, this would have been the fastest muscle car of the 60s. 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake Top Speed: ~200+ mph 1965 Shelby Cobra 427Not only is this the most powerful muscle car of the 60s we'll talk about today, the '66 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake was both the fastest Ford of its time, and the fastest road-going car on sale. To be entirely fair, Ford never officially provided a top speed figure from the factory, so its 201 mph claim was tested and verified by independent sources. While any Cobra is still cool today, the Super Snake, in particular, is unmatched. It continues to show off with an insane dual-supercharger setup feeding air to the massive 7.0-liter V8. To put into perspective just how crazy this car is, its power-to-weight ratio is better than the Bugatti Veyron, and it pushes all 800 horsepower through a three-speed automatic transmission.Sources: Chevrolet, Dodge, Plymouth, Ford, Buick