Writing on American supercar brands is an interesting topic, and it holds a lot of history and identity for the American people.
In the 21st century, hypercars have replaced supercars as the highest performing vehicles. Car manufacturers often offer supercars as their flagship vehicles, which incorporate the latest driving technology and advanced features into these cars.
Americans have always loved power. Drag racing is a popular sport in America, and they love the speed, sound, and thrill these fast cars offer. American supercar brands are among the most respected brands in the world.
Supercars borrow a lot of features from motorsports and even formula one racing. These racing technologies have allowed supercars to attain speeds that were beforehand exclusive to racing cars.
I believe it is the dream of every racing enthusiast to own a supercar. If you ask a kid today about supercars, Ferrari or Lamborghini is probably the first thing that comes to mind, and these cars have speed and luxury.
In the 1960s, Americans referred to their muscle cars as supercars, and this was because of their muscular and aggressive shape with loud-sounding engines. In the mid-1960s, supercar became an industry trend worldwide.
The May edition of the 1965 issue of the American magazine Car Life contains numerous references to supercars.
Today, supercars refer to high-performance vehicles that often have limited production. Small companies dominate the production of supercars, and however, large companies like Ford Motor Company have proven worthy competitors.
Characteristics of American Supercars
American supercar brands incorporate the same characteristics as every other supercar manufacturer into their vehicles. Supercars have high-performance engines crafted to maximize their aerodynamic characteristics.
The most common characteristics of supercars are performance technology, design, and price. Supercars often come with the most innovative technology, and they have the tech yet to be seen in the automobile industry.
Common American supercar brands include the Ford GT, Ford Mustang, and Chevrolet Camaro.
Supercar designers design with aesthetics and functionality in mind. Creative exterior design reduces drag and increases speed. The chassis ensures maximum handling as the driver skids through a tract or drifts through a bend.
Technologies included in supercars improve handling. Drivers need to feel the power and control over the car.
Let us look at some of the few characteristics American supercar brands and other global brands incorporate into their vehicles.
Appearance
This is one of the essential characteristics of a supercar. The appearance has to be iconic and rare. People don’t want to pay massive amounts of money for something seen anywhere, and they want exclusivity.
Some of the world’s most expensive supercars come in robust and gorgeous designs. They command attention wherever they go.
Americans love attention, and they want everything to be perfect, even down to the paint job. Supercars have evolved to become beasts of motion and delicate pieces of art and sculpture.
Despite other requirements expected of a supercar, breathtaking and eye-catching design is one of the most fundamental characteristics of a supercar. It draws the attention of everyone, and I can tell that your mouth was left wide open when a Ford GT drove past you.
Build Quality
The build quality of supercars is premium. Remember when you first saw the Chevrolet Camaro? How did you feel?. The materials used were of superb quality. Even the paint job was so good, and you could hardly make out any dents.
Supercars are fast-driving cars, and the quality of materials used needs to be good enough to contain the insane speeds these cars move with. The engine material uses premium metal, and the chassis is made of solid yet lightweight materials.
The last thing you want is for your car to fall apart while you dare the speed limits on a race track. You can’t pay that amount for a supercar, and this happens. Elite people in society drive supercars.
The build quality must be premium to maintain luxury and safety at high speeds.
Handling
This is a vital part of any supercar. American supercars have rough handling compared to other global brands, and the raw power demands basic skills.
American supercar brands have to integrate every element to work harmoniously. Gripping the steering wheel should give the driver complete control of how the car moves and swerves, and poor handling could be a recipe for accidents.
Acceleration
If there is one thing American supercar brands have nailed, it is acceleration. Their long years of consistent drag racing have placed acceleration at the top of their design requirements. The modern supercar needs to gain speed in the shortest possible time.
In racing, acceleration is vital to victory. Acceleration is how you give clearance to your opponents. Also, you overtake opponents through acceleration. This is where the genuine fun of driving a supercar comes—the sheer ability to attain staggering speeds in a short time.
Best American Supercar Brands
Below, we will discuss some of America’s best and iconic supercar brands.
1. Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company has been in America for ages. This is a company that revolutionized mass production. Ford is more popular with its trucks and large Sports utility vehicles. However, they brought their success in the race tracks into developing a supercar that blends it all.
Ford Motor Company is the second-largest automaker in the united states of America behind General Motors. Based on vehicle production in 2015, Ford ranked fifth most prominent in the world behind Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai, and General Motors.
Ford became a public company in 1956. But the Ford family still retained 40 percent voting rights through special class B shares. There is a part of Ford history you might not know, and Ford wasn’t always the giant we know them to be today.
At the beginning of the 21st century, Ford almost went bankrupt. Former president George Bush prevented this by announcing an emergency financial rescue plan to aid Ford Motors, Chrysler LLC, and General Motors.
The financial aid saw a release of $13.4 billion to Ford Motors. With this money, Ford returned to profit-making ways bringing it to number eleven in the 2018 Fortune 500 list, and that was an impressive record for a company that was almost bankrupt.
In 2017, Ford pulled in $156.7 billion in global revenues. By 2008, Ford had produced 5.532 million vehicles and had a staff strength of 213,000 worldwide in its 90 plants and facilities.
Ford GT
The Ford GT is well known among American supercar brands. This supercar began as a concept car designed to celebrate Ford’s 100 years in production, and it was part of Ford’s attempt to revive its Mustang and Thunderbird brands.
Ford introduced the GT40 concept car in the 2002 North American International Auto Show. The chief designer of the GT40 was Camilo Pardo, the head of Ford’s Living Legends studio, and he worked with J Mays.
Ford GT was developed by some of the best designers in the industry. This included Carroll Shelby, the original designer of the popular Shelby GT 500. The project named Petunia had the performance testing of the prototype.
The Ford GT shares many visual similarities with the original GT40. But, it is bigger, more expansive, and about 4 inches taller than the original GT40. Despite the visual similarities, they share no structural similarities.
Components of the Ford GT
The Ford GT debuted with many unique technologies, which placed the GT among the best American supercar brands.
Other unique features of the GT include; roll-bonded floor panels a center console made out of magnesium to cover the friction stir-welded center tunnel. An extra feature is an aluminum engine cover with a one-piece inner panel made of carbon fiber.
The brakes had four pistons with aluminum Brembo calipers and cross-drilled/vented rotors at all four corners. The rear suspension and engine are visible during the opening of the rear canopy.
The Ford GT comes fitted with a 5.4-liter longitudinal rear-mounted modular V8 engine. The engine, made entirely of aluminum alloy, has an Eaton 2300 Lysholm screw-type supercharger attached.
As an American, I know you will appreciate what I’m about to say. Let’s talk a bit about the engine. The forged rotating assembly is housed in an aluminum block designed specifically for the GT. The machine comes with a dry-sump oiling system that allows it to sit low in the car’s frame.
The camshafts are unique, with more lift and duration than those fitted in the Shelby GT500. The engine produces 550 hp with 500 Ib-ft of torque at 6,500 pm. It is mated to a Ricardo 6-speed manual transmission with a helical limited-slip differential.
Ford GT recorded an acceleration from 0-60 miles per hour in 3.3 seconds in January 2004.
2. Dodge
Dodge is an American muscle car that has risen to prominence among American supercar brands. The American brand is based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and it is a division of Stellantis that has produced performance cars throughout its history.
Through the 1070s, Dodge focused mainly on trucks and full-size passenger cars. However, it also built compact vehicles such as the 1963 – 73 Dart and the B-Body Coronet and Charger from 1956.
Dodge SRT Challenger Super Stock
The Dodge SRT challenger comes in a widebody with tires as fat as those on the Dodge demon. However, there are some critical differences from the Dodge demon. The SRT super stock comes with a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine.
The engine of the SRT challenger makes 807 horsepower, ten horsepower more than the engine of the Challenger Hellcat Redeye. The engine produces 707 Ib-ft of torque. A revised powertrain calibration of the redline increased the rpm from 6300 to 6400.
The SRT super stock seats firmly between the Redeye and the out-of-production Dodge Demon. This is why the SRT Challenger’s engine has one horsepower less than the Demon that produced 808 horsepower.
The SRT challenger not only packs engine power but other features as well. The car comes with lightweight 18 wheels under the widebody fender flares, and the wheels are wrapped in 315-section width Nitto NT05R drag tires used on the Demon.
The tires are very grippy on the road. The suspension tuning includes the Bilstein adaptive dampers, which allow the Super Stock to hit 60 miles per second. This tenth of a second less than its sibling comes with 797 horsepower.
Tuning of the Dodge SRT Challenger
Unlike other American supercar brands, the front suspension is tuned for firm compression and a soft rebound. The rear suspension remains firm for both compression and rebound. This allows the SRT challenger to transfer as much load as possible to the rear. The suspension is insane.
This insane tuning will operate as long as the car maintains a wide-open throttle. Reducing the throttle reverts the vehicle to the standard settings that prioritize handling to power. Other features include the power chiller from the Dodge Demon and the Redeye.
The launch control assists from the Dodge Demon are also included in the SRT challenger to spice things up. This launch control recognizes wheel slip and can reduce the torque without completely bogging down the engine, which helps lower acceleration times.
3. Draco Motors
Now, let us deviate a little bit from the roaring V8s and turbocharged engines. We have always thought of supercars as loud cars, and Supercar manufacturers invest a lot into making their cars sound nice.
A few companies proved that supercars don’t have to come with internal suspension engines, and Tesla is one company that has produced unique sports cars using electric power only. Now, let me ask you, will you rather have an electric supercar?
Drake Motors, Inc is an American luxury sports car manufacturer based in San Jose, California. It is the manufacturer of the Drako GTE, and the Drako GTE is an electric supercar that comes with some extras.
Drako GTE
Draco Motors announced the production of the Drako GTE at the Quail Motorsport in 2019. The Drako GTE comes as an all-electric full-sized four-door supercar, and it uses quad motors and can seat four passengers.
Draco Motors claims the GTE can go from zero to 60 miles per hour in less than 3 seconds with a top speed of 206 miles per hour. For an electric car, those numbers are crazy, and electric vehicles do not have some of the lag experienced by internal combustion engines.
Draco Motors is one of the American supercar brands shaking things off. The price of the Drako GTE is $1.2 million with a limited production of 25 vehicles.
Components of the Draco GTE
Draco Motors showed no signs of slowing down as they announced the Drako Dragon in 2021. The Dragon would increase torque, upgraded inverters, and new battery cell technology, and it will also have a further cooling and suspension system.
The GTE is a supercar based on the Karma Revero GT model, a variant of the Fisker Karma. The oblong bonnet, massive wheel arches, and short rear overhang are adopted from the Karma Revero GT.
The air intake located at the front apron has the shape of a rounded hexagon, and the headlights have an aggressive style. The GTE comes with a unique design, and it was a challenge to incorporate supercar qualities into an electric car.
The drive system of the GTE includes four electric motors. Each of the electric motors has a power of 302 horsepower. This makes the GTE have a total of 1200 Horsepower and a maximum torque of 8,800 Nm. These numbers blow a lot of other supercar brands away.
The Drako GTE can attain a maximum speed of 206 miles per hour. The main concern of electric vehicles is how far they can go without running down, and the Drako GTE can reach 250 miles before it runs out of juice.
Draco Motors have done something remarkable, and we are eager to see what they offer next in the electric supercar segment.
4. Chevrolet Corvette
Previously known as the Chevrolet Division of General Motors Company, Chevrolet is a mainstream American car manufacturer and a division of General Motors.
The Chevrolet company was started on November 3, 1911, as the Chevrolet Motor Car company by Louis Chevrolet and former founder of General Motors, William C. Durant. With Chevrolet, Durant acquired a controlling stake in General Motors.
A reverse merger occurred on May 2, 1918, and this move placed Durant back as the president of General Motors. A year after, Chevrolet removed Durant, and Alfred Sloan pushed the Chevrolet brand to become the volume sales leader of General Motors.
In 1919, they sold mainstream vehicles that competed with Henry Ford’s Model T. They eventually overtook Ford as the best-selling car in the United States in 1929. Chevrolet sells a wide range of vehicles, including subcompact cars in North America.
The Chevrolet Corvette is a two-door passenger luxury sports car manufactured and sold by Chevrolet. It is an iconic member of American supercar brands that have been in production for more than 60 years and has seen eight design generations.
The Corvette had a front engine from 1953 to 2019, and Chevrolet opted for the mid-engine during the 2020 design iteration. The generations of the Corvette range from C1 to C8. It is exceptional in performance and boasts of plastic bodywork that is either fiberglass or composite.
In 1953, Myron Scott, an assistant director of the Public Relations department, suggested that the company’s new sports car be named after the small, maneuverable warship. The convertible model was introduced at the GM Motorama as a concept vehicle in the same year.
Evolution of the Corvette
Production and sales of the first model began in late 1953, and the second generation came as both coupe and convertible in 1963. The Corvette manufacturing took place in Flint, Michigan, and St. Louis, Missouri.
Today, Bowling Green plays host to the production of the Corvette. This is where the National Corvette Museum is located, and it contains several iterations of the iconic car, and Corvette even has its museum.
The Corvette has become widely known as a member of the American supercar brands. The Corvette became synonymous with freedom and adventure. Automotive News wrote this after the early 1960s Show Route 66 featured the car.
The Corvette has evolved to become the most successful car in history and the most popular sports car. Corvette introduced the coupe and convertible variants of the base model Stingray in 2020 within three months.
The coupe was launched in three colors, white, red, and blue. The convertible was launched on October 2 at the Kennedy Space center alongside the C8.R, which proceeded to partake in the 2020 Daytona 24 hours.
The 8th generation Corvette, C8, is the first Corvette to come with a rear mid-engine layout. GM’s second rear mid-engine vehicle production car since the Pontiac Fiero, produced in 1984.
The Corvette C8 has a 6.2-liter V8 naturally-aspirated engine called the LT2. This engine produces 495 horsepower and 470 Ib-ft of torque and has the Z51 performance package.
In January 2020, the Corvette C8 became the most expensive charity vehicle sold. The C8 was sold for $3 million, and the money derived was given to the Detroit Children’s Fund. This is one American supercar brand that has given back to society.
5. SSC North America
The SCC North America is an American Supercar brand founded in 1998 by Jerod Shelby, and it was formerly known as Shelby SuperCars Inc. The company’s headquarters is in Richland, in the Tri-Cities Washington. Jerod Shelby is not related to car designer Carroll Shelby.
The first car produced by SSC happens to be the SSC Ultimate Aero, released in 2004. The Ultimate Aero is a sports car with a mid-engine layout, and the engine is a 6.35-liter twin-turbo pushrod V8 engine that produced 1,287 bhp.
On September 13, 2007, the Ultimate Aero won the Guinness World Record for the fastest production car, and it attained a maximum speed of 256 miles per hour. Three years later, it lost the title to the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, which achieved a top speed of 267.9 miles per hour.
The Ultimate Aero was a titan among American supercar brands that sadly ended production in 2015. SSC later developed the SSC Tuatara that broke the world speed record after hitting an average of 316.11 miles per hour on a closed public road in the city of Nevada.
The top speed of the Tuatara is yet to be verified. The Tuatara has a twin-turbo V8 engine, custom produced by Nelson Racing Engines, and the engine comes with a robotized 7-speed transmission.
The engine of the Tuatara is capable of generating 1,750 horsepower. The Tuatara became the successor to the Ultimate Aero, and it is a combined effort of SSC and Jason Castriota.
The initial 6.9-liter twin-turbo V8 engine in the Tuatara was reduced to 5.9-liter to allow the engine to rev at a higher rpm of 8,800. SSC released two power ratings of 1,350 hp and 1,750 horsepower on E85 fuel. The Tuatara’s current price is $1.6 million.
6. Hennessey Venom F5
The Hennessey Venom F5 is a supercar developed and manufactured by one of the American supercar brands, Hennessey Special Vehicles. The company was established in 2017 and referred to as Hennessey Performance Engineering.
Hennessey Performance Engineering by John Hennessey in 1991 was an American tuning company specializing in the modification of sports cars from several brands, including Porsche, Ferrari, McLaren, etc.
Hennessey’s main facility is located in Sealy, Texas. Delta Motorsport of Silverstone, England, was contacted to develop the Venom F5. The supercar is the first proprietary vehicle produced by Hennessey.
Hennessey aims to achieve top speeds higher than 300 miles per hour to become the world’s fastest production car award holder. The Venom F5 has a bespoke iron block engine that produces 1,817 horsepower and 1,193 Ib-ft of torque.
Hennessey claims the Venom F5 can reach a top speed of 301 miles per hour through a V-MAX speed tracking system.
Conclusion
American supercar brands have produced some of the industry’s greatest and most iconic vehicles. The Chevrolet Corvette is a well-known car, and genuine American brands make legendary vehicles like the Mustang and the Camaro.
American supercars pack raw power and energy. Most of these cars can easily be modified to attain higher speeds and performance on and off track, and there are affordable ones for those earning six figures.
There are other American supercar brands such as the Saleen S7 Lm, Dodge Viper, and the Scuderia Cameron SCG 004CS. American supercars have internal combustion engines and electric motors, a step towards a greener future.
Are you comfortable with the absence of roaring engines in electric supercars? Please comment below and share this article with your friends.
