2025 Corvette Stingray | 490 HP 
For decades, going all the way back to Zora Arkus-Duntov’s involvement, we’ve had to recount the forlorn hope of the Y-platform’s engineers that a mid-engine Corvette would eventually become one of the most powerful muscle cars. If you can forgive its origami-on-acid styling, the base 2025 Corvette Stingray has some impressive stats: a 6.2-liter V-8 with 490 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque, a 0–60 acceleration time of around 3 seconds, and a base price of around $68,300, making it one of the best deals in V-8 muscle cars. HOT ROD editor John McGann proclaimed it the best hot rod he’s ever driven, and that makes sense, considering it exceeds anything from the classic muscle car era and at a price a lot of guys and gals can still afford.  

Base price: $68,300 
Power output: 490 hp