Top Ten Hip Rides - Muscle - Features

V-8 Muscle

07: Ford Mustang GT

"Mustang" seems to be one of those nameplates that'll move whatever metal it's glued, screwed, or pinned to. Perhaps it's because the original was so good looking (and/or so brilliantly marketed) that practically every single Baby Boomer either owned one, dated someone who owned one, or wished they had.

Maybe some of that dating led to some in-car conceptions, but one way or another, subsequent generations have been equally drawn to the original "pony" car causing the iconic Mustang to become etched on the American psyche more indelibly than the Hula Hoop or Elvis Presley.

If there's a horse galloping from right to left across the grille, fender, or rear fascia, buyers queue up almost reflexively, even when the car devolves into an anemic stretched Pinto. (Okay, maybe Ford's savvy placement of Mustang IIs with TV Angels Farrah Fawcett and Jaclyn Smith had something to do with that heap's sales success.) As if testing the boundaries of America's affinity for the Mustang, Ford forced the trusty steed to soldier on for 15 years atop the same humble, flexy Fox-platform mechanicals, and it still buried the better-performing and arguably more attractive Camaro.

These days, the 'Stang's appeal is enhanced by actual product excellence. Not only is it drop-dead cool looking and available with an ever-widening array of powertrain choices (the basic V-8 GT is a peerless performance bargain), but its live-axle chassis actually handles with reasonable aplomb. It's also comfortable-even in the back seat, if you're under six feet tall-and reasonably practical.

Soon two of the Mustang's original sparring partners will return to the market, and early indications are that they may be superior vehicles, boasting more power, refinement, space, style, etc. How much you wanna bet the original pony still puts 'em all on the trailer, saleswise?

- Frank Markus

08: Toyota Tundra

Sure, you could wait for the coming Chevrolet Camaro, hold off for the new Dodge Challenger, even save up a few more pennies for a Shelby Mustang. Or you could take the money you have right now and buy your own rear-drive, tire-smoking, big V-8, hot rod-all for $25,000. And it can tow a 10,000-pound trailer and carry almost 2000 pounds of your favorite gear.

A new Tundra, with the 271 horsepower, 4.7-liter V-8 and five-speed automatic, a regular cab and short bed, wears a base price of $24,075. But the bigger value and performance deal is with the 5.7-liter V-8 that's rated at 381 horses and 401 pound-feet of torque. This powerplant comes standard with an all-new six-speed transmission-for just $950 more. It gets better EPA fuel-economy ratings than the smaller V-8 (at 16/20 mpg, to the 4.7-liter's 15/18), which is due in large part to the engine's variable valve timing and the transmission's two overdrive ratios.

Let's see, a bigger motor, more horsepower, better fuel economy, and more gears-for less than a grand? Sign me up. Consider that monthly payment the ticket price to a rocket-on-rails roller-coaster ride.

If that still isn't enough power for you, TRD is working on a dealer-installed supercharger option that should give the 5.7-liter V-8 another 30-percent more power.

Simply put, the Tundra regular-cab short-bed 5.7-liter V-8 could become the next F-150 Lightning, Silverado SS, or Dodge Ram SRT-10 competitor-hot rods that have a bed.

You can still tow your buddy's boat to the river, your own camper trailer to that secret mountain campsite, or haul a ton of those building supplies your father-in-law keeps hinting about.

If ever there were a vehicle choice that could satisfy both your inner hot-rodder and your practical side, the Toyota Tundra pickup is it.

-Mark Williams