America's Most Powerful

Other PlayersOf the 10 most powerful domestic vehicles in '96, only the Chevy/GMC Suburban and Chevrolet Impala SS fail to cross the 300-horsepower landmark. Aside from America's Most Powerful stablemates like the 300-horsepower Cadillac STS and 275-horse SLS, the 285-horsepower Chevrolet Camaro, and the 260-horsepower Buick Roadmaster, the list of wannabe's reveals few real contenders.

The first fire to extinguish is fueled by the exclusion of the Dodge Stealth R/T Turbo. Even though the Stealth has 320 horsepower, it wasn't eligible for our top 10 because it's EPA classified as an import, with only five percent of its content being domestic. The 4.6-liter, V-8-powered Lincoln Continental matched the Chevrolet Impala SS for horsepower, but it couldn't match the LT1's barge-hauling torque, so the 10th slot went to the Impala SS.

Looking down the list of near contenders, Oldsmobile's Aurora narrowly missed the cut with its sophisticated 4.0-liter DOHC V-8 rated at 250 horsepower. And thanks to a supercharged 3800 Series V-6, the Buick Riviera, Buick Park Avenue Ultra, and Pontiac Bonneville climb to 240 horses for the new model year.

The rest of the 200-horsepower-plus field lingered behind, such as Chrysler's two hot-rod trucks, the Dodge Dakota and Jeep Grand Cherokee, both powered by a potent, optional 5.2-liter/220-horsepower V-8. Despite a new Modular V-8 engine in the Ford Mustang GT, the venerable coupe touts the same 215 horsepower as the previous year. By tweaking its 3.4-liter DOHC V-6, GM benefited the Chevrolet Lumina and Monte Carlo, Pontiac Grand Prix, and Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme by bumping output up five notches to 215 horsepower for '96. Chrysler's trio of LH sedans (Chrysler Concord, Dodge Intrepid, and Eagle Vision) are each available with the 3.5-liter/214-horsepower V-6 engine that's standard in the Chrysler LHS and New Yorker.

As the level of automotive performance continues to climb, the battle to be America's Most Powerful will only get tougher.

Ford Mustang CobraMustang engineers, tired of breathing Camaro Z28 exhaust fumes, knew that the 4.6-liter/215-horsepower SOHC V-8 set to replace the OHV 5.0-liter in '96 Mustang GTs wouldn't rid their eyes of red bow ties. So, for 10,000 of its closest friends, Ford is slipping a specially tweaked 4.6-liter 32-valve DOHC V-8 into the Mustang. Differences between it and the Mark VIII LSC engine-a more aggressive intake cam profile and a trick intake manifold for high-end breathing-help it scale a peak of 305 horsepower, making it the most powerful Ford Modular. It's the first Modular V-8 to be mated to a five-speed manual transmission, and the combination blasts to a 5.5-second 0-60-mph clocking. This is a new chapter for the beloved Mustang. Suddenly the car revs like an exotic, and feels ready for Le Mans and Woodward Avenue. Vertical taillamps and a mesh front grille differentiate '96 Mustangs.