The 10 Most Powerful American-Made V8s Ever

America is synonymous with the V8 engine. There have been many iterations and variations of the eight-cylinder V-angled power plant used in countless vehicles. The engine configuration powered the 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88, America’s first muscle car, and in the decades since, has been the core of America’s first supercars and modern-day hypercars.

So, with well over half a century of the eight-cylinder engine platform used by several manufacturers, which all-American V8 engine, both road-going and purely standalone crate engines, is the most powerful?

10 Ford F-150 Raptor R V8

720 hp

Ford’s F-150 Raptor R is the most powerful road-legal rendition of the popular F-150 Raptor pick-up nameplate ever. It is also more powerful than most of Ford’s beloved muscle cars, because, at its core, is the Predator V8, borrowed from the Ford GT500, boasting a few noteworthy upgrades to its components. A new exhaust manifold, increased air intake, and heavy-duty supercharger puller paired with a recalibrated supercharger are the main differences between the Raptor R and the GT500.

9 Chevrolet C7 LT5 V8

755 hp

Although the C8 generation’s ZR1 is lauded as the most powerful iteration ever, the C7 generation’s example of the ZR1 nameplate was, in its time, the most powerful Corvette ever. When released, the C7 Corvette ZR1’s claims as the most powerful Chevy, purposed to strike at established supercar monikers, was backed by the raw power mustered by the Herculean LT5 V8 engine. The intercooler supercharger system is credited with being one of the main contributors to the ZR1’s lofty power output, offering more than half the displacement of the C7 ZO6’s LT4 supercharger. Additionally, the LT5 engine was the first engine by Chevrolet to feature dual-fuel injection, consisting of a primary direct injection system and a secondary port injection system.

8 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

760 hp

The GT500 is considered the pinnacle of performance within the Mustang stables and the Shelby GT500, introduced in 2020, is the epitome of Ford Performance’s rendition of the S550 Mustang generation. Compared to the previous generation Mustang, the Shelby GT500 is in a league of its own with its lesser, the GT350, not even within arms reach. Unlike Chevy’s C7 ZR1, the GT500 has not been surpassed by the likes of the generation that have come after it. Granted, the S650 generation GTD model is a more capable and objectively more performance-focused offering, it’s more like a street-legal GT3 car, whereas the Shelby GT500 was the zenith of the road-going S550 architecture. An intimidating physique shrouds one of Ford’s most potent engines of the last two decades that has allowed the GT500 to serve not only as a quarter-mile drag strip buster but also as a poised track weapon.

In case you’re wondering why the GTD is not on this list, there are two reasons. First, it’s not in production yet, and the 800 hp figure is merely what Ford is aiming for and not the confirmed figure.

7 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR

900 hp

Shortly after the debut of the GT500, Shelby American unveiled the GT500KR. The “KR” suffix stands for “King of the Road”, a moniker that dates back to one of the most powerful Mustangs of the 1960s. The first member of these subspecies of Mustangs debuted in 1968, powered by a Cobra Jet V8 outputting 335 hp and featured modified suspension, a visually distinguished front and rear, and a fiberglass hood. The second iteration of the KR bloodline debuted in 2008 and was characterized by its supercharged V8 producing 540 hp. The third-generation rendition of the GT500KR debuted in 2020, with only 180 examples planned for production. This rendition of the nameplate featured a carbon fiber-laden physique, a powerful V8 engine further enhanced by a 3.8-liter supercharger and an improved suspension system.

6 Czinger 21C

950 hp

The Czinger 21C is one of the most eyebrow-raising vehicles to debut from an American manufacturer in the last two decades. Its sultry frame is the result of the collaborative efforts of human and AI design. Another defining feature of the spaceship-like hypercar is its V8 engine. Czinger bucks the conventional V8 formula of a large displacement engine paired with an equally hulking supercharger system in favor of a twin-turbocharged V8 with a displacement below 3.0 liters.

5 Chevy ZZ632

1,004 hp

Unlike the previous entries in this list, the Chevrolet’s ZZ632 engine is offered exclusively as a crate engine. For the uninitiated, crate engines are typically engines offered as a standalone product by a manufacturer that typically isn’t employed in a vehicle from a factory. The ZZ632 is the largest engine on this list. The large black is a cast iron bowtie paired with aluminum spread-port cylinder heads. Among the laundry list of engine internals includes a forged steel crankshaft, billet steel hydraulic roller-style camshafts, forged aluminum pistons, forged steel H-beam connecting rods, forged aluminum roller-style rocker arms, and a high-flow 4500 throttle body. This big-block V8 is one of the most powerful engines offered by Chevrolet.

4 Chevrolet C8 LT7

1,064 hp

Much like the previous generation ZR1, the C8 generation ZR1 is the most powerful rendition of the Corvette badge ever. Unlike its predecessor, the new ZR1 rendition forgoes supercharging as its main generator of power. Instead, Chevy employs two mono-scroll ball-bearing turbochargers to output more than 200 horsepower than the preceding member. The ZR1’s LT7 is founded on the same architecture as the lower-ranking ZO6’s LT6 V8 engine, borrowing key elements such as its flat-plane crankshaft, 32-valves, and dual-overhead cams. The sum of all its parts, most importantly its power-dense V8, allows it to command hypercar-like performance and power.

3 Saleen S7 LM

1,300 hp

One of the earliest examples of the all-American Supercar, Saleen’s S7, was characterized by its mid-engine twin-turbocharged V8 engine and carbon-fiber chassis. One of the distinguishing marks on the S7’s belt was its victories at revered endurance races such as the 12 Hours of Sebring and, more notably, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Between 2000 and 2010, the S7 would accrue over 100 wins across various racing events. In 2017, a tribute to the S7 model debuted in 2000. This model, dubbed the S7 LM, was limited to a handful of units, each powered by a more potent 7.0-liter V8 and configured to the Le Mans race car specification. Compared to the first model’s engine, the updated variant featured new turbochargers, a carbon fiber plenum, and an aluminum manifold.

2 SSC Tuatara

1,750 hp

The SSC Tuatara is one of the forefront contenders in the race to set the record for the fastest production car. In fact, according to our research, it is the fastest at the moment. SSC North America intends to achieve the record by employing an extremely powerful twin-turbocharged V8 developed in tandem with Nelson Racing. The stunning V8 engine features two 76mm NRE turbochargers and has been tested on the dyno, seemingly capable of a higher power output than the maximum output of the SSC Tuatara.

1 Hennessey Performance Fury

1,817 hp

The phrase “power-crazed” is an extremely apt description for most of the products spawned from Hennessey Performance’s workshop, none more so than the Venom F5 lineage. Hennessey’s own 6.6-liter “Fury” engine is utilized as the main motivator of the automaker’s two-door hypercar. At full tilt, the Fury engine is capable of propelling the Venom F5 Roadster to a top speed of over 300 mph, probably. It’s currently in the process of confirming its top speed, which is claims is 328 mph at the engine’s current power levels.