10 Electric Muscle Cars We Can’t Wait To See In The Future
These are interesting times to live in for car enthusiasts. Those who grew up wishing they could get their hands on old-school American muscle, saw their dreams realized once retro models dropped in the 2000s, leading to a second wave of muscle car wars. If you were lucky enough to get your hands on that old car, perhaps there is nothing better, but now you have the opportunity to buy something modern. All the big three: Ford, Chevrolet, and Dodge, had something to offer. Those old-timers already owning that classic car, could acquire the perfect new school complement to add to the garage.
Today, we see this war culminating in the big supercharged V-8s that the GT500, ZL1, and Hellcat cars feature. Never before has there been such widespread tire-smoking power readily available, all in a modern guise, mixed in with that classic style. However, we are approaching a cease-fire, as the final days of these production cars are coming to a close, all in 2023 or thereafter.
What then does that leave the muscle car war veterans to look forward to? We may always have our old toys, but what about the future in the battle for road supremacy? Granted at this time, there are a couple of expectations, but beyond that, we are left to only wonder. If what we know now is any indication, then surely some creative cars are on the way.
This is a list of upcoming vehicles that have not been completely revealed yet and some muscle cars we’d love to see being electrified. While we make every attempt to verify facts and back up any speculation, the information provided below may not be entirely accurate or may change prior to a vehicle’s release. We will make every effort to update this content with new developments as they arise. All information contained here was obtained from various automakers and authoritative sources, including, Hagerty and MotorTrend.
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Dodge Charger Daytona SRT EV
The First Of Its Kind, In A Familiar Layout
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Revealed some time ago, the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT EV will be the first, and only fully electric muscle car once it hits the streets. Expected to be on sale in 2024, this vehicle will replace the HEMI-powered Challenger and current Charger models. Going back to the classic two-door Charger design of the 1960s and 70s, that’s not all this car will feature.
Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Features
- Old-school Fratzog Logo
- 12.3-inch center touchscreen
- 16-inch digital instrument cluster
- Heads-Up Display
- Panoramic glass roof
- Race-inspired seats
- Attitude Adjustment Lighting (interior)
- 455-590 Horsepower
- 400-800 Volt architecture
- Multi-speed eRupt transmission
- A front R-Wing
- Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust, with up to 126-decibels of sound
For being the first, this car undoubtedly seeks to be the most muscle car it can be, as a full-up electric vehicle. The horsepower figures rival today’s muscle cars on the lower end, and the instant EV torque will make it quick off the line. The coupe style and front wing give it that muscle car look with a twist, while the exhaust and transmission do what they can to simulate that muscle car feel. The range figures are not released yet, but the Large STLA platform it may ride on, offers up to 500 miles. If not impressive, it is ambitious, as it must be if Dodge hopes to win over any old salty vets.
The Chevrolet Camaro
How Will This American Icon Rise Again, Twice?
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General Motors is ceasing the Camaro as we know it, ending production with the current sixth generation, and the 2024 model year. If you didn’t get your order in, or it’s still pending, good luck at this point. Production was cut even sooner than expected. We have a Garage 56 and Panther Collector’s Edition to see the beloved car off.
This isn’t the first time the Camaro has been shut down, as the fourth generation’s 2002 model was the final Camaro, before the vehicle’s resurrection in the fifth gen’s 2010 model year. Though Chevy has said, “this is not the end of the Camaro’s story,” the feeling is that any successor must be an EV.
Peak Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Specifications
(Specs sourced from Chevrolet and Car and Driver)
We can infer EV specifications from what we know of the upcoming Hummer EV, as the Camaro would likely ride on the same Ultium platform from GM. However, keep in mind the Hummer EV costs over six figures, so any Camaro may hit but a fraction of any proposed specifications. This means it would also be cheaper overall, keeping with the bang-for-your-buck notion.
It could become a sub-brand, as the Corvette is rumored to be approaching, but perhaps the most likely situation is as a sedan. This would offset what Dodge is doing with the upcoming Charger Daytona EV, by turning the Charger back into a coupe. All the above could prove exciting and rational prospects for a new Camaro to boost sales. Time will tell how we, as enthusiasts, would accept such a new iteration to an American classic.
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The Ford Mustang
Not The Mustang Mach-E
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It’s difficult for muscle car fans to perhaps embrace an electric future for that type of ride. The big V-8, loud exhaust, and manual transmission, are what the muscle car is all about for many. They wouldn’t have it any other way. As such, it’s no secret that Mustang fans are not accepting of the Mach-E. It doesn’t even look like a Mustang anyway, despite sharing the name. Luckily, the next generation of the pony car is on its way, with the Dark Horse leading the group.
2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse Specifications
(Specs sourced from Ford and Car and Driver)
Given what Dodge and Chevy are doing with their respective cars, Ford will go down as having the first and last muscle car out there. Currently, there is no GT500 or GT350 available new, so the Dark Horse will be the last car to feature traditional muscle car options of a Tremec manual, big V-8, and coupe design.
A new GT350 is unlikely, with only two generations ever, and the latest GT500 is already automatic only. Still, given the current automotive landscape, it doesn’t seem like the ICE Mustang will run forever. Therefore, can Ford give us something like what Dodge and possibly Chevy will produce for an EV future, a car with more muscle than the Mach-E?
The Dodge Challenger
Could This Car Be Brought Back Again?
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It’s crazy to think that a car like the Dodge Challenger, a current platform that has remained essentially unchanged for the better part of a decade and a half, will cease to exist soon. Perhaps this fact, along with the car being killed off before, makes this less surprising.
Of course, this is in terms of new production, as the horsepower kings at Dodge make the transition to EV lineups. With the Charger Daytona EV on the horizon, it’s difficult to see the Challenger return. Then again, both cars existed as coupes back in the day.
Dodge Challenger Super Stock Specifications
(Specs sourced from Dodge and MotorTrend)
Last Call Features
- Classic Colors
- Destroyer Gray
- Plum Crazy
- Sublime
- B5 Blue
- Demon 170 with 1,025 Horsepower
- Black Ghost
- Shakedown Special Edition
- Swinger Special Edition
- Blackout Special Edition
Dodge is doing way more for the Challenger send off than GM is for the Camaro, which makes one think that these limited options will be the last for good. Even the manual transmission has returned as an option on lesser trims, something that the Chevy has always had all the way to the zenith car.
Still, to see a car like the Challenger go, is tough. Whether widebody or narrow, it’s a menace on the streets and drag strip in top form. Competition always breeds performance gains. If the EV Charger becomes a hit, perhaps we’ll see a new Challenger again, but one electrified.
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The Pontiac Firebird
Will A Phoenix Rise Again?
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Okay, we’re not just talking dead cars here anymore, but deceased brands altogether. So this may be a far-fetched proposition, but how many times have we seen a concept Firebird? What about the aftermarket kits that turn a fifth-gen Camaro into a Pontiac equivalent, as the cars shared F-bodies in the past under the GM umbrella? Without a doubt, this is a car people would like to see return, among others that share a similar fate.
1996-2002 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am/Formula WS6 Peak Specs
(Specs sourced from MotorTrend and Kelley Blue Book)
So you could get your hands on a used Firebird, or have a newer one made in the aftermarket. Given the car’s popularity in films like Knight Rider and Smokey and the Bandit, why not? However, since these are the only options, and the Camaro itself is stalling again, an EV candidate may be the best bet for an all-out new Firebird.
The Plymouth Roadrunner
Another Super Bird To Bring Back
Now we’re just getting gratuitous here, talking about driving future Plymouth and Pontiac cars, as if that seems ever to happen. However, a car like the 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner Superbird above, has quite the futuristic looks for the time. This could fit perfectly with a new EV powertrain, if that is something to be accepted in the first place.
1970 Plymouth Roadrunner Superbird Specs And Features
(Specs sourced from Trust Auto)
- Similar to the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona in appearance and performance
- Large rear wing for aerodynamics
- Flat nose with pop-up headlights
- Vents over the front tires
- Only produced for one year
Now the regular Plymouth Roadrunner was produced from 1968 to 1980, and it’s the basis for the NASCAR Superbird, so this car would also be a fine choice. With Fiat Chrysler America around as the parent company, who knows what could happen in the future? Dodge, a former sister company to Plymouth, has shaken things up enough already in the muscle car market by going all in on EVs.
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The Pontiac GTO & Oldsmobile 442
Perhaps With A Name Change?
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The Pontiac GTO and Oldsmobile 442 are two classic muscle cars, with the former being revived for a bit in the 2000s. Two brands once under the GM umbrella, no longer exist. GTO is said to mean “Grand Turismo Omologato,” but unofficially “Gas, Tires, and Oil” has been heard. If that’s the case, a Pontiac GTO wouldn’t work as an EV, missing both gas and oil in that sense.
Pontiac GTO & Oldsmobile 442 Specs
(Specs sourced from Road & Track, MotorTrend, General Motors, and Hagerty)
Pontiac GTO Nicknames
- The Great One
- The GOAT, or Greatest Of All Time
- The Tiger
- The Humbler
- The Judge
Like the GTO, the Oldsmobile 442 had its own meaning, as 4-4-2 meant: four-barrel carb, four-speed transmission, and dual exhaust. This would also make it a tough candidate to become an EV. Nevertheless, it’s a sad day in the futuristic film Demolition Man, when a red 442 is relegated to a museum. Seeing these cars on the road in any fashion could be better than not at all.
The Plymouth Barracuda
There’s A Difference Between Barracuda & ‘Cuda
The Plymouth Barracuda is another one of those cars not seen enough, not unlike a 442 or GTO. Designed in 1964 to take on the Ford Mustang, the ‘Cuda is the sports version of the car, and not just a nickname for the Barracuda. If the Ford Mustang were ever to go electric, apart from the Mach-E, could we see a new challenger? There is a book by Tim Dorsey called Electric Barracuda after all.
1970 ‘Cuda Specs
(Specs sourced from MotorTrend)
In fact, the Barracuda shared its platform with the Challenger in the past. If the latter does not make a return, could it be the former instead, given that icons being brought back is nothing new now? Sometimes the past is better to leave it where it is, but time will tell.
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The Mercury Cougar
Ford’s Response To The 2024 Camaro Panther CE?
Like the 442, Roadrunner, Barracuda, and GTO, we simply don’t see a muscled-up Mercury Cougar often, perhaps even least of all. However, also like Oldsmobile, Plymouth, and Pontiac, Mercury is a dead brand, one that fell under Ford rather than Chrysler or GM. Again, perhaps it’s best to let old dogs lie, but to just see more of these cars on the road would be grand.
1970 Mercury Cougar Peak Specs
(Specs sourced from MotorTrend and Hagerty)
Variations To The Mercury Cougar Body Style
- Two-door coupes
- Convertibles
- Sedans
- Hatchbacks
- Station Wagons
As with the GTO, there was a late 90s to early 2000s version of the Mercury Cougar, but it’s the classic ones that pull the heart strings. Like with all these aforementioned classics, there may never be another newer model again. If internal combustion engines were to go away completely, the only option then, would be a fully electric conversion.
Forget making an all-new EV under the same name, and talk about taboo multiplied! In these volatile automotive times, we must brace ourselves for new possibilities, as unthinkable as they may be. A car that traditionally held different variants in body styles, could fall in line with modern thinking for a new EV model, such as Camaro sub-brand ideas.
The Chevrolet Nova & Chevelle
Two Brothers Often Confused For One Another
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The Chevrolet Chevelle may be the more popular car, with the Nova more attainable, but make no mistake both are awesome. The Nova may even be your next project car. Would that project involve an electric conversion in the future, needed to just run the car? The similar appearance is enough to fool any onlooker with an untrained eye into thinking one is the other, and vice versa.
1970 Chevelle & Nova Specs
(Specs sourced from MotorTrend)
As for the Chevelle, renderings are out there for what a new model could look like. The car being brought back is a question on its own, and if it was, the drivetrain or powertrain is another matter. With what is happening at Dodge and Chevy, would an EV model be made over an ICE car? When something like a muscle car has hard defining characteristics for a long time, it’s difficult to see one as anything else.
One thing that is constant, however, is change. It’ll be up to the automakers to build, and the enthusiasts to accept. We’ve seen the muscle car decline before, to the point where it’s a muscle car in name only, but not performance. In an EV future, the muscle car must adapt, or be left in the dust.
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