The 20 Greatest American Muscle Cars Get Ranked!

6.1965 Shelby GT350R

Price at launch: $4,584 Value today: between $500,000 and $850,000 It might have come from Ford vs. Ferrari. Or perhaps it's the distinction of being the first Mustang to win a significant race. Whatever the situation, there's a strong likelihood that "GT350R" is a name that car aficionados are already familiar with. If it doesn't, though, This is what makes it so fabled.

As engineer Chuck Cantwell put it, "the object of the GT350 program was to beat the Corvettes in SCCA racing," but it ended up accomplishing much more: it radically changed how Americans perceived vehicles, and Mustangs in particular. The fast coupe made Shelby famous at a time when performance was everything.