Most people don’t know the most powerful muscle car in the world in the 90s wasn’t even American

When we think of iconic muscle cars, we think of the Camaro, the Mustang, or the Pontiac GTO – perhaps not the Aston Martin V8 Vantage V600.

However, there’s a very strong argument that it was the most powerful muscle car of the 1990s, and it wasn’t even built in the United States.

Sure, it might not be the first car you think of in that category, but give it a chance.

We’re here to convince you otherwise.

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Aston Martin has always been more James Bond than Carroll Shelby, more suited to British racing green than Mustang race red.

However, despite being made in the sleepy Buckinghamshire town of Newport Pagnell, the 1996 Aston V8 Vantage V600 could hang with anything coming out of the States during those years.

Aston Martin had clear muscle car credentials

We’ll pick up the story in 1987, when Ford Motor Company acquired a decent chunk of the prestigious British brand.

That’s often touted as the start of Aston’s muscle car era, but in reality the company had been churning out amazing V8 GT cars for many years prior to that.

After the Ford acquisition, the 1990s saw Aston take a more traditional route, pairing up rear-wheel drive and a serious amount of engine power.

It’s a winning formula, so why not?

In the late 1980s, the Virage paved the way, but wasn’t a massive success.

Not all fantastic cars are huge successes though, just take the cautionary tales of the Vector W8 or the Cizeta-Moroder V16T built by a team of Lamborghini employees.

At least Aston Martin absorbed the relative failure and survived, unlike EV manufacturer Fisker.

What’s more, the failure focused the company’s mind, and led them to the 1996 V8 Vantage.

A significant upgrade on the Virage, the Vantage first appeared on the scene in 1992, featuring a double-supercharged 5.3-liter V8 engine sticking down 528 horsepower – making it one of the more powerful cars on roads at the time.

The Aston Martin V8 Vantage V600 perfected the art

Following in those footsteps, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage V600 took things to another level.

With an upgraded cooling system and 600 horsepower – hence the V600 moniker – this car was special.

Capable of blowing America’s best out of the water.

It could achieve 60mph in 4.6 seconds, reaching 200mph at the max, dwarfing the Transatlantic competition, and even some supercars of the time such as the Ferrari F50 and the Bugatti EB.

More than that, it all came with Aston’s handmade quality and attention to detail.

Nowadays, there are aren’t many of the special edition cars on the road, but due to mass retrofitting you can still pick up a ‘90s V8 Vantage for a somewhat reasonable price.

You’d be getting a real piece of automotive history, and a fascinating crossover between British elegance and American power.