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What makes a quality American muscle car today? How about an affordable classic muscle car which keeps on giving you goosebumps?

The car world is dominated by German and Japanese made cars. That’s not a bad thing, but real American engines are still around. You just have to look for them.

There are some powerful and affordable American cars out there, especially modern American muscle cars. But what makes these American muscle cars 1) affordable for the guy with a mortgage and 2) is loud and scary fast too?

First, some history on the modern muscle car, as that will lead us to the best in American muscle cars. An American muscle car of quality should have some “amp” to it, be loud like the corvette and fast, going from 0-60 in no time.

Originally, the vintage cars we now call muscle cars were just V-8 engines with a paint job. You put a big engine in a small car. The movement for classic muscle cars drew definite interest from car makers, and we’ve seen new lines rise, fall, and rise again (like the Pontiac GTO).

The Cadillac CTS-V is a highly rated modern American muscle car, as are the Chryster 300 Hemi and the Pontiac GTO. Many consider the Pontiac GTO to be the first muscle car, and therefore the first American muscle car. It’s an interesting story; a designer wanted to drive something home from work in something faster; he thought of putting a bigger engine in a car. And we have our classic muscle car.

In terms of the very best modern American muscle car, there are still some options if you want to race a bit over the speed limit. But the three most important American muscle cars may have just been mentioned, especially the CTS-V for current, and the GTO for its legendary history.

The Chrysler 300 Hemi is a horsepower machine made from the old school with its big grille, but the engine and price are the real stories for this baby. She clocks in around 5 to 5.5 in 0-60 with her 340+ horsepower, and is one of the more affordable American modern muscle cars available, starting at about $23,000.

Next on the list is the most expensive, the Cadillac CTS-V. The pros here are the incredible power. It’s got a supercharged 6.2 V8 engine, with horsepower numbers pushing 550, and you can go 0-60 in 4.3. The only clear con to this modern American muscle car is the price; since this line is still out, you pay about $60,000.

Finally, we have the Pontiac GTO, the car that started it all. The story behind this classic is interesting. A car designer, sick of driving boring vehicles from work to home, put a big engine into one of his smaller cars. And the muscle car was created. Throughout its history, the Pontiac GTO has been top 5 in American muscles cars; the modern Pontiac GTOs are no exception. It actually has some non-American flavor to it, but an American engine with 400 and up horsepower. The GTO does have a shaky production run started and stopped over the years, but the price is right here, with most used models being sold for fractions of the stated value.

The best modern American muscle car is? It’s a tough call. For history, the GTO might get it. For sheer power, the winner is the Cadillac CTS. For a combination of price and power, you’ve got the Chrysler 300 Hemi. It’s almost a draw. For modern muscle cars, even with the high price tag, the Cadillac CTS-V is a winner.

Modern American muscle carshave always interested Mike Stone, a former auto journalist who likes to lend is ideas and automotive thoughts for Streetside Auto.com.