Mustang, Camaro, Challenger, Corvette - American sports cars are very popular and customers often ask about them. We present the most popular models, their engines and versions, and what to look out for before you start bidding.
Why it's worth buying a sports car in the USA
- A choice of versions and years - hundreds of sports cars appear at American auctions every day, from base versions to the most powerful variants, which are almost non-existent in Europe.
- A lower price - for the same money you can buy a car that's newer, more powerful or in a better version than in Poland.
- Cars with light damage - sports cars often end up at insurance auctions after minor collisions. Repairs in Poland are often much cheaper than in the USA, as we explain in Salvage title - what does it mean and is such a car worth buying?
- Easy parts - the Mustang, Camaro and Challenger were built in hundreds of thousands, so parts are easy to find and inexpensive.
Power figures are given in American horsepower (hp).
Ford Mustang
The most popular American sports car. Of the classic trio of Mustang, Camaro and Challenger, only the Mustang is still in production, still with a V8 as well.
- S550 generation (2015-2023) - the most cars at auctions. Engines: 2.3 EcoBoost, the 3.7 V6 until 2017, and the 5.0 V8 in the GT. The most powerful variants are the Shelby GT350 and GT500.
- S650 generation (from 2024) - the 2.3 EcoBoost with 315 hp, the GT with a 5.0 V8 and 480 hp, and the track-focused Dark Horse with 500 hp.
You can also buy a Mustang from European dealers, but the choice of versions, colours and years in the USA is incomparably bigger.
Chevrolet Camaro
The sixth-generation Camaro was built from model year 2016 to 2024. At auctions you'll find four main versions:
- 2.0 turbo - a four-cylinder engine, available up to model year 2023,
- 3.6 V6 - 335 hp,
- SS - a naturally aspirated 6.2 V8 with 455 hp,
- ZL1 - a supercharged 6.2 V8 with 650 hp.
Chevrolet ended Camaro production in early 2024, and there's no successor for now. Good examples from the last years are starting to be sought after.
Dodge Challenger and Charger
The Challenger is a big two-door coupé in 1970s style, and the Charger is its four-door sibling. Both have the same engines:
- 3.6 V6 - about 300 hp,
- 5.7 HEMI V8 - in the R/T,
- 6.4 HEMI V8 - in the Scat Pack and SRT 392, 485 hp,
- supercharged 6.2 V8 - in the SRT Hellcat versions, over 700 hp.
The last Challenger rolled off the production line on 22 December 2023. The new Charger, built since 2024, is electric or has a twin-turbo inline six - there's no V8 any more. That's why the Challenger and Charger up to model year 2023 are Dodge's last coupés and saloons with a V8. The Charger has five seats and a big boot, so it's the most family-friendly car on this list.
Chevrolet Corvette
The Corvette is the American sports car in its purest form: two seats and a focus on handling, not just acceleration.
- C7 (2014-2019) - front-engined, with a 6.2 V8 and 455 hp in the Stingray. Today it's a sensible way to get a Corvette at a good price.
- C8 (from 2020) - the first production Corvette with a mid-mounted engine behind the cabin. The Stingray has a 6.2 V8 with about 490 hp, the Z06 a naturally aspirated 5.5 V8 with 670 hp, and the E-Ray is an all-wheel-drive hybrid.
Muscle car or sports car?
The Mustang, Camaro and Challenger are often called muscle cars, although strictly speaking the Mustang and Camaro are pony cars and the Corvette is a classic sports car. We explain the difference in Muscle car - what does it mean and how to import one from the USA?
Excise duty and engine size
Almost all the cars on this list have an engine over 2000 cm³, so the excise duty is 18.6%. This also applies to the Mustang 2.3 EcoBoost - it has only four cylinders, but a capacity over 2 litres. The exception is the Camaro 2.0 turbo: an engine up to 2000 cm³ means 3.1% excise duty. We list all the costs on the USA car import costs page.
Before you choose a version, work out the full delivered cost for two variants, such as a Mustang EcoBoost and a GT. The difference in purchase price is often smaller than it seems, and duty, VAT and excise duty are all calculated from the car's price.
What to watch out for when buying
- Modified cars - sports cars often have a changed engine map, exhaust or suspension. You don't know how they were driven, so we assess such cars especially carefully.
- Front-end damage and airbags - with cars after a collision, we check whether the damage reaches structural parts and whether the airbags have deployed.
- Rear-wheel drive and lots of power - a Polish winter calls for good winter tyres and some experience.
- Lights - in many cars from the USA the rear indicators are red and there's no rear fog light. They have to be adapted to European rules, as we describe in Registering a car from the USA in Poland step by step.
Before the auction, we check every car's history in a Carfax or AutoCheck report, and if the car isn't worth buying, we tell you straight.
Find your sports car
See current auctions for Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge in our catalogue. Choose a car and send us the LOT number or VIN through the Contact page - before the auction, we'll work out the full delivered cost for free.
