Experts Name the Two Most Powerful Production Sports Cars in the U.S.

American sports cars continue to impress with their horsepower, speed and engineering. Experts compiled a list of the 10 most powerful production cars built by American automakers. The ranking includes only models produced by official manufacturers and excludes heavily modified cars, such as the 1,700-hp Dodge Challenger SRT Demon modified by Hennessey Performance.

At the top of the list is the Hennessey Venom F5.

The hypercar is powered by a twin-turbocharged 6.6-liter V8 producing 1,817 horsepower and paired with a seven-speed transmission. The Venom F5 can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in less than three seconds, while its claimed top speed reaches 311 mph. That makes it one of the most powerful internal-combustion production cars ever built.

In second place is the SSC Tuatara, which uses a 5.9-liter V8 producing 1,750 horsepower.

The supercar can reportedly reach 60 mph in just 2.5 seconds, while its claimed top speed exceeds 300 mph.

The SSC Tuatara's appeal isn't limited to its enormous power output. Its lightweight construction also plays a major role in its performance. The car weighs less than a Subaru BRZ, despite packing more than 1,700 horsepower.

The figures underline just how far American performance-car engineering has come. Today's low-volume hypercars combine enormous power with lightweight construction and advanced aerodynamics, creating levels of performance that would have seemed unimaginable just a few decades ago.