Top 10 Fastest Muscle Cars of 1966

Are you looking for a list of the fastest muscle cars of 1966?

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Discover all the juicy details for each of these top-performing 1966 muscle cars including:

• Make
• Model
• Engine
• Torque
• Quarter-mile time
• Miles per hour
• Production numbers

Ready to get started with the fastest muscle cars of 1966?

Here we go:

Top 10 Fastest 1966 Muscle Cars

1966 Oldsmobile 442 W30

The fastest muscle car in 1966 was the Oldsmobile 4-4-2 W30 powered by a 400 CID V8 with 360 horsepower and 444 lb-ft of torque.

In the 8/88 issue of Car Craft magazine, a ’66 4-4-2 W30 ran a 13.80-second quarter-mile time traveling at 105.2 miles per hour.

Oldsmobile produced 21,997 4-4-2 muscle cars in 1966, with a scant 54 being equipped with the top-performing W30 performance package.

1966 Plymouth Satellite Hemi

In second place is the 1966 Plymouth Satellite powered by a 426 Hemi with 425 horsepower and 490 lb-ft of torque.

In the 4/66 issue of Car & Driver magazine, a ’66 Stellite Hemi ran 13.80-seconds in the quarter-mile traveling at 103.8 miles per hour.

Plymouth produced only 817 hardtops and 27 convertible Hemi Satellites in 1966.

1966 Mercury Comet Cyclone GT 390

In third place is the 1966 Mercury Comet Cyclone GT powered by a 390 CID V8 FE Engine with 335 horsepower and 427 lb-ft of torque backed by a 4-speed manual transmission and 4.11 rear gears.

Car & Driver magazine proved that a ’66 Cyclone GT 390 could run a 13.98-second quarter-mile ET at 103.8 miles per hour in its 3/66 issue.

Mercury produced 13,812 GT hardtops and 2,158 GT convertibles in 1966.

1966 Shelby Mustang GT350 289 Paxton Supercharger

In fourth place is the 1966 Shelby Mustang GT350 with a Paxton supercharged 289 CID V8 with 395 horsepower.

The Paxton supercharger added an additional $670 to the price tag and included both manifold pressure and vacuum gauges under the center of the dashboard. If you can believe it, a 460-cfm 4-bbl carburetor lurked under the Paxton Supercharger.

In the 7/66 issue of Car Life magazine, a supercharged ’66 Shelby GT350 ran a 14-second flat ET traveling at 92 miles per hour.

Shelby produced 2,378 GT350s in 1996 with only 11 being equipped with a Paxton Supercharger—making this the rarest of the entire top ten list. They were only available in either white, red, blue, green, or black.

1966 Pontiac GTO 389 Tri-Power

In fifth place is the 1966 Pontiac GTO powered by a 389 CID V8 that is breathed to life by three 2-bbl carburetors backed by a 4-speed manual and 3.55 rear gear. It came stock with 360 horsepower and 424 lb-ft of torque.

In the 3/66 issue of Car & Driver magazine, a ’66 Tri-Power GTO ran a 14.05-second quarter-mile ET at 105.14 miles per hour.

Pontiac produced 96,946 GTOs in 1966 with 19,045 of them being equipped with Tri-Power carburetors.

1966 Ford Fairlane GTA 390

In sixth place is the 1966 Ford Fairlane GTA powered by a 390 CID V8 backed by a 3-speed automatic transmission and 3.89 rear gear.

According to the 3/66 issue of Car & Driver magazine, a ’66 Fairlane GTA was capable of running a 14.26-second quarter-mile ET at 99 miles per hour.

Ford produced 37,232 GT and GTAs in 1966 with 33,015 being hardtops and 4,327 convertibles.

1966 Dodge D/Dart Super Stock 273 Light Weight

In seventh place came the 1966 Dodge D/Dart Super Stock lightweight. It was built exclusively for drag racing and powered by a 273 CID V8 rated at 275 horsepower. Every single unit was equipped with an A-833 4-speed manual with a Hurst shifter and 4.56 rear gears.

In its 8/66 issue of Car Craft magazine, a ’66 D/Dart 273 ran a 14.33-second quarter-mile pass traveling at 94.2 miles per hour.

Dodge only produce 50 D/Dart Super Stocks making them slightly less rare than an Oldsmobile 4-4-2 W30 this year.

1966 Chevrolet Malibu SS 396

Coming in at number eight is the 1966 Malibu SS powered by a 396 CID V8 backed by 4-speed manual transmission with 3.55 rear gears.

According to the 6/66 issue of Popular Hot Rodding magazine, a ’66 SS 396 ran a best of 14.42-seconds in the quarter-mile ET traveling at 100.2 miles per hour.

Chevrolet produced 72,272 Malibu SS models in ’66 with 66,843 of them being hardtops and 5,429 of them being convertibles.

1966 Ford 427 Fairlane

At number nine, is the 1966 Ford 427 Fairlane Factory Light Weight powered by a 427 CID V8 rated at 425 horsepower with 480 lb-ft of torque.

Hot Rod magazine documented in its 7/66 issue that a ’66 427 Fairlane could run a 14.5-second quarter-mile at 102 miles per hour.

Ford only produced 57 427 Fairlanes this year with all 57 being Wimbledon white Fairlane 500 hardtops.

1966 Buick Gran Sport 401

In tenth and final place is the 1966 Buick Gran Sport powered by a 401 CID V8 engine with 340 horsepower and 445 lb-ft of torque backed by a 2 -speed automatic and 3.36 rear gears.

In its 3/66 issue of Car & Driver magazine, a ’66 Gran Sport ran a 14.92-second quarter-mile ET at 95.13 miles per hour.

Buick made 13,816 Gran Sport models this year and breaks down to 1,835 sedans, 9,934 hardtops, and 2,047 convertibles.

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Ryan Wheaton

Ryan has owned muscle cars since 1986 and currently owns a 1972 Dodge Charger Rallye. He combines passion and experience to create engaging content for fellow muscle car enthusiasts. In 2018, he founded Muscle Cars Illustrated, authoring hundreds of articles on tips, history, and trends in the muscle car industry. He attends national car shows, auctions, and museums to stay current with the latest developments in the muscle car industry.

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