Top Five All-American Cars

These are American cars built by American companies, and three of the five on our list are still sold in the States.

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oday is Independence Day, and since we're all patriotic Americans for at least one day, we thought it might be fun to look at five of the most "American" cars ever to grace this country's roads.

These are American cars built by American companies, and three of the five on our list are still sold in the States, as well as built here (Ford continues to build the Mustang in Michigan, while Wranglers are assembled in Toledo, Ohio and Corvettes are built in Kentucky.).

Without further ado, here's our All-American automotive team.

1964 Pontiac GTO

1957 Chevy: This iconic car known for its tailfins and available small-block V-8 reeks of Americana. Perhaps one of the most recognizable cars ever built, the '57 Chevy has appeared in all sorts of mass media, and hot rodders love it, too. When Chevy ads urged consumers to see the USA in their Chevrolet, this may have been the car they had in mind.

1953 Chevrolet Corvette: The first Corvette set the stage for American two-seat roadsters. While all Corvette models are distinctly American in nature, thanks to their brutish muscle-car engines, the first one has classic lines that just couldn’t have come from across the pond.

1964 1/2 Ford Mustang: The first Mustang ushered in the pony-car era of long hood/short deck muscular coupes, with Chevy's Camaro and Dodge's Challenger soon to follow. The segment has been almost exclusively American since the Mustang launched (Hyundai has offered the most recent import challenge with its Genesis Coupe), and the Mustang (along with the reborn Camaro and Dodge Challenger) remains an icon.

1964 Pontiac GTO: Forget the Aussie-influenced 2004-2006 Pontiac GTO. The original was one of the first true muscle cars. Muscle cars were as American as they get—loud, crude, and brash. Sure, European sportsters could handle better, but American hot-rodders wanted cars that ran fast in a straight line. After all, how else would they be able to race for pinks?

Jeep Wrangler: The Jeep makes this list because it's a descendant of the original World War II-era Willys MB, which was one of the Allies biggest technological allies during the war. Sure, the current Wrangler didn't exist until 1987, but it can trace its lineage to the MB through the CJ that came before it. And while it's been thoroughly modernized, the basic concept remains the same.