Detroit's Big Three – Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis – are probably the most recognizable car makers in America. But dig a little deeper and you'll find that the big names of Detroit aren't the only ones designing and selling cars in the good ol' U.S. of A.
This Fourth of July we're celebrating the small manufacturers, those companies that call the furthest corners of the US home. Some of them have been around for decades while others are relative newcomers to the space. The variety ranges from high-horsepower muscle cars to electric SUVs to military-grade vehicles, with many others in between.
Don't expect to see most of these at your local cars and coffee, especially considering some of them have since been discontinued. But if you do manage to capture of glimpse of something on this list in the wild, just know that you are one of a lucky few.
Anteros
American muscle meets European style in this obscure California-built sports car. The Anteros uses the bones of a C6 Corvette but features a full carbon fiber body with custom styling, a full leather interior, and a range of performance options. With a twin-turbocharged LS3 engine, the Anteros has up to 600 horsepower. The first coachbuilt coupe rolled off the production line in 2009 and costs $149,500.
Drakan Spyder
The Drakan Spyder came out of nowhere in 2016 to rival other open-top sports cars like the Ariel Atom and Bac Mono. Designed, engineered, and built in California, the two-seater made its claim to fame as a feature on Jay Leno's Garage.
Tipping the scales at just 2,000 pounds, the Drakan Spyder is powered by an LS3 V8 delivering 450 horsepower, which gives it the ability to sprint to 60 miles per hour in just 3.2 seconds and continue on to a top speed of 165 mph. Interested customers can pick up a rolling chassis for $100,000 or a complete turn-key car for a cool $125,000.
Equus Bass 770
What do you get when you take all the best aspects of American muscle and combine them into one single package? According to Detroit-based shop Equus, you get the Bass 770. Introduced in 2015, the raucous coupe is powered by a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 producing 640 horsepower, with a look inspired by classic Mustangs and Chargers. The Bass 770 starts at $250,000 – but if you want something even more powerful, the shop also offers a modded Corvette dubbed the Throwback.
Equus Throwback
While the Bass 770 is the perfect culmination of American muscle, the brand’s second vehicle – dubbed the Throwback – blends modern and classic muscle car cues in a seamless, sports car package. As you might have noticed, the Throwback is a C7 Corvette-based build. But with an optional 1,000-horsepower engine, it can sprint to 60 miles per hour in 2.5 seconds and continue on to a blistering top speed of 220 mph.
Equus 4x4 E-Concept
Alongside the Bass 770, Equus also has a 4x4 E-Concept that – for now at least – is still a rendering. But the company promises a stylish, retro EV with five different battery packs to choose from, ranging from 105.0 to 190.0 kilowatt-hours, with anywhere between 250 and 400+ miles of range.
Falcon F7
Built out of carbon fiber and kevlar and capable of producing more than 1,000 horsepower, the Falcon F7 is the fastest car you’ve probably never heard of. The Holly, Michigan-based company was founded in 2009 and unveiled its first production F7 in 2010 at the Detroit Auto Show.
Powered by a twin-turbocharged Lingenfelter V8, the most recent F7 delivers a whopping 1,100 hp and tips the scales at just 2,785 pounds, which means it can sprint to 60 miles per hour in just 2.7 seconds and on to a top speed of more than 200 mph. Depending on the trim, the Falcon F7 ranges anywhere in price from $195,000 to $395,000.
Lucra LC470
The Lucra LC470 is hard to ignore – just look at it. Classic lines combined with modern performance, and your choice of an LS3 or LS7 V8 engine make this one alluring open-top sports car. The latter engine option is good for 505 horsepower while the former is slightly less powerful with 430 hp. Both engines come paired to a five-speed manual transmission, and each car is hand built in San Marcos, California.
Mosler Consulier GTP
Mosler was founded in Riviera Beach, Florida in 1985 under the name Consulier Industries. The company built the wild-looking GTP sports car with a Chrysler turbocharged 2.4-liter engine under the hood giving it just 175 hp. It wasn’t exactly spritely at launch, but a more powerful Turbo II arrived later with 190 hp.
After a rebrand to Mosler in 1993, the company also updated the GTP, giving it 300 hp and letting it loose at the Longest Day Of Nelson 24-hour race in Northeast Ohio – which it won in 1993 and 1994. A more powerful Consulier Raptor debuted in 1999 with 446 hp, but production ended and the company folded shortly thereafter in 2000.
Panoz Avezzano
Panoz may be famous for its race cars, but the Braselton, Georgia-based shop also produces a series of road cars that are surprisingly well-equipped. One of eight road-going sports cars the company currently lists on its website, the recently updated Avezzano, uses a lightweight aluminum and carbon fiber body atop an aluminum tubular steel frame chassis.
The Avezzano has a hearty 6.2-liter V8 under the hood delivering 430 horsepower. Buyers can also opt for a more powerful 580-hp version, with either paired to a close-ratio six-speed manual transmission. The Avezzano starts at $168,900.
Panoz Esperante GTR-1
When Panoz says the Esperante GTR-1 is "a race car in street-legal trim," the company isn’t kidding. The race-inspired GTR-1 produces 600 horsepower thanks to an aluminum block V8. Its carbon-fiber monocoque composite chassis keeps things light, and its minimalistic, driver-centric cabin allows for the ultimate focus on the road or the track.
The Fastest And Most Expensive Cars In The World:
Rezvani Beast Alpha
The military-inspired Tank SUV (which you’ll see in a minute) is Rezvani’s claim to fame – but did you know the California company also builds a hard-top sports car dubbed the Beast Alpha? This is a sleek, sharp-edged supercar with tons of power. With a base 400-horsepower engine, the Beast Alpha can hit 60 miles per hour in just 3.5 seconds. But in the 700-hp Blackbird trim, the Beast Alpha hits 60 in a blistering 2.9 seconds.
Rezvani Tank
It may look like just another highly-modified Jeep Wrangler, but the Rezvani Tank is much more. This high-riding SUV has aggressive looks and a range-topping 500-hp V8 to go with its natural off-road prowess. It can even be optioned with a thermal camera, a bulletproof kevlar body, and a 6x6 configuration.
Rezvani Vengeance
Continuing the military theme, the Rezvani Vengeance is the California automaker’s first three-row SUV. It uses the Cadillac Escalade as its base, and it offers options like bulletproof glass, electrified door handles, and even a pepper spray shooter. It starts at $249,000.
Rossion Q1
If the Pompano Beach, Florida-based Rossion Q1 looks familiar, that’s because it is basically a re-engineered Noble M400. The company purchased the rights to the chassis in the late 2000s and quickly went to work on bringing the better-equipped, arguably better-looking Q1 to market.
In 2015, the company updated the Q1 with a more powerful version of its Ford Duratec twin-turbo V6 engine, good for 508 hp and 521 lb-ft of torque, giving it the ability to sprint to 60 mph in just 2.8 seconds. Lightly used examples of the Q1 occasionally pop up on eBay for well over asking, but Rossion hasn’t been active since 2021.
Shelby Series 1
Shelby American (not to be confused with the unrelated Shelby Super Cars) is the historic company that Carroll Shelby originally founded in 1962. In 1998, Shelby American built its own supercar dubbed the Series 1. Inspired by the iconic Shelby Cobra, the Series 1 was an open-top sports car with a 4.0-liter V8 engine and 320 hp. It could hit 60 in 4.4 seconds and had a top speed of 170 mph. Shelby built 249 examples of the Series 1 in 1999 and continued production until 2005.
USSV Rhino GX
Like a few other cars on this list, the Rhino GX is based on an existing platform – a Ford F-450, to be exact. But the rugged Rhino is unique enough that it sets itself apart from the factory work truck. Measuring in at 7.3 feet tall and 8.0 feet wide, and riding a massive set of 38-inch rubbers, the Rhino GX was built to go anywhere. The Rhino GX starts at $229,000 for the gas-powered model or $239,000 for the diesel version.
Vanderhall Venice
Provo, Utah-based Vanderhall made a name for itself with its unique Venice three-wheeler in 2010. Complete with a 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine, the Venice is good for 200 hp and a 0-60 time of about 4.5 seconds.
The Venice was eventually followed by the electric Edison² prototype and the better-equipped Laguna, which comes loaded with features like heat and A/C, premium leather seats, a Bluetooth sound system, and an adjustable suspension. The base Venice started at just $29,950, while the more luxurious Laguna cost at $49,950.
Vector W8
The history of Vector is a long and complicated one. Found in LA in 1989, Vector built the angular W8 supercar between 1989 and 1993. It featured a twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V8 engine and a three-speed transmission borrowed from the Oldsmobile Toronado, believe it or not, with an advertised output of 625 hp and a claimed top speed of 242 mph.
But only 17 W8’s ever made their way into customer hands, and just two pre-production cars rolled off the line before the company went bankrupt and was taken over in 1993. There was a Vector M12 built between 1995 and 1999, but it was even less successful, as was the attempt to revive the brand in 2017.
VLF Force 1
Before the current Fisker brand re-emerged, Henrick Fisker teamed up with former Detroit auto executive Bob Lutz and entrepreneur Gilbert Villarreal to form VLF Automotive. In 2013, the company displayed the Destino, which was essentially a V8-powered Fisker Karma. But in 2016, the 745-horsepower Force 1 came to life.
Making its debut in Detroit at the North American International Auto Show, the Viper-based supercar was designed by Henrik Fisker and featured a more powerful version of Dodge’s factory 8.4-liter V10. The VLF Force 1 could be had for $286,500 and was limited to just 50 examples. But the company folded shortly after production ended.
Youabian Puma
The Youabian Puma was one of the most talked about vehicles of the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show… and I’m sure you can guess why. Dreamt up by LA-area cosmetic surgeon Dr. Kambiz Youabian, the $1.1-million (!) Puma was powered by a 505-horsepower, 7.0-liter V8 engine and could reportedly hit 60 mph in 5.9 seconds.