The highlight of Dodge’s recent announcement about its future EV-based performance cars was a glimpse of a black concept clearly inspired by the ’68-’70 Charger.

With its σinister hidden headlights, recessed rear window, big-block engine options, and numerous TV and movie appearances, there’s probably no car from the original muscle car era that better encapsulates the spirit of Detroit muscle.

But between them, the Charger, Challenger, and other crowd pleasers like the ’68 Mustang fastback and Chevy Camaro tend to dominate the muscle car conversation.

Related: SpeedKore Unveils Insane 1970 Dodge Charger Hellraiser With 1,000 HP

The thing is, the muscle car universe was actually incredibly diverse, with cars of all shapes and sizes on offer from all four U.S. automakers to suit almost every pocket. So let’s take a moment to celebrate some of the other V8 greats that don’t often get much time in the limelight courtesy of auction house Mecum’s vast back catalogue of muscle car sales. And we know it sounds like heresy, but a couple of them are even cooler than the Charger…

1970 Ford Torino Cobra

Ford’s Torino fastback was restyled for 1970, gaining a massive 5 inches in length. That probably wasn’t great for handling, but the low-slung roofline and fastback styling made even the Charger look frumpy.

Daddy in the lineup was the 429-cubic Cobra Jet Ram Air that made 370 hp, or 375 hp with the optional drag pack.

1968 AMC AMX 390

AMC chopped a 12-inch chunk out of its Javelin pony car to create the two-seat AMX, a kind of left-field alternative to the contemporary C3 Corvette. The standard engine was a meek 225 hp 290-cube (4.7-liter), but power climbed as high as 315 hp with the optional 390 (6.4-liter) V8.

1967 Pontiac Firebird 400

The first-generation Firebird always seems to play second fiddle to its Camaro sister, which outsold it two to one. But the Firebird had a more distinctive look thanks to that chrome beak, plus a modern overhead cam straight six option the Chevy didn’t. And the range-topping 325-hp Firebird 400 was no slouch, hitting 60 mph in 6.2 seconds.

1971 Plymouth GTX

Plymouth’s most famous muscle car is arguably the Roadrunner, but for those who wanted Beep-Beep performance with a load more luxury, there was the GTX.

The 1968-70 cars just looked like less interesting Chargers, but a radical 1971 redesign gave the Plymouth duo a very different style. And despite looming emissions regulations and insurances concerns, you could still get the 425-hp, 426 (7.0-liter) Hemi, or 390-horse, 440-cube (7.2-liter) triple-carb Six-Pack.

1971 Ford Mustang Boss 351

Ford’s Mustang is probably the most overexposed muscle car of them all, but most of the attention goes to the Bullitt-spec ’67-68 fastback, the Shelbys and the Boss 302 and 429.

Less famous, but definitely worth your attention, is the ’71 Boss 351. Its 330-hp small block was less powerful than a Mach 1 with the 7.0-liter 429, but the last thing the ’71 Mustang needed was more weight over the nose, and besides, it was pretty quick with the small mill. Car & Driver recorded 5.8 seconds to 60 mph in a Boss 351.

1970 AMC Rebel Machine

On the face of it, the second AMC in our list seems to tick all the boxes. It’s got the fastback styling, the loud graphics, a hood scoop with built-in rev counter, and a big-block V8 making a respectable 340 hp. But AMC’s lack of image and the slightly awkward design meant the company only sold 2,326 units in 1970, the Machine’s only year on the market. Despite that rarity, they’re not massively expensive today.

1969 Oldsmobile 4-4-2

Olds’ 4-4-2 was one of the very first muscle cars, and one of the last to leave the party, bowing out in 1972, but like its equally underrated Buick GS brother, it’s rarely center-stage in any muscle car retrospective.

Baddest of the lot was the Hurst/Olds, which got a modified 455-cu inch (7.5-liter) V8 with a hot cam and made 390 hp together with 500 lb ft of crossply-killing torque.

1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS454

Most muscle cars are mid-sized coupes and convertibles, but if we also accept that smaller cars like Mustangs and Chevy Novas qualify, then we need to show some respect for the bigger guys, too.

Chevy’s luxurious Monte Carlo coupe could be optioned with an SS 545 package that included heavy-duty suspension and the 360-hp big block V8 from the Super Sport Chevelle.

1970 Mercury Cougar Eliminator

Mercury’s Cougar pony car always lived in the shadow of its shorter Mustang cousin, and the Eliminator was Mercury’s attempt to redress that balance.

This was Mercury’s answer to the Mach 1 and Boss 302, and you could even upgrade the stock 351 to the high-revving 290 hp Boss 302 motor Ford created for Trans Am racing, or the big-hearted 7.0-liter 428.

1971 Dodge Demon 340

Proving that you didn’t need big-block power, or to spend a fortune to go fast, Dodge’s 340-cube (5.6-liter) Demon, and the mechanically identical Plymouth Duster, did some amazing things with their modest 275 hp outputs.

At $2,721, the little Demon cost around $1,000 less than a ’71 Charger RT 440 when new, and almost 50 years on its still one of the most affordable ways in to a genuine first generation muscle car. Which is great news for those of us priced out of a ’68 Mustang fastback or ’68-70 Dodge Charger.