In case you hadn't noticed, it's the fourth of July today; the day of the year when the Americans wheel out the barbecues and break out the fireworks to celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The Americans are major petrolheads -- anything with an engine smaller than about 7.0-litres they brand a 'compact' -- but, unfortunately, they've never been terribly good at making cars. Most yank tanks have antediluvian suspension, revolting interior plastics and the sort of handling characteristics you'd normally encounter after a high-speed blowout. Nevertheless, the Yanks soldier on and occasionally, just occasionally, some good cars slip through the net.
What follows is a list of the most famous, most iconic and best cars ever to come from the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.
Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang is a true American icon. It's been with us for nearly fifty years now, and it's as much of a part of the fabric of the USA as the checked shirt, cowboy boots and religious intolerance. It's also arguably the coolest car the Yanks have ever made thanks to its starring role in one of the greatest movie car chases of all time, Bullitt. It's never been a particularly good car, but what the 'Stang lacks in sophistication, it makes up for in sheer brute force.
Chevrolet Corvette
Unlike most American performance cars, the Corvette was more than just a saloon (sorry, sedan) with a whacking great engine under the bonnet. No, the 'Vette was designed as a proper sports car from the outset, and this shows in the way it looks; the Chevy has always been a fantastic-looking thing. The Americans love 'em too -- over 1.3 million Corvettes have rolled off the production line since 1953.
Hummer
Okay, okay, so the Hummer was terrible but this didn't stop us feeling a little bit sad when GM pulled the plug on Arnie's favourite city car two years ago. All of the Hummers -- the H1, the H2 and the H3 -- were absolutely enormous and completely unsuited to our narrow English roads, and the brand's image was tainted by too many stretched limos containing drunken women on hen nights. But now that the Hummer is gone, what's Arnie going to drive? A Polo BlueMotion?
Ford GT
The Ford GT was so good, Jeremy Clarkson actually bought one. And it's easy to see why. The GT was a cross between a sleek European sports car and a big, heavy, industrial muscle car. In its day it could outpace its main rival the Ferrari 360 and it cost a whole lot less too. Unfortunately, it was thirsty, unreliable and hopelessly impractical.
Willy's Jeep
With the Jeep, America kicked off the whole off-road 4x4 revolution. The Jeep was first used in WW2 so Johnny American could drive around Europe distributing good ol' fashioned American justice -- a job which was later taken up by the Hummer during Bush's Oil Wars -- and the Americans loved it so much, they made a civvy version.
Dodge Viper
The Dodge Viper was a typical example of sloppy American engineering; it had an enormous 8.0-litre V10 engine but was out of puff at 164mph. As such, it was about as much of a threat to the European supercar hierarchy as the Austin 1100, but it makes it onto this list thanks to its gorgeous looks and raw simplicity.
Dodge Charger
Even by American standards, the Dodge Charger was absolutely useless. It wasn't particularly fast despite its 5.2-litre V8 engine, and the steering wheel had absolutely no effect whatsoever on the direction of travel. Despite this, it makes it onto this list thanks to its menacing looks and effortless cool.
Chevrolet Camaro
The Camaro was designed to compete with the Mustang and although it never attained the iconic status of the Ford, it's still one of the all-time greats. The Camaro was the classic American 'pony car' -- good looking, powerful and affordable.
Ford Model T
The Americans might not have invented the car, but they did pioneer the idea of mass car ownership with this, the Model T. If it wasn't for the Model T and the idea of mass-production, cars might still be the preserve of the super-rich.
SSC Aero
It might not be as good as a Bugatti Veyron but the SSC Aero (briefly) overtook the German hypercar as the fastest car in the world, and that's no mean feat. With its 6.3-litre Corvette engine, the Aero was capable of 256mph -- a full 3mph faster than the Veyron.
So there you have it, our list of the ten greatest cars ever to come from the USA. If you think we've missed any out, comment below.
