Posted on 02/17/2024 6:44:38 PM PST by Red Badger
Three pony cars made it out of the muscle car era to be part of our modern automotive world. These three are the Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger, and Chevy Camaro. The Challenger is barely a pony car, but the Mustang and Camaro provide several engine options leading up to a V8 engine at the top of the line, defining the pony car market. While the Mustang lives on, the Chevy Camaro is dead and won’t likely return in true pony car form.
The top-level Chevy Camaro was awesome
At the top ZL1 trim, the last two generations of the Camaro delivered 650 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque through either a 6-speed manual or 10-speed automatic transmission. This power is excellent, but not the top figures in the class.
The Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 provides 760 horsepower and 625 lb-ft of torque, while the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye delivers 797 horsepower and 707 lb-ft of torque. These two competitors best the Camaro for power, but don’t have the same bragging rights as the Camaro.
As far back as the 2018 model year, the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE set a new track record at Nürburgring. This made many European automakers sit up and pay attention. This Camaro trim package includes incredible control features to handle the challenging corners of the legendary European track, with wider fenders and tires and the Magnetic Ride Control suspension package.
With a record time at the world’s most famous test track, why didn’t we see it in GM’s commercials?
GM could have pushed the affordable fun of the Camaro
Can you remember any commercials featuring the Camaro during the past fifteen years? You might remember one, possibly two, but the bow-tie brand had pushed its trucks, large SUVs, and, more recently, electric vehicles more than a classic pony car that represents what driving is all about.
The Chevy Camaro, especially in its classic form, is easily associated with the fun of driving down wide open roads. It would have been easy for Chevy to capitalize on the Nürburgring lap record. The brand could have presented this pony car in more advertising, doing what it does best: provide fun driving on any road.
Did we, as Americans, fail the Chevy Camaro?
Although the collective feelings about the sixth-generation design changes weren’t well received, the Camaro has been present at local Chevy dealers for many years. There it sat, in all its glory, waiting for any driver to scoop it up. The Camaro waited to deliver affordable fun, but all it could do wa wait. But did we gobble up this glorious car? Nope.
In fact, Camaro sales dipped to an incredible low of 21,893 in 2021 after reaching 88,249 only a decade before. According to Good Car Bad Car, Camaro sales increased in 2022 and 2023 compared to the 2021 low. Unfortunately, those figures weren’t enough to save this pony car from extinction.
There it was, waiting for any driver to take it for a test drive and then home to be the fun and active car that doubles as a great daily driver. Who failed the Chevy Camaro? Was it GM with a lack of advertising and a poor final design? Was it us, as Americans, who knew the car was at Chevy dealers but chose the Mustang or Challenger instead?
What a beauty!
Rode too rough for the era. overheated to easy, and ate up starters like potato chips. They had some design issues that made them unreliable.
yes
“Now, a new car is in the 60K+ range”
You can get a fully loaded Sport Touring new CRV hybrid for less than 50k. MSRP is 41k. The top of the line non hybrid is 37k MSRP. Good Sedans like the Camery or Accord go for less.
My first car was a 1967, powder blue Camaro, every month it took half my paycheck. My first name is Sally and no one could understand why I didn’t buy a MUSTANG
The insurance rates on the Camaro are also quite daunting. Especially for the young people whose insurance payments on such cars can easily match or exceed their car payments.
I recently began dating a nice lady (Sally) who, in her younger daze, had a Mustang w/stick shift.
My first car was a ‘67 Mustang Fastback 289 in Candy Apple red.
I think I’m in love...
Those were great years. I remember vividly the day my parents took me to pick up my new Camaro, down to what I wore. A brown mini dress with powder blue polka dots (matched the car) and bell sleeves. I can see my dad sitting there going over the paperwork, my mom nervous about me driving it home and killing myself. LOL
I never liked the new Hawaii 5-0. Woke+kool.
I always thought that “pony car” referred only to Fords with horse names: Mustang, Maverick, Pinto.
‘Pony Car’ simply means an inexpensive sporty small car...............
I watched the SCCA races where the Shelby Cobras ate the pitiful Chevy Corvettes alive.
The Corvettes were fast on the straights but the pitiful handling killed them in the curves
Rented one fairly recently.
Powerful, to be sure, but not especially sporty in any ordinary use case. You can feel how heavy the car is. Might perform well in tight curves at 90+mph but I’m not taking my life into my hands that way.
Low outward visibility. Had to pull over in what wasn’t a very hard rain because I just couldn’t see well enough.
Oddly proportioned interior and needlessly tight for anyone big or tall (which is a high proportion of people willing to buy these kind of cars).
Bottom line -
* You get the same useful muscle in a two row car with much more luxury, comfort and interior functionality in the performance trim packages of any number of German and Japanese models.
* If you want a real sports car, get one - this ain’t it.
Seen the same with Corvette...
The Chevy Camaro, especially in its classic form, is easily associated with the fun of driving down wide open roads. It would have been easy for Chevy to capitalize on the Nürburgring lap record.
= = =
I have not found any ‘wide open road’ anywhere where I can drive like Nurburgring.
Explore going to Germany and driving on the autobahn. It is a lot cheaper than getting busted doing 30 to 40 over the speed limit in the US.
Like the vast majority of GM automobile products, poor quality and stupid management along with lazy UAW workers killed the Camaro. They are not skilled workers just bolt tighteners and floor sweepers.
I have been buying Honda and Toyota for a decade, and I will never go back to GM.
My first car was an 80s Berlinetta Camaro. Six cylinders that barely made it to 70 mph, so no speeding tickets.
I know you can find less expensive cars than 60K, but not one that fits my lifestyle. I was going off the cost of a Camaro, which is the car being phased out. My wife wanted the Honda, I wanted a Toyota tacoma, she got what she wanted, I got the divorce. I rode for 2-3 hours one time, and it killed my back. So she traded it in with 7,000 miles on it for a Pilot. I loved that car, but the woman was nuts.
Bill Clinton did the horizontal bop in his el Camino and that wrecked sales.
Don’t ask me how I know this fact.
5.56mm
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