American car

Performance Automobiles from the United States

Please bear with me as I take a trip down memory lane to discuss what I consider to be three fantastic American-built performance cars: the Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger, and Chevrolet Camaro.
Only the Mustang is currently in production, with the Challenger returning in 2009. GM hasn't committed to producing the Camaro yet, but it's expected to make a decision in favor of the car and its twin, the Pontiac Firebird, by the summer.

So you think I forgot about the Chevy Corvette and Dodge Viper when I mentioned performance vehicles? No, I didn't do it. Both versions are race vehicles and performance cars. The Mustang, Challenger, and Camaro, on the other hand, are mass-produced performance cars with muscle. There is a difference between how a race vehicle handles, rides, and performs and how a muscle car handles, rides, and performs. Muscle cars were typically coupe versions of several of the larger automobiles that were common on American highways in the 1960s and 1970s.
The Mustang and Camaro, on the other hand, were designed independently [despite the fact that they both significantly copied parts from other models], and these "pony" cars were in their own category. They'll be compared to the Dodge Challenger, which was a high-performance version of Mopar automobiles at the time. Critics at the time compared all three, and all three will be compared again in a few years when manufacturing has been cranked up.

So, what is it about American performance automobiles that distinguishes them from the competition? In a nutshell, muscle. Continue reading as I compare and contrast these three vehicles, as well as offer my pathetic attempts to describe the culture that surrounds them.