Collector Car Corner – Mustang, Camaro and Challenger and the many cars I’ve owned

Q: Greg, I remember many years ago you wrote a column on the cars you’ve owned in your lifetime. Can you give us an update, as many years have gone by since then? Also, could you touch on today’s awesome pony muscle cars like the Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger? What’s your opinion, do you have a favorite, do they have a future, and which of the cars you owned do you miss the most? Glenn, Mays Landing, New Jersey. 

A: Glenn thanks for your question and I dug up my old columns to find that the column on the cars I owned appeared in May of 2009. Let’s start with the muscle car question, and then we’ll touch on the updated cars I’ve owned in my lifetime, including racecars this time too. 

As for which of the three pony cars I favor, that’s one difficult question to answer. 

The Mustang appeared first in 1964, Camaro in 1967, and Challenger in 1970. Of the three, the Mustang never took a year off and has been in continuous production through six generations. So the Mustang gets my award for longevity. 

The Camaro stopped production in 2002, and then returned in 2010. Now in its sixth generation, the Camaro offers similar models as Mustang and Challenger from a mild 6-cylinder to 600-plus horsepower V8 models. So, Camaro has always been a personal favorite regardless of trim and engine under the hood. 

The Challenger arrived in 1970 and made it through 1974 until the gas crisis and clean air mandates killed the muscle car era. It didn’t reappear until 2008 to do battle with the Mustang and soon to arrive new Camaro. I do not count those small 4-cylinder “in name only” Challengers that appeared when Mitsubishi and Chrysler had an alliance and sold a Gallant, with Challenger badges, from 1978 to 1983. In this case, as for being rare, the ’70 to ’74 Challenger receives this honor. 

During this early time period, Mustangs had the Boss 302, Camaro the Z28, and Challenger the T/A, all worth big money today and built to compete in SCCA Trans-Am racing. For brute horsepower, any Cobra-Jet or Boss 429 Mustang matched up well against a Hemi Challenger or a big-block Camaro 396/375 from the factory. However, if you did some performance work on the car like adding headers, a 4.56 rear and other bolt on additions, the Hemi Challenger would probably take precedence in straight-line racing.   

Fast forward to 2021 and specifically to your question, it was just announced that the SRT division of Chrysler has been shut down. SRT stands for Street and Race Technology, and this SRT demise comes after French car giant, Peugeot, joins Fiat / Chrysler as a corporate 50/50 partner. It’s difficult to justify the continued building of internal combustion muscle cars, as everything nowadays is pointing to all electric. 

With this in mind, and the fact that Ford has already built an electric Mustang, if you see an SRT Challenger Scat Pack sitting on a dealer’s lot, and you are in the market, you might want to take a peek. Overall, I have always felt that since 2008, the Challenger looked more like its predecessor than the Camaro; so for looks alone the Challenger receives the nod in this “retro looks” category, with Mustang all these years a close second. 

As for the future, we already know that the Mustang will be here for many years to come, although Camaro might not. Camaro sold 48,265 cars in 2019 while Mustang topped sales with 72,489 and with Challenger second, with 60,997. I’m hoping GM keeps the Camaro, although some rumors have its demise coming as soon as 2026 and with no current plans for 2027.

What the future holds for the Challenger we’ll all have to wait and see. I’m not excited with Peugeot now joining the ranks when it comes to American muscle, and the fact that the SRT was shutdown right after the co-op alliance with Fiat / Chrysler was announced. This is not a good sign, but maybe I’m wrong.

Now on to the updated list of cars I’ve owned. It consists of mostly GM, AMC and MOPAR vehicles, and just one Ford product and one foreign car, Volkswagen.

My past owned vehicles (in order of owning them) include a ‘63 Chevy Impala 283, ‘61 Plymouth Savoy, ‘67 Plymouth GTX 440, ‘64 VW Beetle, ‘65 GTO Tri-Power Convertible, ’68 Camaro SS/RS 396/375, ‘51 Buick Special, ‘73 Dodge Ram pickup, ‘73 Vega GT, ‘74 AMC Hornet X, ‘76 AMC Gremlin X, ‘79 AMC Spirit, ‘73 Cadillac Sedan Deville, ‘75 Cadillac Coupe Deville, ‘74 Dodge Club Cab, ‘74 AMC Matador, ‘79 Chevelle Malibu Wagon, ‘83 Buick Park Avenue, ‘86 Dodge Club Van, ‘89 Pontiac Bonneville, ‘94 Chrysler LHS, ‘94 Pontiac Trans Am, ‘96 Dodge Grand Caravan, ‘72 Dodge Challenger, ‘99 Pontiac Grand Am, ‘08 Pontiac G6, ‘98 Camaro Z28, ‘99 BMW 540i, ‘59 Edsel Ranger, ‘08 GMC Envoy, and an ‘80 AMC Concord. My racecars included a ‘72 Vega Panel Wagon Funny Car, a ‘70 Camaro Pro Gas drag car, and a ’98 225-inch S&W rear engine dragster. 

I still own the S&W dragster, ’98 Camaro, ’94 Trans Am, ’72 Challenger, ‘80 AMC Concord, and ’08 GMC Envoy. The lack of anything newer is due to my test-driving duties, whereas I test-drive a new car each week. 

My big mistakes? Selling or trading the ‘68 Camaro, ‘67 GTX, ‘65 GTO, and the ‘51 Buick. The car I miss the most is a tie between my ‘67 GTX, a “B5 Blue” 440, and my “rocket ship” ’68 Camaro SS/RS, also finished in bright blue with the 396/375 M22 4-speed.

Thanks for your letter Glenn; and so I don’t receive too many negative emails and letters, I like the Mustang, Camaro and Challenger equally.

They are all awesome, and enjoy them while you can.

(Greg Zyla writes is a syndicated auto columnist who welcomes input on collector cars, auto nostalgia and motorsports. Reach him at greg@gregzyla.com or snail mail at 303 Roosevelt St., Sayre, Pa. 18840.)