Q: Greg, I remember many years ago you wrote a column on the cars you\u2019ve owned in your lifetime. Can you give us an update, as many years have gone by since then? Also, could you touch on today\u2019s awesome pony muscle cars like the Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger? What\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n
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\u2019s start with the muscle car question, and then we\u2019ll touch on the updated cars I\u2019ve owned in my lifetime, including racecars this time too. <\/p>\n
As for which of the three pony cars I favor, that\u2019s one difficult question to answer. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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\u2019t reappear until 2008 to do battle with the Mustang and soon to arrive new Camaro. I do not count those small 4-cylinder \u201cin name only\u201d 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 \u201970 to \u201974 Challenger receives this honor. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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\u2019s difficult to justify the continued building of internal combustion muscle cars, as everything nowadays is pointing to all electric. <\/span><\/p>\n 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\u2019s 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 \u201cretro looks\u201d category, with Mustang all these years a close second. <\/p>\n 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\u2019m hoping GM keeps the Camaro, although some rumors have its demise coming as soon as 2026 and with no current plans for 2027.<\/p>\n What the future holds for the Challenger we\u2019ll all have to wait and see. I\u2019m 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\u2019m wrong.<\/p>\n Now on to the updated list of cars I\u2019ve owned. It consists of mostly GM, AMC and MOPAR vehicles, and just one Ford product and one foreign car, Volkswagen.<\/p>\n My past owned vehicles (in order of owning them) include a \u201863 Chevy Impala 283, \u201861 Plymouth Savoy, \u201867 Plymouth GTX 440, \u201864 VW Beetle, \u201865 GTO Tri-Power Convertible, \u201968 Camaro SS\/RS 396\/375, \u201851 Buick Special, \u201873 Dodge Ram pickup, \u201873 Vega GT, \u201874 AMC Hornet X, \u201876 AMC Gremlin X, \u201879 AMC Spirit, \u201873 Cadillac Sedan Deville, \u201875 Cadillac Coupe Deville, \u201874 Dodge Club Cab, \u201874 AMC Matador, \u201879 Chevelle Malibu Wagon, \u201883 Buick Park Avenue, \u201886 Dodge Club Van, \u201889 Pontiac Bonneville, \u201894 Chrysler LHS, \u201894 Pontiac Trans Am, \u201896 Dodge Grand Caravan, \u201872 Dodge Challenger, \u201899 Pontiac Grand Am, \u201808 Pontiac G6, \u201898 Camaro Z28, \u201899 BMW 540i, \u201859 Edsel Ranger, \u201808 GMC Envoy, and an \u201880 AMC Concord. My racecars included a \u201872 Vega Panel Wagon Funny Car, a \u201870 Camaro Pro Gas drag car, and a \u201998 225-inch S&W rear engine dragster. <\/p>\n I still own the S&W dragster, \u201998 Camaro, \u201994 Trans Am, \u201972 Challenger, \u201880 AMC Concord, and \u201908 GMC Envoy. The lack of anything newer is due to my test-driving duties, whereas I test-drive a new car each week. <\/p>\n My big mistakes? Selling or trading the \u201868 Camaro, \u201867 GTX, \u201865 GTO, and the \u201851 Buick. The car I miss the most is a tie between my \u201867 GTX, a \u201cB5 Blue\u201d 440, and my \u201crocket ship\u201d \u201968 Camaro SS\/RS, also finished in bright blue with the 396\/375 M22 4-speed.<\/p>\n Thanks for your letter Glenn; and so I don\u2019t receive too many negative emails and letters, I like the Mustang, Camaro and Challenger equally.<\/p>\n They are all awesome, and enjoy them while you can.<\/p>\n