Pony Car

1964 MustangIn the early 1960's Lee Iacocca took a Falcon platform turned it into the Mustang, and proceeded to capture the hearts and minds of the time, and catch all the other manufacturers flat footed. Today it would be considered a new and innovative market segment.

Combine the Mustang with Shelby (GT350) and suddenly here is an interesting mix, where the cars can be raced on the track, not just drag raced. Ford has a 289 cu.in small block which is the engine of choice in the Mustang. 

If Ford can do it with a Falcon platform, GM takes a Chevy II platform and turn it into the Camaro and Firebird, and Chrysler does the same with the Challenger and Barracuda. 

What made these cars very popular was the Trans Am race series, and the classical case of "Race-Win-Sell" with Ford / GM / Chrysler / AM very involved with "technical assistance" for the various Trans Am teams of the time. 

The Trans Am series had 5 Litre engine ruling, the image of these cars was mostly with a "small block" engine.

Pony car comes from the early Mustang ads showing a mustang (pony), the GM versions were known as F cars at the time. A Mustang, Camaro, Challenger is not a muscle car, never was one. 

The halo effect of being able to buy from the showroom floor what was raced on Sunday in the Trans Am series, be it a Boss 302 Mustang, Z28 Camaro, Challenger T/A in the late 1960's it was really cool at the time. The cars were a disaster for street use, while making a powerful statement. You had to be a hard core gearhead to endure the quirks of a Boss 302 or Z28, on the street with absolutely no low end torque, mechanical lifters, monster carburators, fouled plugs, oil consumption, the engine was the sound system in the car. At the same time from about 3,500 RPM to 7,000 RPM hang on its an interesting ride. 

In addition components used on the race version, had to be made available on the street version sold in a showroom, 4 wheels disc brakes, cross ram intake manifolds are some examples. The acid dipping and other imaginative tricks were not openly discussed.

Pony cars, they were doing double racing duty, road racing in the Trans Am series, and since the engines from the muscle cars would easily drop into them, drag racing with big blocks. 

With sportier/distinctive styling, generally less power, better handling, and better brakes pony cars have been more enduring, than muscle cars. Another feature was the minimal rear seat, and trunk. Pony cars we not family cars.

In the Trans Am series the cars were raced aggressively, with Mark Donahue, Parnelli Jones, Sam Posey, Jim Hall, Dan Gurney to mention a few driving, and would regularly trade paint. That Ford and GM were rivals actively competing would be an understatement...they were arch rivals!

At a time of no computers, no internet, no cell phones, no online forums, every gearhead was on the leading edge of all the available information, and often knew all the codes for the obscure options to get a car with an edge. 

We invite you to share your thoughts, opinions, and Pony Car experiences.