[lengnert]

Now this is the kind of article that keeps MT etc. relevant. These are the kinds of articles that car mags with history can produce. Great stuff here.

Don't miss the performance charts that show the history of the pony cars through the years. There is a ton of data here.

   




It's abundantly clear from the hard evidence presented in these pages over the past months that these are the best of times for car guys, if vehicle performance is your measure of such things. And yet, yank a geezer's chain at a car show, and he'll jabber on about how the new ponycars just can't compare with those of the late 1960s and early '70s. Is there anything to these lunatic ravings? To find out, we've gathered three modern high-spec ponycars and matched them with their glory days ancestors. We're pitting a 2011 Camaro SS against the '69 Camaro SS396 that inspired its design; a 2011 Challenger SRT8 meets the '70 Challenger it so faithfully resembles (ours is an R/T SE 440 Six Pack); and a freshly minted Shelby Mustang GT500 convertible meets its '69 forebear. We'll turn them all loose on a closed section of road in L.A.'s Griffith Park and see what happens, but first, let's have a look at those good old days.



The late 1960s was a golden era for American automakers. Those pesky imports were nibbling away at the margins, but at the dawn of 1970, they accounted for a little over 11 percent of sales. Design reigned supreme, and designers had yet to be reined in to any great extent by buzz-kill pedestrian safety regs, crash-survivability standards, bumper strength laws, aerodynamics, etc. Gasoline was plentiful and cheap, and engineers were finding better ways to burn as much of it as possible in halo performance models that earned the brands big headlines and drove sales up. Vehicular variety was on the upswing, too, with new automotive platforms of different sizes and configurations making their debut throughout the 1960s.

All those babies conceived by randy veterans returning home from World War II were now grownups ready to buy their first new cars, and they accounted for 20 percent of the market. They didn't want what Dad was driving. They wanted a car to lure a backseat mate -- something with a long phallic hood, two doors, and a pert, short trunk. They wanted ponycars. To keep the cars affordable, OEMs shared compact-car underpinnings, and prices started just a bit higher (Dodge and Plymouth moved their ponies up to midsize architecture for 1970). The formula worked. By 1970, the pony market topped a half-million annual sales.

Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/features/perfo...z1OE5WhIl9

[lengnert]

While it was no surprise to see the gains the new cars have made in all areas on their respective brothers, the gap isn't as wide as one may imagine.

It would not take much (although you would lose some authenticity) to make the older models a bit more competitive.

Alas, just seeing ALL these great cars matched up is cool enough.

Somebody should get a raise at MT for suggesting this test.

[lengnert]

Another great pic!!!


   

[Scout]

It takes very little to make those old cars run 12s and under.

[wings4life]

Mustang or Mopar for me, anyday.

Camaro has always been a 2nd run to me.

[GotMopar?]

What a terrific article and great find by legnert. I tip my hat to you sir!
I grew up with the vintage muscle cars and they still bring a tear to my eye. As much as I love my '09 Challenger and new muscle in general, I still favor vintage performance cars.

[The Voice of Doom]

What you get for your modern muscle is increased safety, economy, and performance. Is there a price hit? A little, if you insist on RWD. All in all though, modern cars are the better way to go-even the ones that insist on using 60s suspension technology.

[MOPAR74]

That is a badassed picture though


love all these cars