With the Camaro coming back and the Challenger....
Will there now be a distinction between Muscle cars and Pony cars. Here since 05 with the new Stangs and the Chargers coming out, they were all being referred to as the "New Muscle Cars." After having a little back and forth in a another thread about the GTOs and New Stangs I got to thinking... we can all agree the original run of GTOs were never considered pony cars. No, that Name was reserved for the Mustang, Camaro, Firebird, Chalenger, and 'Cuda.
So I got to thinking in a few years GM will have the Camaro and the GTo will be back in 09. Mopar will have the Challenger and the Charger. Then Ford will have the Mustang. Will will now refer to them in different classes. Will the Camaro, Challenger, and Mustang again be referred to as "Pony" cars. Will the GTO and Charger get sole posession of Muscle car? Another point of interest is will Ford put something out V8 and RWD to meet the Muscle Car market?
Some food for though.
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2006 Mustang GT in Torch Red
C&L Intake, Evolution Performance Tune, Borla Axle Backs, Hurst Shifter, 4.10's, JBA Long Tubes, Prothane Engine Mounts, Steeda UDPs, FRPP Charge Motion Delete Plates
I don't think the Charger should be included in the muscle car class with 4 doors. Just doesn't seem right. If they eventually field a coupe, then sure.
None of the cars you listed are pony cars anymore, not even the Mustang. Pony cars are small and light with moderate horsepower levels, muscle cars are bigger with higher horepower levels. Seeing as how all the cars you listed are well over 3,500 lbs and have atleast 300 hp, they all qualify as muscle cars. The Mustang hasn't been a pony car since the 03 Tankinator was born.
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2008 Toyota Tacoma Prerunner SR5 Reg Cab
2.7 4 banger
No mods (yet...)
None of the cars you listed are pony cars anymore, not even the Mustang. Pony cars are small and light with moderate horsepower levels, muscle cars are bigger with higher horepower levels. Seeing as how all the cars you listed are well over 3,500 lbs and have atleast 300 hp, they all qualify as muscle cars. The Mustang hasn't been a pony car since the 03 Tankinator was born.
Ok.. but seriously given todays market with added wieght for radios, side beams, airbags, ore electronics... in relavance to today's markets.
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2006 Mustang GT in Torch Red
C&L Intake, Evolution Performance Tune, Borla Axle Backs, Hurst Shifter, 4.10's, JBA Long Tubes, Prothane Engine Mounts, Steeda UDPs, FRPP Charge Motion Delete Plates
Ok.. but seriously given todays market with added wieght for radios, side beams, airbags, ore electronics... in relavance to today's markets.
Todays market demands gross amounts of horsepower. With all of Fords competitors (including the Japs, a new V8 Supra and a few others are coming out soon) feeding the publics demand for horsepower, Ford has to respond with more power and bigger engines, ex. the 6.1 and 5.8 boss line coming out soon. This takes it out of the pony car market. And its still possible to make light cars even with all of the amenities todays market demands. Very few people demand light cars, though so the American automakers aren't using any resources or innovation to do so. In my mind, the pony car is dead. Its not Ford's fault or any of the automakers, its just that the current market conditions have killed pony cars off.
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2008 Toyota Tacoma Prerunner SR5 Reg Cab
2.7 4 banger
No mods (yet...)
So, what you are saying is that the Mustang ins now a Muscle car and so will be the Camaro. I thought the Boss 429 and the 427 camaros were still considered Pony cars.
Also.. How much does a Big Block 69 Stang weigh?
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2006 Mustang GT in Torch Red
C&L Intake, Evolution Performance Tune, Borla Axle Backs, Hurst Shifter, 4.10's, JBA Long Tubes, Prothane Engine Mounts, Steeda UDPs, FRPP Charge Motion Delete Plates
So, what you are saying is that the Mustang ins now a Muscle car and so will be the Camaro. I thought the Boss 429 and the 427 camaros were still considered Pony cars.
Also.. How much does a Big Block 69 Stang weigh?
Less than an 07 GT500.
The Boss 429 came out in either 69 or 70. These cars, even without the big blocks, were bigger and heavier than the 65's. The 71-73's were tanks and had gotten away from the original idea. The Mustang II and the Fox body cars went back to the original pony car theme. But they, too, got bigger with the Fox-4 and new edge chassis until the pinnacle of pork arrived with the 3,800 lbs 03 Cobra. The GT500 now eclipses that at a pickup truck-like 4,000 lbs.
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2008 Toyota Tacoma Prerunner SR5 Reg Cab
2.7 4 banger
No mods (yet...)
The original "pony cars" were long hood, short deck, moderate power, sporty looks, good handling (for the time) and fun to drive.
The Mustang slowly drifted away from being a "pony car" from day one, to the point of being a "musclecar" by 1971, it got back on track in 1975 (notice, I sure as heck didn't say 1974, there wasn't "moderate" power available that year, merely "adequate" from the 2.8L v6! lol) and stayed the course pretty well all the way through 1993. 1994 started a new generation of drift with a slight increase in size and a fair bit of weight that gradually grew to 2003/2004. 2005 was 1971 all over again... The size and "musclecar" category don't bother me much, but the new "ponycars" sadly all seem to be front-wheel drive nowadays, and even they don't really fit the full formula ( Hyundai Tiburon, Mitsubishi Eclipse, Chrysler Sebring coupe and 'vert, Pontiac G6, Scion Tc...) Ford needs to shave as much weight as possible out of the next Mustang, and make it less full-figured to bring back the "ponycar" image.. Get the dimensions as close to 1966 as possible (quite possibly the quintessential ponycar) and the weight likewise.
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1976 Ford Mustang II Ghia: 302 with a 600cfm Edelbrock carb, Edelbrock Performer 289 intake, Dynomax Blackjack headers, 2.5" exhaust with Flowmaster Super 44s. RJS 11-gallon fuel cell, C4 tranny, chrome 16" pony wheels, fuzzy dice, brown vinyl half-top, and painted in the tackiest color ever (harvest gold, that's why I call it "The Goldenrod").
Also have a 2003 Dodge Ram (lightly modded daily driver/tow rig/office/dining room/home away from home/workshop... I call it "The Big Blue Dawg".)
The original "pony cars" were long hood, short deck, moderate power, sporty looks, good handling (for the time) and fun to drive.
The Mustang slowly drifted away from being a "pony car" from day one, to the point of being a "musclecar" by 1971, it got back on track in 1975 (notice, I sure as heck didn't say 1974, there wasn't "moderate" power available that year, merely "adequate" from the 2.8L v6! lol) and stayed the course pretty well all the way through 1993. 1994 started a new generation of drift with a slight increase in size and a fair bit of weight that gradually grew to 2003/2004. 2005 was 1971 all over again... The size and "musclecar" category don't bother me much, but the new "ponycars" sadly all seem to be front-wheel drive nowadays, and even they don't really fit the full formula ( Hyundai Tiburon, Mitsubishi Eclipse, Chrysler Sebring coupe and 'vert, Pontiac G6, Scion Tc...) Ford needs to shave as much weight as possible out of the next Mustang, and make it less full-figured to bring back the "ponycar" image.. Get the dimensions as close to 1966 as possible (quite possibly the quintessential ponycar) and the weight likewise.
Speaking of the Sebring, has anyone seen the new redesign? The car looks SO MUCH better now.
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2008 Toyota Tacoma Prerunner SR5 Reg Cab
2.7 4 banger
No mods (yet...)
A V8 Supra, and another Lexus with a 5.0L v8 designation.
It's one of the reasons Ford wants to upsize the 4.6L, to keep the 5.0L moniker away from Toyota.
there's also going to be a v8 Hyundai Equus Coupe (Equus is latin for horse), and a v8 Nissan 430Z, that will also power the skyline.
Honda's next s2000 may also get a v8. They're developing it now in Japan.
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Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness,his upper rooms by injustice,making his countrymen work for nothing...Does it make you a king to have more and more cedar?Did not your father have food and drink?He did what was right and just,so all went well with him. He defended the cause of the poor and needy,and so all went well...But your eyes and your heart are set only on dishonest gain,on shedding innocent blood and on oppression and extortion. Jer 22:13, 15-17
With the Camaro coming back and the Challenger.... 
