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Pony car is an American car classification for affordable, compact, highly styled
coupé A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...
s or
convertible A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...
s with a "sporty" or performance-oriented image. Common characteristics include rear-wheel drive, a long hood, a short
decklid The trunk ( North American English) or boot (British English) of a car is the vehicle's main storage or cargo compartment, often a hatch at the rear of the vehicle. It is also called a tailgate. In Indian English the storage area is known a ...
, a wide range of options to individualize each car and use of mass-produced parts shared with other models. There is much debate among enthusiasts about the exact definition of a pony car, and what differentiates it from a muscle car. The general consensus is that pony cars are smaller and more refined than muscle cars. A few intermediate-size vehicles, such as the Dodge Challenger, may be considered to belong to both categories. The popularity of pony cars is largely due to the launch of the
Ford Mustang The Ford Mustang is a series of American automobiles manufactured by Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its sixth generation, it is the fifth-best selli ...
in 1964. Currently produced pony cars include the
Ford Mustang The Ford Mustang is a series of American automobiles manufactured by Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its sixth generation, it is the fifth-best selli ...
,
Chevrolet Camaro The Chevrolet Camaro is a mid-size American automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, classified as a pony car. It first went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed to compete with the Ford Mustang. The Camaro share ...
, and
Dodge Challenger The Dodge Challenger is the name of three different generations of automobiles (two of those being pony cars) produced by American automobile manufacturer Dodge. However, the first use of the Challenger name by Dodge was in 1959 for marketing a ...
.


History


1960–1963: Predecessors

In the early 1960s, Ford, Plymouth, and AMC began noticing the rising interest in small, sporty cars, and the increasing importance of younger customers. In order to convince the management of Ford to approve a small, sporty car for production, the
Budd Company The Budd Company was a 20th-century metal fabricator, a major supplier of body components to the automobile industry, and a manufacturer of stainless steel passenger rail cars, airframes, missile and space vehicles, and various defense products ...
built a prototype two-seat roadster called the XT-Bird. The XT-Bird was built using the
compact car Compact car is a vehicle size class — predominantly used in North America — that sits between subcompact cars and mid-size cars. "Small family car" is a British term and a part of the C-segment in the European car classification. However, p ...
chassis of the Ford Falcon with a modified 1957 Ford Thunderbird body. Ford rejected the proposal, preferring to design a four-seat sporty car instead which would expand its sales volume. The Budd Company then approached
American Motors Corporation American Motors Corporation (AMC; commonly referred to as American Motors) was an American automobile manufacturing company formed by the merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company on May 1, 1954. At the time, it was the ...
(AMC) with the
Budd XR-400 The XR-400 was a fully operational concept car. A "sporty" youth-oriented convertible was built in 1962 by the Budd Company, an independent body builder in Detroit, Michigan, for evaluation by the fourth largest U.S. automaker at the time, Ame ...
prototype, which was based on a 1962
AMC Ambassador The Ambassador is an automobile manufactured and marketed by American Motors Corporation (AMC) from 1957 through 1974 over eight generations, available in two- and four-door sedan, two-door hardtop, four-door station wagon as well as two-door ...
two-door with a shortened chassis and the body moved rearward to allow for a longer hood (bonnet). The automaker's "management expressed interest in a new car with a sports flair" and work on the
AMC Rambler Tarpon The Rambler Tarpon was a concept car, a compact car, compact-sized sporty youth-oriented 2+2 (car body style), 2+2 hardtop coupé developed in 1963 by American Motors Corporation (AMC). The bright red with black roof design study made its publi ...
, a 2+2 coupe with an elongated fastback roof, began in early 1963. Examples of production cars that included sporty and youthful appeal were the 1960
Chevrolet Corvair The Chevrolet Corvair is a compact car manufactured by Chevrolet for model years 1960–1969 in two generations. A response to the Volkswagen Beetle, it remains the only American-designed, mass-produced passenger car with a rear-mounted, air- ...
. Initially positioned as an economy car, the Corvair's plusher-trimmed and sportier Monza model sold around 144,000 units by 1961. The Corvair Monza's
bucket seat A bucket seat is a car seat contoured to hold one person, distinct from a flat bench seat designed to fit multiple people. In its simplest form it is a rounded seat for one person with high sides, but may have curved sides that partially enclose ...
s and floor-mounted transmission shifter started a trend toward these features being offered in cars ranging from compacts to
full-size car Full-size car—also known as large car—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than mid-size cars, it is the largest size class for cars. In Europe, it is known as E-segment or F-segment. Af ...
s. Competing models inspired by the Corvair Monza included the
Ford Falcon Ford Falcon is an automobile nameplate applied to several vehicles worldwide. * Ford Falcon (North America), an automobile produced by Ford from 1960 to 1970. * Ford Falcon (Argentina), a car built by Ford Argentina from 1962 until 1991. * Fo ...
Futura and Futura Sprint models and the
Rambler American The Rambler American is a compact car that was manufactured by the American Motors Corporation (AMC) between 1958 and 1969. The American was the second incarnation of AMC forerunner Nash Motors' compact Rambler that was introduced in 1950 an ...
440-H and Rogue models. Most sporty compacts were powered by the same economical six-cylinder engines as their more mundane
platform Platform may refer to: Technology * Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run * Platform game, a genre of video games * Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models * Weapons platform, a system or ...
counterparts, but in some cases, optional V8 engines were available along with four-speed manual transmissions.


1964–1966: Initial pony cars released

The first pony car to be released was the
Plymouth Barracuda The Plymouth Barracuda is a two-door pony car that was manufactured by Plymouth (automobile), Plymouth from 1964 to 1974. The first-generation Barracuda was based on the Chrysler A platform, Chrysler A-body and was offered from 1964 to 1966. A ...
, which went on sale on April 1, 1964, (two weeks before the Ford Mustang). The Barracuda was released as a fastback coupe, based on the
platform Platform may refer to: Technology * Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run * Platform game, a genre of video games * Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models * Weapons platform, a system or ...
of the Plymouth Valiant compact car. Chrysler's precarious financial situation meant that there was a limited development budget for the Barracuda, which led to a compromised design. The Barracuda was criticized for having insufficient distinction from the Valiant and the styling drew mixed reactions. As a result, Barracuda sales were a fraction of the Mustang's. At the Ford Motor Company, executive
Lee Iacocca Lido Anthony "Lee" Iacocca ( ; October 15, 1924 – July 2, 2019) was an American automobile executive best known for the development of the Ford Mustang, Continental Mark III, and Ford Pinto cars while at the Ford Motor Company in the 1960s, an ...
had commissioned marketing studies that suggested that if a unique-looking sporty car could be offered at an affordable price, it would find many buyers. Therefore Ford continued development of a sporty 2+2 car based on the Ford Falcon platform, leading to the launch of the 1965
Ford Mustang The Ford Mustang is a series of American automobiles manufactured by Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its sixth generation, it is the fifth-best selli ...
on April 17, 1964. The Mustang was available as a two-door
coupé A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...
and
convertible A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...
, and had a unique "long hood, short deck" appearance. In its base specification, the drivetrain was typical of an
economy car Economy car is a term mostly used in the United States for cars designed for low-cost purchase and operation. Typical economy cars are small (compact or subcompact), lightweight, and inexpensive to both produce and purchase. Stringent design const ...
: a six-cylinder engine and three-speed manual transmission. Its attractive base price included bucket seats, carpeting, floor shifter, sport steering wheel, and full-wheel covers. However, options such as V8 engines, a four-speed manual gearbox, air conditioning and power steering could increase the price by up to 60%, which made such versions very profitable for Ford. The Mustang was an enormous success, with first-year sales forecasts of 100,000 units being shattered on the first day, when Ford dealers took orders for 22,000 vehicles, forcing the company to shift production mid-year. The extended model year sales totaled 618,812 Mustangs. The Mustang broke all post-World War II automobile sales records, "creating the 'pony car' craze soon adopted by competitors." The 1965 Mustang provided the template for the new class of automobiles. The term "pony car" to describe members of its ranks was coined by ''Car Life'' magazine editor Dennis Shattuck. The characteristics of a pony car were defined as: * A sporty compact car for the masses, that could carry four people * Long hood, short deck profile, and "open mouth" styling * Affordable base price (under – in 1965 dollar value) * Wide range of options to individualize each car * Manufactured using mass-produced parts shared with other models * Youth-oriented marketing and advertising Many pony cars were produced with economical six-cylinder or small V8 engines and although powerful engines and performance packages were offered, the majority were sold with six-cylinder engines or relatively small V8 engines. The high-performance models saw limited sales and were largely limited to drag racing, road racing or motorsport homologation purposes.


1967–1970 Segment expands

Initially, General Motors believed that the restyled 1965
Chevrolet Corvair The Chevrolet Corvair is a compact car manufactured by Chevrolet for model years 1960–1969 in two generations. A response to the Volkswagen Beetle, it remains the only American-designed, mass-produced passenger car with a rear-mounted, air- ...
(a rear-engined compact car) would be an adequate challenger for the Mustang. However, when it became clear that the Corvair itself was doomed, the more conventional Nova-based
Chevrolet Camaro The Chevrolet Camaro is a mid-size American automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, classified as a pony car. It first went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed to compete with the Ford Mustang. The Camaro share ...
was introduced for the 1967 model year built on the new GM F-body platform and used a conventional front-engine layout. A few months later, the Camaro-based
Pontiac Firebird The Pontiac Firebird is an American automobile that was built and produced by Pontiac from the 1967 to 2002 model years. Designed as a pony car to compete with the Ford Mustang, it was introduced on February 23, 1967, five months after GM's Che ...
was introduced. The Mustang was redesigned for the 1967 model year and became the basis for the upscale
Mercury Cougar Mercury Cougar is a nameplate applied to a diverse series of automobiles sold by the Mercury division of Ford from 1967 to 1997 and from 1999 to 2002. While the nameplate is most commonly associated with two-door coupes, at various times during ...
on a longer wheelbase. American Motors introduced its first pony car in 1967 with the
AMC Javelin The AMC Javelin is an American front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-door hardtop automobile manufactured by American Motors Corporation (AMC) across two generations, 1968 through 1970 and 1971 through 1974 model years. The car was positioned an ...
. It was described as a "roomy, comfortable, peppy and handsome example of a so-called ''pony car'', the type of automobile that's showing up more and more on US highways." In 1969, the
Dodge Challenger The Dodge Challenger is the name of three different generations of automobiles (two of those being pony cars) produced by American automobile manufacturer Dodge. However, the first use of the Challenger name by Dodge was in 1959 for marketing a ...
joined the already crowded pony car segment. The Challenger was essentially an enlarged Barracuda. The pony car market segment was maturing and all four domestic automakers were building versions of the long hood/short deck template that Ford had developed. The term pony car applied to all versions of these nameplates, from base models to the high-performance
muscle car Muscle car is a description according to ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'' that came to use in 1966 for "a group of American-made two-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." The '' Britannica Dictionary'' ...
models, developed in league with factory supported racing to gain a marketing edge. The competition between the manufacturers was so fierce the
Trans-Am Series The Trans-Am Series is a sports car racing series held in North America. Founded in 1966, it is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). Primarily based in the United States, the series competes on a variety of track types includ ...
from 1966 to 1972 is described as "The Pony Car Wars". While sales were strong throughout the end of the 1960s, pony cars' greater value was in generating brand loyalty, particularly among the crucial youth market. In 1970 ''
Car and Driver ''Car and Driver'' (''CD'' or ''C/D'') is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. In 2006 its total circulation was 1.23 million. It is owned by Hearst Magazines, who purchased prior owner Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. in 2011. It was fou ...
'' reported that while very few pony car drivers bought a second, around 50% purchased another model from the same manufacturer. Even so, by as early as 1969 sales were beginning to slide, dropping to 9% of the total market from a peak of 13% in 1967. Directly inspired by the Ford Mustang, Ford of Europe began production of the
Ford Capri The Ford Capri is a fastback coupé built by Ford of Europe, designed by Philip T. Clark, who was also involved in the design of the Ford Mustang. It used the mechanical components from the Mk2 Ford Cortina and was intended as the Euro ...
in 1968, (using the Cortina MkII platform and driveline and a few components from the Escort) while GM of Europe introduced the
Opel Manta The Opel Manta is a rear-wheel-drive sports coupé built by German manufacturer Opel in two generations from 1970 to 1988. The Manta was a mildly sporting coupé based on the Ascona family car, akin to the Ford Falcon-based Mustang and its vario ...
and
Vauxhall Firenza The Firenza is a model of car offered by Vauxhall from May 1971 until 1975. It was a development of the Viva, but had a distinctive coupé body style (fastback) and only two doors. In South Africa, it was sold as the Chevrolet Firenza until it ...
. In April 1970, the Capri began to be imported from Europe and was sold in
Lincoln-Mercury Mercury is a defunct division of the American automobile manufacturer Ford Motor Company. Created in 1938 by Edsel Ford, Mercury served as the medium-price brand of Ford for nearly its entire existence, bridging the price gap between the Ford ...
dealerships. The success of the Mustang also inspired the creation of the
Toyota Celica The is an automobile produced by Toyota from 1970 until 2006. The Celica name derives from the Latin word '' coelica'' meaning 'heavenly' or 'celestial'. In Japan, the Celica was exclusive to the ''Toyota Corolla Store'' dealer chain. Produce ...
compact coupe, which was released in 1970, while Toyota had earlier introduced the 1967
Toyota 1600 The is an automobile manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota across eleven generations between 1957 and 2001. On launch, the Corona was Toyota's next to highest product in their range, just below the Crown. The Corona was marketed ...
GT 2-door hardtop and installed a DOHC I4 cylinder engine with dual carburetors and a 5-speed manual transmission. Like the Mustang, the Celica was built using the platform of an economy car; although the Celica was shorter than the Mustang and did not offer a V8 engine. Several Japanese automakers sold compact coupes in the United States as smaller competitors to pony cars. However, no Japanese manufacturer produced a pony car.


1971–1975: Larger cars, declining sales

As with many automobile redesigns, each subsequent generation of the pony cars grew larger, heavier, costlier, and more comfort-oriented. This trend towards larger and more comfort-oriented pony cars was also influenced by many buyers in the late 1960s and early 1970s purchasing optional equipment and models with higher prices. Examples of the increasing size and weight of pony cars are: * The 1970
Dodge Challenger The Dodge Challenger is the name of three different generations of automobiles (two of those being pony cars) produced by American automobile manufacturer Dodge. However, the first use of the Challenger name by Dodge was in 1959 for marketing a ...
was only slightly smaller externally than its Dodge Coronet stablemate, an intermediate-sized four-door sedan. The Challenger was less than lighter than a typical intermediate sedan. * The 1971
AMC Javelin The AMC Javelin is an American front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-door hardtop automobile manufactured by American Motors Corporation (AMC) across two generations, 1968 through 1970 and 1971 through 1974 model years. The car was positioned an ...
was long, which is longer than the 1965 Ford Mustang. * The 1973 Ford Mustang was longer, wider, and over heavier than the original 1965 Mustang.
Big block V8 A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder (engine), cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V engine, V configuration. The first V8 engine was produced by the French Antoinette_(manuf ...
engines became available in pony cars, which increased straight-line performance but underscored the limitations of the suspension, brakes, and tires. The six-cylinder and lower-specification V8 engines struggled with the increased mass of the pony cars. By 1970 buyers were moving away from the pony cars, either toward smaller
compact car Compact car is a vehicle size class — predominantly used in North America — that sits between subcompact cars and mid-size cars. "Small family car" is a British term and a part of the C-segment in the European car classification. However, p ...
s or the more luxurious
personal luxury cars Personal luxury car is a North American car classification describing somewhat sporty, sophisticated mass-market coupés that emphasized comfort over performance. The North American manufacturers most often combined engineering, design, and mark ...
. The pony car market was also hindered by high insurance rates and increased restrictions on performance cars. In the following years, power outputs of the performance models began to erode as a result of stricter
vehicle emissions control Vehicle emissions control is the study of reducing the emissions produced by motor vehicles, especially internal combustion engines. Types of emissions Emissions of many air pollutants have been shown to have variety of negative effects on public ...
s. By 1972, small imported sports cars were increasing in popularity, and the domestic pony cars were not selling well. Industry observers believed that the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird might be discontinued after the 1973 model year. The
1973 oil crisis The 1973 oil crisis or first oil crisis began in October 1973 when the members of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), led by Saudi Arabia, proclaimed an oil embargo. The embargo was targeted at nations that had supp ...
left the large and heavy pony cars out of step with the marketplace. The Mustang, which had grown to become an intermediate-sized car and alienated buyers, was downsized for its second-generation; this 1974
Ford Mustang II The second-generation Ford Mustang, marketed as the Ford Mustang II, is a two- or three-door, four passenger, front-engine/rear-drive pony car manufactured and marketed by Ford from 1973 until 1978. Introduced in September 1973 for model year ...
was marketed as a fuel-efficient subcompact with luxury or sporty trim packages. Inspired by smaller imported sporty cars such as the Toyota Celica and Ford Capri, the new Mustang II was unveiled a few months prior to the 1973 oil embargo. To compete with these sporty subcompacts, General Motors introduced the 1975
Chevrolet Monza The Chevrolet Monza is a subcompact automobile produced by Chevrolet for the 1975 through 1980 model years. The Monza is based on the Chevrolet Vega, sharing its wheelbase, width, and standard inline-four engine. The car was designed to accommoda ...
and its badge-engineered variants. GM's pony cars (the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird) were almost canceled, but remained in production. Chrysler Corporation did not downsize its pony car models, it discontinued the Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Barracuda after the 1974 model year. The AMC Javelin was also canceled after 1974. The 1974 Mercury Cougar—originally designed as an upscale version of the Ford Mustang—left the pony car segment, as it was upsized and marketed in the
personal luxury car Personal luxury car is a North American car classification describing somewhat sporty, sophisticated mass-market coupés that emphasized comfort over performance. The North American manufacturers most often combined engineering, design, and ma ...
segment.


1976–2004: Resurgence of popularity and performance

The popularity of pony cars increased in the late 1970s with examples appearing in movies and TV programs like the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am in ''
Smokey and the Bandit ''Smokey and the Bandit'' is a 1977 American road action comedy film starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick, Paul Williams and Mike Henry. The directorial debut of stuntman Hal Needham, the film follows ...
'', the Pontiac Firebird in ''
The Rockford Files ''The Rockford Files'' is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network from September 13, 1974 to January 10, 1980, and remains in syndication. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investigator ...
'' and the Ford Mustang II Cobra II in ''
Charlie's Angels ''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by Aa ...
''. The "Z28" high-performance option for the Chevrolet Camaro had been discontinued after 1974, however it was resurrected for 1977 due to the popularity of the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. The 1979
Ford Mustang (third generation) The third-generation Mustang was produced by Ford from 1979 until 1993. Built on Ford’s Fox platform, it is commonly referred to as the Fox body Mustang. It evolved through several sub-models, trim levels, and drivetrain combinations during ...
was redesigned using the larger
Ford Fox platform The Ford Fox platform is an automobile platform that was used by Ford Motor Company. Introduced for compact sedans in the 1978 model year, the Fox architecture was utilized for a wide variety of configurations for Ford and Lincoln-Mercury vehicle ...
, and marketed with a renewed sporty image. The redesigned Mustang also formed the basis of the Mercury Capri (second generation), which replaced the European built first-generation and was now available with a V8 engine. Chrysler Corporation, beset by financial problems, did not revive the pony car, instead offering smaller coupes such as the
Dodge Daytona The Dodge Daytona is an automobile which was produced by the Chrysler Corporation under their Dodge division from 1984 until 1993. It was a front-wheel drive hatchback based on the Chrysler G platform, which was derived from the Chrysler K pla ...
and
Chrysler Conquest Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
(a badge-engineered
Mitsubishi Starion The Mitsubishi Starion is a two-door, turbocharged Inline-four engine, four-cylinder rear-wheel drive four-seat hatchback sports car manufactured and marketed by Mitsubishi Motors, Mitsubishi from 1982-1989 — with badge engineering, badge en ...
) as their sporting models. American Motors Corporation remained absent from the pony car segment, however the 1979
AMC Spirit The AMC Spirit is a subcompact car, subcompact marketed by American Motors Corporation (AMC) from 1979 until 1983 as a Facelift (automobile), restyled replacement for the AMC Gremlin, Gremlin. The Spirit shared the Gremlin's Automobile platform ...
subcompact was marketed as a competitor to the hatchback versions of the Ford Mustang. The Spirit was available with four-cylinder, six-cylinder and V8 engines, and the model range included sporty "GT" and "AMX" models. In 1982, the Spirit GT became America's first pony car with a 5-speed manual. In the early 1980s, concerns about fuel economy prompted Ford to seriously consider replacing the Mustang with a smaller front-wheel drive model (which eventually appeared as the
Ford Probe The Ford Probe is a liftback coupé produced by Ford, introduced in 1988 and produced until 1997. The Probe was the result of Ford's collaboration with its longtime Japanese partner Mazda, and both generations of Probe were derived from the front ...
instead). The Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird escaped a similar fate with General Motors' front-wheel drive "GM-80" program canceled late in development. Emissions and fuel economy concerns also led the 1982 Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird to be available with four-cylinder engines for the first time. The introduction of fuel-injection on V8 engines in the mid-1980s—such as the Ford "5.0" engine (available in the 1986 Ford Mustang) and the General Motors "LB9" engine (introduced in the 1985 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z and Pontiac Firebird Trans Am)—benefitted the pony cars with increased power and fuel economy. However, declining sales and the growing popularity of
light truck Light truck or light-duty truck is a US classification for vehicles with a gross vehicle weight up to and a payload capacity up to 4,000 pounds (1,815 kg). Similar goods vehicle classes in the European Union, Canada, Australia, and New Zealan ...
s and
sport utility vehicle A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. There is no commonly agreed-upon definitio ...
s ultimately led to the Firebird and Camaro being discontinued after 2002, leaving the Mustang as the only remaining American-built pony car until the 2008 Dodge Challenger was introduced.


2005–present: Retro-style revival

Since the 1980s, the dilemma facing car manufacturers in offering pony cars is the lack of mass-produced
automobile platform A car platform is a shared set of common design, engineering, and production efforts, as well as major components, over a number of outwardly distinct models and even types of cars, often from different, but somewhat related, marques. It is pract ...
s to use as a basis for building them. Unlike the mid-1960s, the majority of modern compact cars are front-wheel drive with four- or six-cylinder engines, and engineering a dedicated rear-wheel drive performance vehicle platform specifically for a pony car is an expensive proposition. The 2005
Ford Mustang (fifth generation) The fifth-generation Ford Mustang (S197) is a pony car that was manufactured by Ford from 2004 until 2014, at the Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Flat Rock, Michigan. The fifth generation began with the 2005 model year, and received a facelift for ...
was the sole remaining pony car at the time of its introduction. The success of the Mustang inspired the 2008 Dodge Challenger (third-generation) to be introduced, followed by the 2010
Chevrolet Camaro (fifth generation) The fifth-generation Chevrolet Camaro is a pony car that was manufactured by American automobile manufacturer Chevrolet from 2010 to 2015 model years. It is the fifth distinct generation of the muscle/pony car to be produced since its original in ...
. Unlike previous pony cars, the Challenger and fifth-gen Camaro were built on the platforms from
full-size car Full-size car—also known as large car—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than mid-size cars, it is the largest size class for cars. In Europe, it is known as E-segment or F-segment. Af ...
s. The Mustang and Camaro were sold with coupe and convertible body styles, whereas the Challenger was sold only as a coupe. The next generation of pony cars consisted of the 2015
Ford Mustang (sixth generation) The sixth-generation Ford Mustang (S550) is the current iteration of the Mustang pony car manufactured by Ford. In departure from prior Mustang models, the sixth-generation Mustang includes fully independent rear suspension on all models, as w ...
and the 2016
Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation) The sixth-generation Chevrolet Camaro is an American pony car. Produced by automobile manufacturer Chevrolet, it was first introduced to the public on May 16, 2015. Sales started in 2015 for the 2016 model year. The Camaro now utilizes the GM Al ...
in 2015. The Mustang was the first pony car with independent rear suspension, a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, and
right-hand drive Left-hand traffic (LHT) and right-hand traffic (RHT) are the practices, in bidirectional traffic, of keeping to the left side or to the right side of the road, respectively. They are fundamental to traffic flow, and are sometimes referred to ...
required for specific export markets. The sixth-generation Camaro was downsized from a full-sized platform to a mid-sized platform more in line with its traditional size. The first
all-wheel drive An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand. The most common forms of all-wheel drive are: ;1x1 : All unicycles Reflecting one axle with one w ...
pony car was the V6-powered 2017 Dodge Challenger GT. The seventh-generation Mustang will debut in 2024. It is very similar to the sixth generation in size, configuration, and options. The current Dodge Challenger and Charger are expected to be discontinued after the 2023 model year, and replaced with a new, fully electric, retro-styled Charger, which will most likely be a 2-door coupe similar to the current Challenger. Ford plans to debut the fully electric eighth-generation Mustang in 2028, and GM is considering an electric Camaro coupe as well.


Vehicles

*
AMC Javelin The AMC Javelin is an American front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-door hardtop automobile manufactured by American Motors Corporation (AMC) across two generations, 1968 through 1970 and 1971 through 1974 model years. The car was positioned an ...
(1968–1974) *
Chevrolet Camaro The Chevrolet Camaro is a mid-size American automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, classified as a pony car. It first went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed to compete with the Ford Mustang. The Camaro share ...
(1967–2002; 2010–present) *
Dodge Challenger The Dodge Challenger is the name of three different generations of automobiles (two of those being pony cars) produced by American automobile manufacturer Dodge. However, the first use of the Challenger name by Dodge was in 1959 for marketing a ...
(1970–1974; 2008–present) *
Ford Mustang The Ford Mustang is a series of American automobiles manufactured by Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its sixth generation, it is the fifth-best selli ...
(1964–present) *
Mercury Capri Capri (later Mercury Capri) is a nameplate marketed by the Lincoln-Mercury division of Ford Motor Company on three distinct series of automobiles between 1970 and 1994. From 1970 to 1978, the Capri was a sport compact marketed in North America ...
(1979–1986) *
Mercury Cougar Mercury Cougar is a nameplate applied to a diverse series of automobiles sold by the Mercury division of Ford from 1967 to 1997 and from 1999 to 2002. While the nameplate is most commonly associated with two-door coupes, at various times during ...
(1967–1973) *
Plymouth Barracuda The Plymouth Barracuda is a two-door pony car that was manufactured by Plymouth (automobile), Plymouth from 1964 to 1974. The first-generation Barracuda was based on the Chrysler A platform, Chrysler A-body and was offered from 1964 to 1966. A ...
(1964–1974) *
Pontiac Firebird The Pontiac Firebird is an American automobile that was built and produced by Pontiac from the 1967 to 2002 model years. Designed as a pony car to compete with the Ford Mustang, it was introduced on February 23, 1967, five months after GM's Che ...
(1967–2002)


Motor racing

The 2000s pony car revival also saw a renewed focus on motor racing, beginning with the
NASCAR Xfinity Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...
(then called the "Nationwide Series") in 2010, where the Dodge Challenger and Ford Mustang
silhouette racing car A silhouette racing car is a race car which, although bearing a superficial resemblance to a production model, differs mechanically in fundamental ways. The purpose of silhouette cars is to provide a manufacturer with a tangible link to their consum ...
s were introduced. Modern pony cars have also competed in the
Rolex Sports Car Series The Rolex Sports Car Series was the premier series run by the Grand American Road Racing Association. It was a North American-based sports car series founded in 2000 under the name Grand American Road Racing Championship to replace the failed ...
,
SCCA World Challenge The GT World Challenge America is a North American auto racing series launched in 1990 by the Sports Car Club of America. It has been managed by the Stephane Ratel Organisation since 2018, and has been sanctioned by the United States Auto Club s ...
, and the
Michelin Pilot Challenge The Michelin Pilot Challenge is a grand touring and touring car racing series run by the International Motor Sports Association. Originating from the Canadian Motorola Cup, the series was taken over by Grand-Am in 2001 to become the Grand-Am Cu ...
. The Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro have been homologated for
Group GT3 Group GT3, known technically as Cup Grand Touring Cars and commonly referred to as simply GT3, is a set of regulations maintained by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) for grand tourer racing cars designed for use in various au ...
racing, and the Ford Mustang was homologated in 2017 for
GT4 European Series The GT4 European Series is a sports car championship created and organised by SRO Motorsports Group. It is a pro/am championship which followed a formula similar to the FIA GT3 European Championship, which was itself derived from the FIA GT Cham ...
. Pony cars like the Dodge Challenger, Ford Mustang, and Chevrolet Camaro are still used today in the
NASCAR Pinty's Series The NASCAR Pinty's Series (french: Série NASCAR Pinty's), commonly abbreviated as NPS, is a national NASCAR racing series in Canada, and is a continuation of the old CASCAR Super Series which was founded in 1981. History In September 2006 NASCA ...


See also

*
Coupé A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...
*
Muscle car Muscle car is a description according to ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'' that came to use in 1966 for "a group of American-made two-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." The '' Britannica Dictionary'' ...
* Sports compact


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pony Car Car classifications Sports cars