Pony car
[1][2] Common characteristics include rear-wheel drive, a long hood, a short decklid, a wide range of options to individualize each car and use of mass-produced parts shared with other models.
[7] 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 built a prototype two-seat roadster called the XT-Bird.
[8] The automaker's "management expressed interest in a new car with a sports flair" and work on the AMC Rambler Tarpon, a 2+2 coupe with an elongated fastback roof, began in early 1963.
In its base specification, the drivetrain was typical of an economy car: a 170 cu in (2.8 L) six-cylinder engine with a three-speed manual transmission.
The US$2,368 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.
[16][17] 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.
[18] The Mustang broke all post-World War II automobile sales records, "creating the 'pony car' craze soon adopted by competitors.
[28] Initially, General Motors believed that the restyled 1965 Chevrolet Corvair (a rear-engined compact car) would be an adequate challenger for the Mustang.
[31][32] 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.
[35] The competition between the manufacturers was so fierce that the introduction and rollout of the Trans-Am Series from 1966 to 1972 is described as a battle in "The Pony Car Wars".
[36] 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.
[40] 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.
[44] 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.
[45] Ford "decided to call it Mustang II, since it was a new type of pony car designed for an era of high gas prices and fuel shortages.
American Motors Corporation remained absent from the pony car segment, however the 1979 AMC Spirit subcompact was marketed as a competitor to the hatchback versions of the Ford Mustang.
[60] The Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird escaped a similar fate with General Motors' front-wheel drive "GM-80" program canceled late in development.
However, declining sales and the growing popularity of light trucks and sport utility vehicles 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.
The Mustang was the first pony car with independent rear suspension, a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, and right-hand drive required for specific export markets.
Pony cars like the Dodge Challenger, Ford Mustang, and Chevrolet Camaro are still used today in the NASCAR Pinty's Series.
