Quote:
Originally Posted by ford727
S197 mustangs sold 320,000 in first two years. That is what drew Camaro and Challenger
back in production. The S197 is a bit different from the Chevy or Dodge.
The difference is 107" wheel base and the 8.8" fixed rear axle. The S197 has more throwback design.
66-67-68 stangs: 107wb fixed 9" axle. At the time, throwback was the idea. The competition is upgraded from the pony type, more: wb, track, hp, torque, cid, independent rear, length, width, weight.
Less mpg, more insurance premimium. I admire the Chevy and Dodge. Great cars. I find the mustang more fun to drive. My 07 GT is modified for handling and throttle response. I have it down to 3250 pounds-dry. i would not trade it for a new stang, camaro, or challenger. Sometimes you want you have and have what you want.
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Even though the 2005 and 2006 Mustang moved a ton of metal those sales numbers were in the decline. I really wouldn't go as far as giving the Mustang that much credit for both the Camaro and Challenger. Especially considering that at GM there are those inside that wanted to do a Camaro since it went away. Really if the SSR did well, and the GTO did well we likely wouldn't have a Camaro. Those two vehicles failing in the market place played a role, the Mustang doing well showed that there was good demand in this segment.
If you love what you drive then I say more power to you, for others we are still looking for what we can love to drive every day.
On the formula for a pony car, a solid rear axle isn't actually part of the formula. Solid rear axles were normal when the pony cars got their start and has been a left over from that era which is mostly gone. With the next Mustang going to a IRS the solid rear axle is likely to be gone for good on performance cars.
The pony car started life off as a compact, inexpensive, and sporty 2 door 2+2. The three have a base price in the range of $22,000-$24,000 (not counting discounts) and have V-6 engines above 300BHP. The base models really fit the pony car formula the best at the moment....