Is the Mustang a "muscle car "?
11/15/16 | 02:53 AM
#42
Mach 1 Member
Joined: December 11, 2014
Posts: 837
Likes: 11
Declaring someone's point of view illegitimate because you personally don't agree with it is a sure way to make your own case illegitimate. Come up with some facts, not your "because I said so" posts and you might be on to something.
11/18/16 | 02:04 PM
#44
GT Member
Joined: April 23, 2014
Posts: 155
Likes: 4
From: Texas
The term "Pony Car" was first coined by an automotive magazine in 1964 when it did an article about the soon to be released brand new Ford Mustang. It was used specifically because of the running horse motif of the car. In the ensuing years the term has been applied to the Camaro as well. In point of fact there was never a class of car designated "Pony" although some people will argue with until they are blue in the face about it. They are completely wrong, no matter what they tell you. There is no such class as a Pony car. It's just a term used by layman. For that matter there is no such thing as a 1964 1/2 Mustang. In point of fact, they were all 1965 models. 64 and 1/2 was again a designation applied by the population and enthusiasts years later. As far as Ford was officially concerned they were all 1965 models.
The definition of a muscle car as it applies to the era of muscle cars was to take a small car and put a large motor in it to make it faster. That's it, it's that simple. The original muscle car was the Pontiac GTO. I know, people look at a GTO from the 60's now and wonder how that is considered a small car. You have to remember that cars in the 60s were huge so the GTO was a small car. The Mustang was also a small car, the smallest car in Ford's lineup. It did not, however, have a large displacement V8 stuffed under the hood. In 65 the largest motor available was the 289. Subsequent years of the Mustang surely could be considered muscle cars when you started seeing versions that had the 429 motor under the hood. The Mustang is technically considered a sports coupe.
So that brings us to the question of what qualifies as a sports car. Some people say a sports car is a two seat roadster and nothing else can be a sports car. Try as you might you will not find a definitive authority that decides what qualifies as a sports car and what does not because there isn't one. If the manufacturer of a given car designs and designates the car to be a "sports car" then it's a sports car. In other words, if the intended or implied purpose or ability of the car is to be a performance oriented car than it is a sports car. This is why Nissan marketed the Maxima as a 4 Door Sports Car once upon a time; even marking the car with decals that read 4DSC. Some people scoffed because it wasn't a two door coupe. There is no rule that says a sports car must be two doors. That is just a common interpretation but not a correct one, like mistakenly believing that Pony car is an actual class of car.
The definition of a muscle car as it applies to the era of muscle cars was to take a small car and put a large motor in it to make it faster. That's it, it's that simple. The original muscle car was the Pontiac GTO. I know, people look at a GTO from the 60's now and wonder how that is considered a small car. You have to remember that cars in the 60s were huge so the GTO was a small car. The Mustang was also a small car, the smallest car in Ford's lineup. It did not, however, have a large displacement V8 stuffed under the hood. In 65 the largest motor available was the 289. Subsequent years of the Mustang surely could be considered muscle cars when you started seeing versions that had the 429 motor under the hood. The Mustang is technically considered a sports coupe.
So that brings us to the question of what qualifies as a sports car. Some people say a sports car is a two seat roadster and nothing else can be a sports car. Try as you might you will not find a definitive authority that decides what qualifies as a sports car and what does not because there isn't one. If the manufacturer of a given car designs and designates the car to be a "sports car" then it's a sports car. In other words, if the intended or implied purpose or ability of the car is to be a performance oriented car than it is a sports car. This is why Nissan marketed the Maxima as a 4 Door Sports Car once upon a time; even marking the car with decals that read 4DSC. Some people scoffed because it wasn't a two door coupe. There is no rule that says a sports car must be two doors. That is just a common interpretation but not a correct one, like mistakenly believing that Pony car is an actual class of car.
11/18/16 | 05:34 PM
#46
Bullitt Member
Joined: November 21, 2014
Posts: 331
Likes: 16
That is simply Ford being inconsistent. All of the previous anniversary models were in years ending in 4 or 9. Until 2015.
11/26/16 | 01:18 PM
#47
Shelby GT500 Member
Joined: December 20, 2011
Posts: 4,354
Likes: 53
From: CenTex...sort of
...get the sand out of your *****...
11/26/16 | 03:16 PM
#50
Mach 1 Member
Joined: February 3, 2014
Posts: 877
Likes: 43
From: Elk Grove, CA
I think we also need to point out that any mustang with out a V-8 is just a fun commuter car! (nothing wrong with it either)
I personally think any 2 door car with a large cubic inch engine is a muscle car!
I personally think anything with 390 cubic inches or larger is large enough to qualify!
The fact that some say a mustang can't be a track car without big money, makes me wonder what they think a track car is as well!
All of this is my personal opinion, (because there is no true right answer on any of this, it's all based on some ones opinion)
but I'm willing to bet many would agree with me!
I personally think any 2 door car with a large cubic inch engine is a muscle car!
I personally think anything with 390 cubic inches or larger is large enough to qualify!
The fact that some say a mustang can't be a track car without big money, makes me wonder what they think a track car is as well!
All of this is my personal opinion, (because there is no true right answer on any of this, it's all based on some ones opinion)
but I'm willing to bet many would agree with me!
11/26/16 | 04:05 PM
#51
2013 RR Boss 302 #2342
Joined: March 6, 2012
Posts: 11,830
Likes: 2,332
From: Lancaster, PA
Originally Posted by ElkGroveFordGuy
I think we also need to point out that any mustang with out a V-8 is just a fun commuter car! (nothing wrong with it either)
I personally think any 2 door car with a large cubic inch engine is a muscle car!
I personally think anything with 390 cubic inches or larger is large enough to qualify!
The fact that some say a mustang can't be a track car without big money, makes me wonder what they think a track car is as well!
All of this is my personal opinion, (because there is no true right answer on any of this, it's all based on some ones opinion)
but I'm willing to bet many would agree with me!
I personally think any 2 door car with a large cubic inch engine is a muscle car!
I personally think anything with 390 cubic inches or larger is large enough to qualify!
The fact that some say a mustang can't be a track car without big money, makes me wonder what they think a track car is as well!
All of this is my personal opinion, (because there is no true right answer on any of this, it's all based on some ones opinion)
but I'm willing to bet many would agree with me!
11/26/16 | 04:09 PM
#52
Mach 1 Member
Joined: February 3, 2014
Posts: 877
Likes: 43
From: Elk Grove, CA
11/26/16 | 04:25 PM
#53
2013 RR Boss 302 #2342
Joined: March 6, 2012
Posts: 11,830
Likes: 2,332
From: Lancaster, PA
Originally Posted by ElkGroveFordGuy
I completely agree!
See 390+ cubic inches = muscle car!
See 390+ cubic inches = muscle car!
2/19/17 | 03:15 AM
#54
Team Mustang Source
Joined: January 5, 2005
Posts: 13,225
Likes: 14
I heard a guy today at work refer to Mustang's as "pony cars" not muscle cars, what exactly is the Mustang considered? my insurance company says my 2010 GT 4.6 is a sports car, although I consider Corvettes, Porsche , Ferraris, Lamborghini etc sports and I consider Camaros,Chargers,GTOs,Mustangs, Challengers etc muscle cars, is the Ford Mustang (all years and engines) a muscle car?
Last edited by GottaHaveIt; 2/19/17 at 03:20 AM.
3/2/17 | 02:59 AM
#55
Bullitt Member
Joined: December 23, 2013
Posts: 243
Likes: 1
Ford's response to the GTO (muscle car) was to put big blocks in the Fairlane and Galaxy.
GM's response to the Mustang (pony car) was to design the Camaro and Firebird.
That is about as distinct as the origin of the terms can be made. Things get blurry after 1969-70 but even then, small block=pony car and big block=muscle car. The pony car is about daily comfort, usability, nimble handling and spirited acceleration. The muscle car is about putting the most power under the hood at the expense of comfort, usability or handling in the name of maximum acceleration.
Compared to today where the standards have been raised so far, I offer this. A basic Mustang GT or Camaro SS is still a pony car. The term muscle car should be reserved for those with monster horsepower, GT500, ZL1 or Hellcat. In my opinion, a modern muscle car is the highest horsepower option and will run 11 second quarter mile times in factory stock condition. A modern Mustang GT is a joke from that frame of reference.
GM's response to the Mustang (pony car) was to design the Camaro and Firebird.
That is about as distinct as the origin of the terms can be made. Things get blurry after 1969-70 but even then, small block=pony car and big block=muscle car. The pony car is about daily comfort, usability, nimble handling and spirited acceleration. The muscle car is about putting the most power under the hood at the expense of comfort, usability or handling in the name of maximum acceleration.
Compared to today where the standards have been raised so far, I offer this. A basic Mustang GT or Camaro SS is still a pony car. The term muscle car should be reserved for those with monster horsepower, GT500, ZL1 or Hellcat. In my opinion, a modern muscle car is the highest horsepower option and will run 11 second quarter mile times in factory stock condition. A modern Mustang GT is a joke from that frame of reference.
4/6/17 | 12:05 PM
#56
TMS Editor
Joined: January 22, 2016
Posts: 236
Likes: 11
Front page coverage
This vid about muscle cars vs pony cars may help...
https://themustangsource.com/pony-ca...erences-21139/
https://themustangsource.com/pony-ca...erences-21139/
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