Clash Of The Titans

It takes a very special breed of person to like American muscle cars. Not everybody can like them. Most will say that, being American, it will not only eat you out of house and wallet, but that it will also never turn a corner. The Americans have never quite grasped the idea that not everybody lives on Route 66, and that occasionally we need to use that big wheel thing in the cabin. But to the Muscle car lover, none of this matters. I know, I am one. For years I have yearned and dreamt of owning a 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback, the very same model that Steve McQueen drove in Bullit, around the narrow streets of San Francisco. To truly love American cars from this era, you have to say no to practicality, you have to say no to comfort, and just go with the only thing that matters anywhere in the US. Raw power.

And if there is one car that sums all of this up, that truly defines what it is to be an American made, born and bred powerhouse. It is the Chevrolet Camaro. Now before you think I’m talking about the one from the 60’s, the one that wouldn’t turn and wasn’t that fun to drive, just think for a second, if they made a new one. What if they went back to the drawing board, and updated the design for the modern era. It would still have the raw power in the engine, but it would be comfortable, and stylish. Imagine, what kind of a monster that car would be. Well, the wait is over, because they’ve done it. Say hello then, to the new Camaro.

Under the bonnet of the new model rests a ferocious six litre V8 engine, which, when combined with a six-speed manual gearbox, manages to produce a staggering 400hp. Now the most important part of this new model is the handling, which was the main problem with the old one. The new Mustang, when it was launched back in 2005, had a live rear axle. Unfortunately however, Ford didn’t quite get it right, because that axel turned out to be to cornering, what Jade Goody is to synchronised swimming. But with the Camaro, Chevrolet have given it independent suspension, meaning that in terms of handling, the bigger, bulkier Camaro will out corner the Mustang every time. So whilst the Mustang may have power advantage, being equipped with a 500hp V8, it would still lose to the Camaro in anything other than a straight drag race. You can tell that Chevrolet have really thought about this car. Hence why its has taken this long to develop. They didn’t see that Ford had redone the Mustang and gone in all guns blazing. They stood back, learnt from Fords mistakes, and actually thought about what they were doing. It really is a case of tortoise and the hare. The hare, being Ford, redid the Mustang and then thought that their work was over, but in truth, what they needed to do was slow down and watch the car in each stage of production. The Camaro tortoise has already won the race because it is a better made, better handling car.

It is true that the muscle car world is always going to be dominated by a few select names. Mustang, Hemi, Plymouth, Chevelle. But I think the new Camaro will definitely be added to that list when it is launched in the early part of 2009. There is even talk of a convertible version. Now after reading about its power, just imagine how cool that car will be. It will redefine style; it will definitely redefine your wallet. Deep down, I have a great respect for the Camaro, it is a rock of engineering magnificence and Chevrolet should be proud of what they have achieved. But the simple truth is I will always love the Mustang. I don’t care that it has the aerodynamic properties of a brick or that cornering is a total nightmare. The sheer thought of the open road, the setting sun, and that 1968 Fastback is enough to bring a tear to my eye.

But as a final thought, we must remember this. Such dreams have a nasty habit of never making it to the world of reality. A good Mustang will set you back around £30,000, and when you have the option of that, or the option of this new Camaro, which has a price tag of around £10,000 less, then I think we all know which one I’d buy. Like I said at the beginning, it takes a very special breed of person to like American muscle cars. There are many more models of car out there that will deliver more horsepower and that will corner more effectively. There are a lot more ways of going this fast and feeling that much power. But, and this is a promise, there are very few ways, of having as much fun in the process.